Media usage versus sport events

In the interview, it has been found our informants use variety of media related to sport events. As different media holds different modality, they can satisfy our informants’ diverse requirements, such as convenience, privacy, immediate, or constraints in the viewing environment. By jumping around these media, our informants could meet their needs around sport events broadcasting, during or even afterward.

A. Enriching information collection

a.1) BBS boards as a fundamental information source

Throughout the interview, one of the most referred media that our informants would frequently use are BBS boards related to sport events. Many of the informants acknowledge that these boards are their primary information source about the games, since other strangers would keep passionately gather information they received from everywhere and post onto these boards, everyone could easily update the last situation of every sports they loved by just browsing the boards.

“Most of the information about the sport events comes from BBS board, because there are miscellaneous information which posted by other strangers, it is quite easy to find something I might feel interested.” (P4)

Moreover, each of the information would usually follow with some interesting comments by other viewers, and the calculation of the replies also shows the popularity which helps our informants to choose the hottest issue they want from the miscellaneous information pool.

a.2) Sport news for instant updating

Many informants report they would occasionally watch sport news on the television if they have no time to watch the whole game. This kind of news brings them a fast review of those sport events they care, gathering all the important moments which help them update the latest situation in a short time.

a.3) Using sport website as a complemental service

To enrich the information about the sport events, most of our informants say they would also visit some website related to the sport games they watch, such as the official sites of sport events or sport channels. These sites provide much professional and reliable information about the sport events which made by experts, such as breakdown columns of the game, and the clear layout could quickly lead them to find some specific information they require during the games, such as the real time game statistics or match tables.

Although the website and sport news seems a great source of the game, most of our informants only regard them as complement tools and spend way more time on the BBS boards to gather information about the sport events.

“Although some information preformed much clear and professional on the official website rather than BBS, such as the match diagram or real time game statics, most of the time I were still staying on the BBS boards.” (P3)

B. Enhancing social ability

b.1) BBS gathering massive sport fans

The BBS boards also work as a social platform, gathering massive sport fans in a single place, allowing our informants to accesses other unknown viewers’ opinion and further exchange ideas or share information with them, no matter during or after sport events. It seems how important the role that BBS boards plays in their sport life, especially when they are alone, these boards not only provide information, but more a feeling of accompany.

b.2) Social network as a unification linking to sport peers

On the other hand, when it comes to sharing information with their peer-group, social network sites took place, or in most of our cases, the Facebook. As all our informants’

reports, when they want to share their thought or interesting information about the sport events, their social network site jumps into their mind first.

“All of my friends are on the Facebook, there is no doubt I would share my thought there”.

(P1)

“It just how convenience the Facebook now is, it adopts almost all kind of types of information we want to share, and once you post, all of your friends would see and reply.”

(P6)

The characters of adaptation and uniform make the sharing activity could perform easily and efficiently. Meanwhile, the features of sharing in publicly or privately, also helps our informants to fit their share information into different context. Make the social network sites become the main bridge between our informants and their peer-groups, during or after sport events.

b.3) Cellphone using in urgent scenario

Another communication tools which used a lots by our informants are cellphone and instant massager. Cellphone would usually use in a relatively urgent scenario that when the informants want to share something immediately to their peers, such as notice an coming games which are important to both of them. By calling or sending a message directly to their peers’ mobile, the informants could ensure their peers would actually receive the information.

“Sometimes I would send message or call the peers to sharing some information about sport events, but this only limit to acquaintance and the situation were usually urgent, such as notice a friend for his coming favorite game.”(P5)

b.4) Instant message presenting peers’ viewing status

Simultaneously, instant massagers like msn or Google talks are another common communication tool for the informants but work in a slightly different way. Our informant use the tool more while watching sport events, they would seek out if there are peers online who are interesting about the game they are watching, then talk with them, since they might also watching the same game.

“When I see my peers are online, I would think maybe she is watching the same game as me” (P3)

b.5) Peers’ media preference considering

Interestingly, when it comes to sharing activity, the chosen of the media would not only affect by the informants’ preferences, but also their peers’ preferences. They would consider what kinds of media their peers like or familiar with, then share the information via these media in order to ensure their peers would receive the information.

“I use Line more to share the sport information to him, because he uses it a lot” (P5)

b.6) Cross media and devices usage meeting different needs

Instead of staying in front of the traditional standalone TV, sport fans would jump between

different media to support their viewing and social requirement around sport events via each specific feature or modality the media can provide. And these behaviors are not only reluctant to the game time, but also afterward and extend to their daily life.

In the interview, most of our informants expressed that it seems natural to them to shifting their attention between different media during the game, since they all use computer to watch the sport events, switching are just as easy as a few clicks and multi-tasks are done without effort.

“I would jump to BBS or other website from time to time during sport events. I think it is because the switching task is too easy for me when I using the laptop to watch sport events.” (P3)