Hispanic Sports Fans Are Key Consumer for Marketers

NEW YORK -- As the demographic makeup of the United States continues to change, so too does the key target for marketers. Rising to the forefront are Hispanic sports fans.

"With growing consumer clout, Hispanic audiences represent a huge opportunity for the sports industry in the U.S.," said Stephen Master, senior vice president of sports at Nielsen. "Considering that 94 percent of Hispanic males say they're sports fans and 56 percent of Hispanic males consider themselves avid fans, we felt the need to look more closely at Hispanic audiences."

A recent Nielsen study looked deeper into the Hispanic sports fan and found that they're highly engaged, perpetually connected and enjoy buying sports-related merchandise. Key highlights from the study include:

• Hispanic consumers take a more favorable eye toward sponsorships. Forty-three percent of Hispanics feel loyalty toward sports sponsorships and 41 percent of this demographic are inclined to buy products offered by sponsors.
   
• Seventy-five percent of Hispanics have purchased sports-related merchandise within the last 12 months, compared to 62 percent of non-Hispanics.
   
• Sports scandals aside, Hispanic fans still believe in role models. In every major professional league, Hispanics said they still place value in athletes as role models, more so than non-Hispanics. Hispanics hold athletes in the National Basketball Association (NBA) to the highest standards -- 49 percent see NBA players as role models, compared to 38 percent of non-Hispanics.
   
• Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanics to use a mobile device to watch sports-related content. Twenty-four percent of Hispanics said they use a tablet to watch sports content, while 27 percent view content on a smartphone, compared to 12 percent and 15 percent among non-Hispanics, respectively.
   
• Hispanic fans are twice as likely to attend sporting events at least once per week. When they're not at the games, watching sporting events is an occasion to socialize. Hispanic sports fans watch sports programming with others. Fifty-five percent of Hispanics said they're more likely to take in a televised game or other sports programs at someone else's home, compared to 45 percent of non-Hispanics who do so.