Unless you live under a rock or in a zombie-proof doomsday bomb shelter somewhere in rural America – and if you do, we doubt you’re reading this blog – you know all about the enormous popularity of not just football, but the cultural phenomenon known as “fantasy football.”
And here at the official blog of Amplitude Digital, we recently wrote about Twitter signing a potentially game-changing partnership with the ever-popular National Football League (aka the NFL).
But chances are, as college, professional and fantasy football seasons stretch into their final, frantic weeks of regular-season action, you’re not really aware of the “fantasy”-like impact football appears to be having on online video and online video advertising.
Video advertising technology company Adap.tv is, however. And the company, a division of AOL Networks, recently shared some of its findings via its own blog, The Video Wire.
The post, entitled “How Football Drives Engagement With Video Advertising,” revealed many interesting insights and fantasy-level statistics, including a 127% increase in video ad inventory availability on smartphones from summertime to the kickoff of football season (also known as “fall”). A similar surge over that time period was noted on desktops (a 120% increase), with the tablet figure at a mere 22% increase.
The Adap.tv “football film study,” if you will, also revealed certain “tendencies” in football fans’ viewing habits. The study showed that desktops are football fans’ preferred device on NFL Sundays, while smartphones are favored on Thursdays (when NFL Network broadcasts Thursday Night Football), and tablets seem to rule Mondays (home to Monday Night Football on ESPN).
Digiday Dialog with Adap.tv: The Future of Video in Publishing from Digiday on Vimeo.
Further findings from this Adap.tv “playbook” included:
–When measured by click-throughs, engagement increases by double digits on mobile phones during every day of the week except Friday. On Thursdays, engagement on mobile phones is up a staggering 270%.
–Engagement increases 161% on tablets on Monday, and desktop ad engagement skyrockets 200% on Sundays.
—Geo targeting helps drive lift in performance of video advertising. Denver and Kansas City, for example, were in the top 5 DMAs for growth in engagement, comparing before and after the season began. The Denver Broncos, led by future Hall of Fame quarterback (and top fantasy football scorer) Peyton Manning, had raced out to an 8-1 start to the 2013 NFL season, while the Kansas City Chiefs rebounded from an awful 2-14 2012 performance to begin the 2013 season with a flawless 9-0 record.
In short, football is not only a popular pastime in America. It’s a prime generator and source of video highlights. It drives people online, from an array of devices, to watch highlight plays, read player and team news, and check fantasy scores.
Football is more than just a game in America. It’s big business. For a lot of people, companies, industries and segments.
As the Adap.tv blog post stated:
“Football continues to garner some of the largest TV ratings, which extends to streaming video. When football is on, there is an explosion of traffic and video viewing and fans are much more likely to stay tuned.”
The Adap.tv blog post also offers an insightful “Video Advertising & Football” infographic towards the bottom.
What do you think? Are you a big-time football viewer and fantasy player? Are you ready to jump on the online video & advertising bandwagon and score big with your current and potential customers and clients?
Let us know in the comments section below this blog post. We want to hear from you. Get in the game!
