Every year, the spectacle of March Madness takes over, and brackets determine the moods of many Americans. While cheering for your college or local team may be fun, it is also big business for local economies that host these events. Who is watching NCAA basketball games?
According to MRI-Simmons data run through Panorama, we ran the data on who watched both any games and regularly watching games, both regular season and NCAA tournament. Overall, 12.8% of adults watched any tournament game, while 7.4% watched regularly. That aligns similarly with 12.5% of adults watching any regular season game, while 5.9% regularly watched regular season games last year.
Are these the same audiences? Not exactly. While there is overlap, the geographic distribution of high-concentration watchers differs. Regular-season viewers tend to concentrate in the South and Midwest, whereas March Madness viewers are more prominent in New England, the Central Atlantic, and the Upper Midwest. Areas with lower viewing rates tend to have higher Hispanic populations, such as California’s Central Valley, rural South Texas, and parts of West Virginia. The maps below, using H5 polygons, show these differences.
Looking at specific audience segments, certain groups are more likely to watch both the regular season and March Madness. Using Panorama segments, we can see that there is an overlap for both regular season watching and NCAA tournament, for the top 5 and bottom 5 segments. The data suggests that similar types of demographics watch both the regular season and the tournament, just in slightly higher numbers during March Madness.
But who is playing basketball recreationally? Interestingly, the demographics of those who play basketball are very different from those who watch. Only about 4.5% of adults say they play basketball. The playing population tends to be younger, urban, and more diverse (Black and Hispanic), whereas the viewing audience skews older, affluent, suburban, or rural.
Recent Comments