One in Five Owners Bought an HDTV to Watch the Super Bowl, According to CEA Study

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly a quarter of high-definition television (HDTV) owners in the U.S. (22 percent) purchased their televisions for the specific purpose of watching the Super Bowl, according to the forthcoming Sports and Technology Study V by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)^®. No other sporting event comes close to prompting that many purchases of HDTVs. Accordingly, more adults surveyed identify themselves as fans of football (79 percent) than any other sport, including baseball (53 percent), basketball (51 percent), racing (28 percent) and hockey (27 percent).

“In fact, the impact of these sports events on consumer electronic sales is even higher when factoring in TV accessories and premium broadcast services. One quarter of online U.S. adults that subscribe to cable, satellite or fiber-to-home television service currently pay extra to subscribe to a premium sports package.”

Super Bowl fans will use both televisions and Internet-connected devices to follow the game. Of the 70 percent of online U.S. adults who plan to follow the game, 53 percent plan to watch live in high-definition and 21 percent plan to watch live in standard definition. Twelve percent will watch clips or highlights broadcast on television, and eight percent will record the game using a digital video recorder (DVR) to watch later. Ten percent of online U.S. adults plan to follow the Super Bowl via social media posts; eight percent will follow news and statistics from the game online; seven percent will watch clips or highlights online; and another seven percent will watch live online.

“Sports events, namely the Super Bowl, continue to drive significant TV sales every year,” said Kevin Tillmann, senior research analyst, CEA. “In fact, the impact of these sports events on consumer electronic sales is even higher when factoring in TV accessories and premium broadcast services. One quarter of online U.S. adults that subscribe to cable, satellite or fiber-to-home television service currently pay extra to subscribe to a premium sports package.”

Additionally, three in ten (30 percent) online U.S. adults are interested in watching sports events, matches or games in 3D at home. According to CEA’s U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast 2008-2013, published in January 2013, sales of TV sets with 3D functionality are projected to increase 39 percent to more than 5.7 million units in 2013. Internet-connected displays also will see strong growth this year, with unit sales reaching 12.3 million, up from 9.2 million in 2012. Furthermore, both unit sales and revenues for LCD displays are projected to increase in 2013. Innovations within the display category are helping drive overall industry growth, despite total unit sales of displays falling slightly in 2013.

The full CEA Sports and Technology Study V report will examine the role of technology in enabling consumers to watch and enjoy a broad range of sports events. It is designed and formulated by CEA Market Research, the most comprehensive source of sales data, forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer electronics industry. Please cite any information to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)^®. The complete report will be available free to CEA member companies in March at members.CE.org. Non-members will be able to purchase the study at store.CE.org.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $209 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org, www.DeclareInnovation.com and through social media: https://www.facebook.com/#!/CEAfeed http://twitter.com/ceafeed http://blog.ce.org/.

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