INFLUENCE OF SPORTS BROADCASTING PREFERENCE AMONGST YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

In the rapidly evolving digital age, the landscape of sports broadcasting and its consumption has significantly shifted, particularly among university students who are active participants in digital media culture. This study examined the nature of sports broadcasting content and its patterns of consumption among undergraduate students at Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State. It investigated preferred digital platforms, content types, engagement behaviors, and underlying motivations for consumption. Anchored on the Uses and Gratifications Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, the research highlights the audience's active role in selecting media that fulfill specific needs: such as information, entertainment, and social interaction. A quantitative survey method was adopted; utilizing structured questionnaires administered to 336 purposively and randomly selected students across the university’s colleges. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings indicated that football is the most followed sport, with platforms such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook being the dominant channels of access. Smartphones are the primary devices used, and students show a marked preference for short-form content, including match highlights, live scores, and commentary, largely due to convenience, real-time updates, and eases of access. Although traditional television remains in use, it is increasingly being replaced by mobile and internet-based consumption. The study recommends that sports broadcasters and digital content producers adopt mobile-first and platform-specific strategies to engage and retain youthful audiences in an increasingly competitive and fragmented media environment.