Meanwhile 61 per cent also plumped for national newspaper sports pages, 50 per cent terrestrial TV, 46 per cent cable and satellite TV, 37 per cent radio, 35 per cent teletext, 24 per cent magazine and 6 per cent mobile text alerts.
The survey also revealed that fans access the Internet more often and have faster Internet connections than general web users, with 79 per cent accessing the web on a daily basis, while 97 per cent go online at least once a week.
The survey was commissioned by specialised digital sports agency, Aura Sports, and conducted by research group SKOPOS. It surveyed 17 sports sites in the Aura Sports network between October and December 2004 to better understand their audience. In all, a total of 4,624 fans completed the 24-question survey.
Perhaps the most surprising finding was that some 46 per cent of respondents agreed that if a brand advertises on official websites then it must be trustworthy.
Similarly, 36 per cent stated that they are more likely to buy a product advertised on an official website than products advertised elsewhere.
Paul Wright, MD of Aura Sports, said: “What is particularly evident is the trust that fans invest in their official websites. They are viewed as the source of definitive proof on news stories that may appear in other media. They also give brands that advertise on them a kind of reflected halo of trust. And that trust extends to the commercial partners of those sites.”
To view more results from the survey, visit www.aurasports.com
