Around 41 percent of Indian sports fans prefer "online live video streaming" to watch sports content, according to a recent survey conducted by YouGov among urban residents of the country.
Forty-seven percent of the survey respondents also noted that social media was one of the top sources for them to consume sports content, followed by 42 percent who tuned into television sets.
The study was simultaneously conducted in various other regions of Asia, Europe, the Pacific, and North America. It revealed that TV remained the top choice for watching sports globally, with 51 percent among the "engaged sports fans," a term used in the survey to refer to respondents who have been regularly tracking a particular sport in the past 30 days.
Globally, around 33 percent of the engaged sports fans said they used social media to consume content, and 25 percent relied on print or online media.
In India, where cricket is the most-watched sport, the study noted that 46 percent of Indian fans based in urban localities watch cricket on TV, while 39 percent prefer live online video streaming. Additionally, 36 percent said they also use video streaming services to watch live cricket.
These survey findings coincide with the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), a franchise-themed cricket league that garners massive viewership. This year, the matches are being streamed for free on JioCinema, a streaming platform that achieved a record-high concurrent viewership of 2.5 crore during the Chennai Super Kings vs. Gujarat Titans playoff match on May 23.
According to the YouGov study, around 19 percent of sports fans globally have subscribed to streaming services for exclusive cricket content. The numbers are considerably higher for soccer, with 51 percent, followed by basketball at 25 percent, and tennis at 21 percent.
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