Viewing of televised sports in China, 2023

Results from Kagan's annual Consumer Insights online survey in China show basketball and soccer as the most watched major global sports with more than half of respondents reporting that they view each sport. Tennis (28% of homes), motorsports (24%) and combat sports (15%) were also widely viewed. Online survey respondents were all age 18 or older and were asked to select sports that they or anyone in their household typically view.

Sports that are less widely viewed such as baseball and pro wrestling garnered the largest percentage of viewers under the age of 40 at 55% and 54%, respectively, while soccer and tennis had the largest share of viewers ages 40 and up at about 60% each. Basketball, combat sports, pro wrestling and cricket viewers were more evenly distributed across age brackets, with no single age group representing more than 30% of viewers for each sport.

Total annual household income for households viewing each sport shows a larger percentage of homes tuning into golf, cricket and American football coming from higher-income households making 30,001 yuan and up, while pro wrestling was the only sport with 25% or more of viewing households coming from homes making 10,000 yuan or less. Please note some totals do not add up to 100% due to a small percentage of respondents opting to not reveal their annual household income total.

Respondents who watched certain sports were asked to select which specific leagues or tournaments they view within each sport. Fifty-two percent of homes reported tuning into National Basketball Association Inc. games, while numerous soccer leagues and tournaments were also popular. Outside of basketball and soccer leagues/tournaments, Formula One Group's Formula One (18%), Euroleague Commercial Assets SA's EuroLeague (15%), Endeavor Group Holdings Inc.'s UFC (12%) and men's NCAA basketball (10%) were also watched by 10% or more of online homes.

Demographic breakouts for basketball league and tournament viewers highlight the dominance of the NBA among basketball fans in China. While only one-quarter or fewer of NBA viewers said they also watch EuroLeague or other basketball league action, 70% to 80% of viewers of other basketball leagues and tournaments reported also watching NBA contests. Basketball viewers were more likely to report living in higher-income households when compared to overall survey respondents, with EuroLeague and men's NCAA college basketball fans the most likely to report living in households making 30,001 yuan or more.

^{Data presented in this article was collected from Kagan's 2023 China Consumer Insights survey. The 2023 China Consumer Insights survey consisted of 1,000 internet adults, with a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.
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