Does Television Crowd Out Spectators?

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of live television coverage on attendance at Scottish Premier League soccer matches during the 2002—2003 season. The authors exploit a rich data set which distinguishes match-day attendance into three groups: season ticket holders, pay-at-the-gate home team supporters, and pay-at-the-gate visiting team supporters. This examination of these categories is the first study of its kind. The results indicate matches broadcast live reduce pay-at-the-gate home team supporters by 30%. These results suggest that league administrators and club owners must consider the impact on clubs' traditional supporters when negotiating future broadcasting rights.

Does live broadcasting reduce stadium attendance? The case of Norwegian football

“…These results were from a survey from the Norwegian football league for the 2010 season. According to Allan and Roy (2008) the Scottish Premier League had a reduction of 30% among pay-at-the-gate home team supporters when matches were broadcast live.…”

The Broadcasting Demand for the Spanish National Soccer Team

“…Studies of the demand for soccer on TV are gradually being conducted in sports economics, but they are still less numerous than those which analyze attendance at stadiums. The earliest references to the impact of broadcast games can be found in studies of attendance at stadiums (e.g., Allan & Roy, 2008; Baimbridge, Cameron, & Dawson, 1996; Buraimo, 2006, 2008; Buraimo, Forrest, & Simmons, 2006; Forrest, Simmons, & Szymanski, 2004; García & Rodríguez, 2002; Kuypers, 1996). These empirical studies in the case of soccer are not unanimous in their conclusions, but policies for the sale of broadcasting rights have been based on the idea that TV keeps spectators away from stadiums.…”

Sports Fans, Identity, and Socialization: Exploring the Fandemonium

“…While the positive effect of team quality and age are well-established and straightforward in their interpretation, others demand more consideration. The notion of sporting contests as substitutes or complements for one another is an important topic among sport management researchers (e.g., Allan & Roy, 2008;Baimbridge, Cameron, & Dawson, 1996;Garcia & Rodriguez, 2002;Siegfried & Hinshaw, 1979;Winfree & Fort, 2008;Winfree, McCluskey, Mittelhammer, & Fort, 2004), often by way of broadcast as a potential substitute or complement for live spectatorship. Although our data did not support a substitution effect related to an active local team in the MLB playoffs, the broadcast of another NFL game was indeed a viable substitute for an out-of-market game.…”