TNS Survey will begin measuring the attitudes and behaviors of sports fans in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.
TNS, the world's largest custom research company, announced today that the ESPN Sports Poll, a joint venture between TNS and ESPN, will now begin measuring the attitudes and behaviors of sports fans in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.
The survey provides comprehensive information on the success and overall performance of sponsorship and sports marketing programs.
From self-described "super sports fans" to those "just a little bit interested" in a specific sport, the ESPN Sports Poll has measured the behavior and attitude of avid and casual sports fans of more than 40 different sports for the past 15 years.
A Fresh Viewpoint into the Multidimensional Sports Fan
Success in the arena of sports marketing and sponsorship demands that marketers continually monitor the pulse of sports fans. "There are one-off studies that measure various aspects of sports in some countries, but nothing that measures all sports, all the time, among a broad representation of the population like the Sports Poll does in the U.S.," said Rob Fox, Senior Vice President at TNS.
"We know sports fans are multidimensional and demonstrate their interest through a wide range of activities and the Sports Poll captures that." Fox added, "The ESPN Sports Poll - with its extensive range of fan bases, comprehensive interest and behavior data, and a broad spectrum of sporting events, allows marketers to get the in-depth information required to evaluate sponsorship and sports marketing programs, and to price and negotiate sponsorship proposals."
The World is Full of Sports Fans
Leveraging sports to reach a global audience continues to be a tactic employed by companies around the world.
Especially with global events like the Olympic Games and World Cup on the horizon, the Sports Poll will serve to offer corporations a baseline measure of fan behaviors and interests as they consider making a substantial investment in these types of opportunities.
"Growing internationally is a priority for our company, which is why we have invested in the baseline wave of this research," said Artie Bulgrin, Senior Vice President at ESPN. "The insights we gather about European sports fans will not only help inform future decisions, but help us deliver on our mission to serve sports fans, wherever they are."
The survey will cover interest levels of sports most common in each country as well as traditional American and emerging sports. Questions regarding consumption (television, live attendance, online, etc.) will lend depth to the attitudinal research.
Some brand preference questions will be added so that companies in industries such as financial services, telecommunications, and consumer packaged goods can assess how their customers interact with sports.
About The ESPN Sports Poll
Since 1994, dozens of Fortune 500 companies have used the ESPN Sports Poll to make informed decisions in the areas of sports, events and sponsorships on a national, regional and local level.
Additionally, the major leagues utilize the ESPN Sports Poll to promote their leagues and grow their fan bases.
About TNS
TNS, which recently merged with Research International, is the world's largest custom research agency delivering actionable insights and research-based business advice to its clients so they can make more effective business decisions.
TNS offers comprehensive industry knowledge within the Consumer, Technology, Finance, Automotive and Political & Social sectors, supported by a unique product offering that stretches across the entire range of marketing and business issues, specializing in product development & innovation, brand & communication, stakeholder management, retail & shopper, and qualitative research.
Delivering best-in-class service across more than 75 countries, TNS is part of Kantar, the world's largest research, insight and consultancy network. Please visit www.tns-us.com for more information.
The Kantar Group
The Kantar Group is one of the world's largest research, insight and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of more than 20 specialist companies - including the recently-acquired TNS - the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and actionable insights for the global business community.
Its 26,500 employees work across 80 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the consumer cycle. The group's services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies.
The Kantar Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WPP Group plc. For further information, please visit www.kantar.com .
About ESPN
ESPN, Inc. is the world's leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring a portfolio of over 50 multimedia sports assets.
The company is comprised of six domestic television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU), ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS and ESPNU HD simulcast services, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International (46 networks, syndication, radio, web sites), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones (sports-themed restaurants), and other growing new businesses including ESPN360.com (Broadband), ESPN Mobile Properties, ESPN on Demand and ESPN Interactive.
Based in Bristol, Ct., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.
Horsham, PA - 23 November 2009
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