Trail Runner’s Survey: Livestreaming

ATRA recently conducted a survey to learn what individuals look for in a livestream, why they watch a livestream, whether watch time is live or from a recording, and much more. Below are some demographics of the 1240 respondents followed by a recap of some of the response data.

Demographics

Age breakdown:
54% ages 40-59
21% ages 20-29

Top 5 states:
Colorado—23%
Arizona—11%
California—9%
Texas—6%
Utah—5%

Ethnicity:
89% white

Gender:
58% men
41% women
1% non binary, other, or self describe

Number of years running trails:
59% more than 10 years
39% 10 years or less

Favorite race distance:
52.5% – beyond 26.2 miles (ultras)

Number of races planned for 2024:
77% will run between 2-10 races

Race directing:
26% have directed a trail race

Andy Jones Wilkins and Corinne Shalvoy on the Hardrock 100 livestream.

Livestream data

*Watched a livestream on the day of an event:
30%—Trail race or mountain race—short distance
60%—Trail race or mountain race—beyond the marathon
41%—Road race—any distance
24%—No/Never

Watched a livestream after the event (ie: recorded, not live):
60% responded yes

*What respondents look for in a livestream: (top 5)
68% — live coverage from start to finish
67% — knowledgeable commentators
55% — drone footage
53% — human interest stories about participants
46% — data related to how the athletes are performing

Maggie Guterl livestreaming instead of running the Hardrock 100.
Photo: Peter Maksimow


Would you pay to watch a livestream?
15% — yes
55% — no
30% — not sure

Favorite platform to watch a livestream:
67%—YouTube

*Why do you watch a livestream? (top 6)
75% — I’m just a fan of the sport
45% — to see a friend(s) running
39% — to feel a part of the event even if I cannot personally participate due to injury or circumstance
39% — to see if it is a race I would want to run in the future
38% — to learn more about the race course
36% — to help build or connect with the running community

*Could check all responses that apply.

Editor’s Note: See an overview of ATRA’s 2023 spring survey here.