MEET THE FANS THAT FUEL FANTASY SPORTS: KEY TAKEAWAYS

Fantasy players are traditionally the most engaged of all sports fans. When we look at how much they watch and the ways they engage, they are the top of the top. Fantasy accomplishes two objectives that the leagues and fantasy providers don’t value nearly enough – it increases the connections between fans (building communities) and it provides “skin in the game” that gets people to actually watch (the same way favorite teams or betting do).

BUT…

It’s a very small group and hasn’t grown much over time, which is incredible given the rise of connectivity and mobile devices. There are missed opportunities with them – particularly in getting kids to participate. There are barriers to entry and challenges that lead to lapsed players. Also, the same way that instigators are overlooked for traditional face-to-face activities, commissioners (organizers) are not valued enough in their ability to bring in groups of friends to play (and increase their connections to the sport).

Fantasy traditionally isn’t an entry point to fandom in the same way that video games are. This is why players tend to over-index as adult males. It’s also overwhelmingly dominated by just the NFL.

They are an extremely valuable, but concentrated, group. The properties should do a better job of diversifying what they offer to bring in new players and keep their current ones.