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Sports and Entertainment: Key insights on fandom, betting, media, and more

The ways we spend our free time are changing amidst generational shifts, technological innovation, and more. Read on for a closer look at Ipsos’ exclusive data on sports and entertainment.

Entertainment is both a central aspect of American cultural life and a major economic driver. But the ways we play, spectate, and entertain ourselves are changing amidst generational shifts, technological innovation, climate change, and more. Read on for a closer look at Ipsos’ exclusive data on sports, entertainment, and media.

Half of Americans think sports betting lessens the integrity of the game 

The attitude that sports betting lessens the integrity of the game has risen since 2023, especially among sports fans. ​ When it comes to the perception that sporting events are rigged due to sports gambling, there’s a pronounced generational gap, with older Americans considerably more likely to be concerned. (Read more.) 

How young adults spend their time online

18- to 24-year-old men over-index on PC/console games  — they're twice as likely (66%) to play them multiple times a week as the average (32%). They're three times as likely (16% vs 5%) to pay for creator porn like OnlyFans, and three times as likely (22% vs 7%) to be viewing AI-generated porn. And they also way over-index on online sports betting, trading cryptocurrencies and using prediction markets. (Read more.) 

Americans say they're more likely to spend on in-person experiences than extra streaming platforms

Americans report being more likely to spend money on live tickets or in-person experiences than extra streaming platforms, with one in three Americans saying they attended a sporting event in-person in 2024. (Read more.) 

Americans show broad support for paying college athletes through NIL

Ipsos' 2025 Sports Poll finds that Americans show strong support for paying college athletes and sharing athletic department revenues with them. The majority continue to agree that NIL has a positive impact on college athletics. At the same time, Americans also acknowledge the commercialized aspects of college athletics — a majority agree that the focus is now on making money, and some are concerned that the tradition and pageantry are being lost. (Read more.) 

Different fans express their fandom in different ways

Younger Americans (under age 34) are twice as likely to say they are fans of specific brands and specific athletes than older Americans (ages 55+). They’re four to five times as likely to be fans of celebrities and influencers (often used to deliver brand messages and endorsements) and four times as likely to be fans of video games, a channel to reach young people on. All of this is good news for brands, because younger consumers are notoriously hard to reach and younger fans are more than twice as likely to say they are more likely to buy products or services from sponsors of things they are fans of. (Read more.) 

Men show 2x-3x higher betting interest than women but there's still limited mainstream appeal

The surge in prediction markets highlights a new dimension of risk-taking as indulgence. In What the Future: Indulgence, Dartmouth University’s Eric Zitzewitz discusses the nuanced behavioral patterns driving this trend and their broader implications. (Read more.) 

Four in ten admit to churning streaming services

Half of younger Americans subscribe for a show and then bail. About four in ten across groups say they find it easy to get discount codes or free trials. And six in ten say there are too many services, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker. (Read more.)

Accessibility of games and tickets are most important to sports fans

Being able to watch the games easily (41%) is the most important element of sports fandom among sports fans, followed by affordable tickets (37%) and having a team that is fun to watch (36%), according to the Ipsos 2025 Sports Poll. (Read more.)

March Madness continues its plateau

We’ve been asking about the NCAA March Madness college basketball tournaments for a few years, and not much has changed over that period. About half of folks don’t plan to watch any of it (compared to about 25% who sit out of the Super Bowl). A plurality plan to watch on TV (27%) or streaming (16%). (Read more.)

People who didn't have a Super Bowl plan just watched it at home 

Roughly three in four Americans watched the 2025 Super Bowl in some fashion, which tracks with the record ratings reported by the NFL and Ipsos data from previous years. But only 15% partied with friends, and just 3% said they planned to or actually went out to a bar or restaurant to watch — which complicates the whole idea of the Super Bowl as America’s last big moment of shared experience. (Read more.)

The best ads in the 2025 Super Bowl

In a year with a great body of work — literally, body parts everywhere, from legs and breasts to facial hair and Tubi’s “skin hats” — some brands were head and shoulders above the rest. Unlike more simplistic Super Bowl ad rankings, Ipsos assesses each ad on a variety of metrics which are linked to real-world business outcomes, including the ad’s ability to generate sales, build brand equity, change a perception about the brand, or generate buzz and conversation among viewers. (Read more.)

A look at advertising's biggest stage

For many Americans, the commercials are a significant part of the Super Bowl experience, sometimes even overshadowing the game itself. 3 out of 4 people who watch the Super Bowl say they watch the ads, but 24% say they watch all of the commercials attentively — and 11% say the commercials are their primary reason for watching the event. (Read more.)

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