HOLY JUPITER! COMPANY PREDICTS $3B PER YEAR IN WEB SALES
Published
March 2, 2000
A report released yesterday by Jupiter Communications
estimates that consumers will spend $3B per year online on
sporting goods, apparel and tickets by 2003, according to
CNBC's Renay San Miguel, who noted the report was released
yesterday at Jupiter's sports on the Web forum in N.Y. Of
the $3B in sales, Jupiter estimates that "one-third" will
come from ticketing. Miguel stated the "of the big four
sports leagues, the [NBA] gets the highest scores from
Internet analysts for the way it's leveraged the Web for its
fans." NBA Commissioner David Stern, on "using the Web to
sell game tickets": "We see ticketing as an extraordinary
opportunity. Fantasy games, stream video, e-commerce,
digital photography, real time statistics -- it's a
cornucopia of opportunity which will augment our fan's
ability to enjoy the telecast." According to Miguel,
Jupiter's study found that most sports leagues, teams and
broadcasters "view the Web ... with fear" and "aren't really
racing to embrace the Internet." Miguel: "The misplaced
fear is that the Web will drag viewers away from TV sets and
fans away from arenas." But Jupiter Communications analyst
Patrick Keane said, "The Internet is going to be, in the
sports category, entirely incremental, so don't bury your
head in the sand. Take advantage of the Internet as an
opportunity to diversify and increase revenue, not lose it."
Miguel stated "e-commerce promises to be the impact player
for sports," but "another possible source of revenue for
sports ... is fantasy leagues" (CNBC, 3/1).
WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS...: In Toronto, Brian Milner
writes, "No sports league has embraced the Internet quite as
fast or as fully as the NBA." Stern, speaking at the forum,
said that the "global business opportunities for strong
sports brands are just beginning to unfold." Stern: "Sports
is continually evolving ... to follow its fans and
consumers. ... [The Internet] is just the latest and most
transforming opportunity" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 3/2).
