With the opening of the 2012 Summer Olympics less than a week away, mobile marketing and advertising technology provider Velti released the results of a nationwide poll showing that 40% of those who plan to follow the Olympics this summer will use two or more devices in doing so.
All 32 Summer Olympic events will be streamed live for the first time this year. Conducted by Harris Interactive in June, the poll also showed that 35% of respondents intend to use tablets to watch the Olympics, while 27% intend to use smartphones.
More than three-quarters of those who intend to use a smartphone said they´ll follow the Games via mobile browsers–to read articles, watch videos and live, streaming coverage, etc.– while 63% said they´ll use mobile apps, either Olympic-specific, general news or social networking. The situation is even more pronounced when it comes to those who intend to follow the Games via tablet–80% said they´ll use a mobile browser and 58% said they´ll use mobile apps.
Forty-five percent of those who said they´ll use a smartphone will access video clips and replays, while 41% plan to stream live coverage via a browser. Fifty percent of tablet users will watch videos and replays on their browsers, while 45% will stream live coverage.
“This survey reveals that a significant number of Americans are choosing to consume Olympic content on the go, and while doing so they’re overwhelmingly turning to mobile browsers,” said Krishna Subramanian, Velti chief marketing officer.
“Further, the Olympic audience is becoming more fragmented. For brands that want to reach Olympic viewers, this is an important finding as it highlights the ability to look beyond TV and focus on secondary devices such as smartphones and tablets.”
Younger adults were more likely than older adults to say they intend to follow the Games on two or more Internet devices: 44% of those 18-44 said they would, while 34% of those 55+ said the same. Fourteen of U.S. adults who´ll follow the Olympics this summer will use three or more devices. Men were more likely than women to say they´ll use three or more devices– 18% vs. 11%.
Also among the poll´s findings:
- Of those who will follow the Olympics this summer: 36 percent will follow the games on a TV and a computer; 11 percent will use a TV and their smartphone; 10 percent will use a computer and their smartphone.
- A significant amount (39%) of U.S. adults using their smartphones to follow the games will also be doing so by communicating with their peers via talk and/or text. Thirty-two percent plan to text with others about the Olympics, and 21 percent will talk on the phone with others about the Olympics.
- Overall, among men between the ages of 18-34, 83 percent plan to follow the Olympics in some way, vs. only 71 percent of females in the same age group.
