The growth of OTT internet and mobile video streaming services is a major development in consumption of global media sport. The online streaming of sporting events has become the important way of copyrights holders to engage sport fans, especially young fans. The most popular live streaming platforms in South Korea, such as NAVER and Africa TV are intervening in coverage rights markets and changing how live sport is experienced and shared across television, computer, tablet and smartphone screens. At the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, NAVER's live streaming service reached 121,173,945 cumulative viewers in 64 matches, including the opening ceremony and the final between France and Argentina. Based on suspense theory, this study aimed to examine the factors that influence sport fans’ watching intention to stream online sport. The current study collected the number of cumulative viewers of live streaming from NAVER and Africa TV, for the matches broadcasted across the KBS, MBC, and SBS, a total of 64 matches in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The results suggest that a measure of the unfolding nature of suspense is a stronger predictor of watching intention than those used previously. The additional measures of suspense that take into account the unfolding events of the contest will be stronger predictors of watching intention than either disposition toward the winning team or closeness of final score.

This study aimed to investigate the viewing experience of Taekwondo competitions, compare and analyze the viewing experience according to the type of Taekwondo competition, derive the viewing experience structure of Taekwondo contents, and confirm the potential of Power Taekwondo as a sustainable sports content developed for the purpose of popularizing Taekwondo.

The FIFA world cup is one of the most popular and widely viewed sporting event, where millions of viewers across the globe tune in to support their country every four years for the chance to win the ultimate football tournament. According to FIFA, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 recorded over 5 billion cumulative views, with the final match estimated to have been watched by more than 1.5 billion viewers live on television. In South Korea, a total of 11.14 million viewers watched the opening match against Uruguay, which was estimated to be a 97% increase in Korean viewership compared to the previous World Cup.

This study investigated which factors impact esports viewership for League of Legends matches through Live and highLight streaming video. This research anaLyzed League of Legends viewership factors' differences between the three Leagues (LCK, LCS, and LEC) where viewership factors infLuence esports viewership demand through LOL’s Live and highLight streaming video. League of Legends not onLy has the highest audience among different various esports, aLso has formed a huge market from diverse countries. In order to soLve each League's unbaLance viewership trend issue between the three Leagues, and facing worLdwide viewership decrease, this study examined viewership impact factors from three Leagues with the highest viewership ratings: Korea's LCK, North America's LCS, and Europe's LEC. After that, differences in viewership impact factors for the research were anaLyzed and compared to each League. SpecificaLLy, this study investigated which factors impact esports viewership for League of Legends (LOL) matches. Data (N=1581) of reguLar season matches from the LCK, LCS, and LEC Leagues (2020 spring to 2021 summer) were coLLected and anaLyzed. This study anaLyzed the average number of visitors per minute of Twitch Live streaming and the number of views on YouTube highLights. Five main viewership factors(the uncertainty of match, consumer preferences, match importance, team attributes, match content, and controL variabLes), and seventeen independent variabLes were verified by muLtipLe regression anaLysis using STATA 15. As a resuLt of the anaLysis, the modeL with the number of reaL-time audience as the dependent variabLe demonstrated different trends between Leagues in terms of the uncertainty of match factors (rank difference, win rate difference, goLd difference, kiLL difference, object difference), and consumer preference factors(fan, operating period of both teams, number of worLd championship wins, the number of championship semifinaL advances). WhiLe the match importance factors(week, top-rank matches) and match content factors (the sum of kiLLs, the sum of assists, the sum of objects) indicated somewhat simiLar tendencies between Leagues. In the modeL with the number of highLights views as the dependent variabLe, consumer preference factors and match importance factors tended to be somewhat simiLar, but match content factors prone to be sLightLy different between Leagues. In addition, the uncertainty of the match factors did not show a significant infLuence across the three Leagues. Findings from this research expand and appLy the variabLes derived from the demand determination theory of traditionaL sports to e-sports demand research. This study heLps stakehoLders understand various esports cuLtures from different regions. Furthermore, it is meaningfuL in that it provides information that wiLL contribute to the growth of the entire League of Legends market through baLanced deveLopment between Leagues.

The purpose of the current study was to deduct the factors for e-sports and to develop measurement scale of each images of those factors so as to establish the concept of esports. In order to achieve the aforementioned purpose, the study was conducted through three steps: (1) deduction of the elementary/principal factors which were based on the literature investigation and in-depth interview of experts and general public, (2) conducting first survey and exploratory factor analysis, and (3) conducting secondary survey followed by confirmatory factor analysis. In the first step, in order to develop and identify measurement scales, images concerning e-sports, game and sports perceived by consumers and related items used in the extant literature were investigated. Additionally, in order to verify the face and content validity of deducted items, in-depth interview of experts, professional gamers, professors of Sports Science, doctoral students, people in charge, general public and etc was conducted. And in the second step, the survey with those confirmed items scales were conducted and with the results derived from the survey, the exploratory factor analysis for measuring images consisting e-sports were also conducted. Finally, in the third step, secondary survey based on the results derived from the exploratory factor analysis were conducted and in order to test uni-dimensionality of the measurement tool with the results emanated from the secondary survey, confirmatory factor analysis were conducted. Through aforementioned three steps, the current study confirmed the image factors consisting e-sports which are comprised of six positive factors (i.e., sociality, entertainingness, aestheticness, leisureness, education, and stress relief) and five negative factors (i.e., addictiveness, violence, commercial viability/marketability, and closedness).

The number of companies investing substantial marketing resources in sport sponsorship has been growing rapidly. This trend has resulted in more competition among the candidate companies to acquire official sponsorship rights. Not surprisingly, the recent increase in the popularity of sport sponsorship has been accompanied by increased attempts in ambush marketing – a marketing strategy wherein the companies associate themselves with, and therefore capitalize on, a particular sporting event without paying any sponsorship fee (Hoek & Gendall, 2002). The purpose of this study is to examine how such ambush-marketing activities can damage the evaluation of the company when they are noticed by consumers. This study further examines whether the prior reputation of the company influences the relationships between ambush marketing and company evaluations. Sponsorship and Ambush Marketing Prior research in sport marketing (Meenaghan, 1983; Sullivan & Mulphy, 1998) suggests that the sponsorship of sporting events offers sponsors opportunities to develop favorable brand images by creating goodwill perceptions (Hoek, Gendall, and West, 1990; Marshall, 1992). As noted above, companies unable to fund sponsorship rights have attempted to achieve the same benefits by engaging in promotional efforts associated with the event as if they were true sponsors (McKelvey, 1994). It is, however, only when consumers are unaware of the fact that the companies are, in fact, ambush marketers that these companies can expect positive goodwill perceptions from their ambush marketing practices. This is because ambush marketing has been perceived to be an unethical business practice. Payne (1998) indicated that ambush marketing not only harms the integrity and viability of global sport events, but also infringes on official sponsors’ rights; similarly, O’Sullivan and Murphy (1998) claim that ambush marketing is just as bad as stealing. Thus, once consumers become aware of the fact that a company is implementing an ambush marketing practice, rather than being a true sponsor, those consumers will be disappointed, and negative evaluations of the company are most likely to result. Based on the discussion above, the following hypotheses are proposed: H1: When an ambush-marketing attempt is not noticed, subjects exposed to an ambush- marketing practice will have more favorable evaluations of the company than the evaluations of the subjects not exposed to an ambush- marketing practice. H2: When an ambush-marketing attempt is noticed, subjects exposed to an ambushmarketing practice will have more unfavorable evaluations of the company than the evaluations of the subjects not exposed to an ambush- marketing attempt. Expectation and Evidences We further predict that the risks associated with ambush marketing are more profound for companies with high levels of a good reputation, rather than low. Such reasoning is based on theories of the interaction between expectations and evidences. In this study, expectation refers to the belief probabilities of attribute occurrence (Olson and Dover, 1976); prior research suggests that consumers may form expectations about a company based on the corporate reputation—the sum of the values that stakeholders attribute to a company, based on their perceptions of the company’s image and behavior over time (Dalton & Croft, 2003). Corporate reputation comprises three dimensions (Graham and Helen 2005) including public responsibility (e.g., ―Are they socially responsible?‖), consumer fairness (e.g., ―Do they treat the consumers with some respect?‖), and leadership and success (e.g., ―Are they successful at what they do?‖). Thus, having established a high degree of good reputation indicates that consumers can expect more positive perceptions on each of the three dimensions of corporate reputation described above. According to research in consumer satisfaction, it is the direction and the degree of disconfirmation resulting from the incongruity between the prior expectation and the evidences that determine the product evaluation and satisfaction (Oliver 1980). In particular, Oliver (1980), and Tse and Wilton (1988) proposed that expectations are thought to create a frame of reference about which one makes a comparative judgment, whereby evidences higher (or lower) than the expectations are thought to be a positive (or negative) disconfirmation. Mandler (1982) further suggests that increasing the degree of discrepancy between a schema-triggered expectation and new information results in heightened arousal and cognitive processing, which leads to a more polarized evaluation of products and services. Therefore, in a sponsorship context, a seemingly true sponsorship activity (i.e., an unnoticed ambush attempt) is likely to lead to a positive disconfirmation of the consumers’ expectations about a company, and the degree of disconfirmation will be greater when the company’s prior degree of good reputation is low, rather than high. On the other hand, when noticed by consumers, an ambush-marketing attempt is likely to lead to negative disconfirmation of prior expectations about a company, and the degree of disconfirmation will be greater when the company’s prior degree of good reputation is high, rather than low. Based on the discussion, the following hypotheses are posed: H3: When an ambush-marketing attempt is not noticed, subjects exposed to the ambush-marketing practice will perceive a positive disconfirmation of expectations, and the degree of disconfirmation will be greater when the company is disreputable than when it is reputable. H4: When an ambush-marketing attempt is noticed, subjects exposed to the ambush-marketing practice will perceive a negative disconfirmation of expectations, and the degree of disconfirmation will be greater when the company is reputable than when it is disreputable. Disconfirmation and Evaluation Satisfaction literature (Oliver 1980) also suggests a high degree of consistency between the degree of disconfirmation and satisfaction, as well as the traditional criteria of attitudes. Oliver (1980), for example, showed positive relationships between the degree of disconfirmation and the amount of attitude change. Also, given the earlier discussion that the degree of disconfirmation is proportional to the extremity of the attitude, the following hypotheses are posed: H5: When an ambush-marketing attempt is not noticed, subjects exposed to the ambush-marketing practice will have a more favorable attitude toward the company, and the degree of enhancement in company evaluation will be greater when the company is disreputable than when it is reputable. H6: When an ambush-marketing attempt is noticed, subjects exposed to the ambush-marketing practice will have a more negative attitude toward the company, and the degree of reduction in company evaluation will be greater when the company is reputable than when it is disreputable. Method In order to examine the proposed hypotheses, a 2-by-2 by-2 full-factorial experiment will be conducted. A convenient sample of college students will be used for theory-testing purposes. There are three independent variables. Prior reputation (high vs. low reputation), and whether the ambush-marketing attempt is noticed or not (noticed vs. unnoticed) are the between-subject factors, whereas the measurement sequence (before vs. after stimulus exposures) is the within-subject factor. Corporate reputation will be manipulated by exposing subjects to either high- or low-reputation company profiles. Subjects will then be asked to rate the dependent variables the first time. Then, subjects from each company reputation condition will be exposed to hypothetical newspaper articles describing the company as either a true sponsor or an ambush marketer. After being exposed to the stimulus newspaper articles, the subjects will be asked to rate the key dependent variables the second time. The primary dependent variables include perceived corporate reputation, and attitude toward the company. Data collected from the experiment will be analyzed by three-way ANOVA.

The combination of sports and the IT industry has reached a variety of fields, especially in the area of broadcasting technology. Due to diverse preference of viewer and the rising number of channels, broadcasting companies provide differentiated contents to reach a dominant position. Therefore, each broadcasting company has their own strategy to produce contents through special technology skills to hold a top position amongst other companies. According to Eric Rothenbuhler's ‘media niche theory’, when there exists numerous media device with identical resources, the competition to survive between the devices become intense and soon draws a line between the superior and inferior devices which results in eliminating the less viewed media devices out of the race. To secure the uniqueness of the media broadcasting market like the ecosystem, the object is to verify the effectiveness of the convergence of sport broadcasting technology skills and IT technology. Therefore, the media devices and the newly developed technology for video production method were the independent variables. Additionally, the dependent variable was the media effect. Concretely, the media device technology variable set as 3DTV, video production method was set as the variable for FreePointView(FPV) and media effect was separated into arousal and presence level. Recent technology is developed three-dimensionally so that the viewers can feel as close to reality as possible and the most current

The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of the utilitarian, hedonic and symbolic benefits of consuming sportswear on consumers’ purchase intention and willingness to pay. Also, the potential moderating role of the type of brands (i.e., luxury vs. regular brands) is examined. A multiple regression was performed to examine the impacts of the perceived utilitarian-, hedonic-, and symbolic benefits on individuals’ purchase intention, while controlling for descriptive norm, financial constraints, prior brand attitude and familiarity, prestige sensitivity, fashion consciousness, and demographics. It appeared that respondents who indicated that the advertised sportswear fulfilled their hedonic, utilitarian, and symbolic benefit had greater purchase intention. A log-linear regression analysis was performed to examine the impacts of the perceived utilitarian-, hedonic-, and symbolic benefits on individuals’ willingness to pay for sportswear, while controlling for the descriptive norm, financial constraints, prior brand attitude and familiarity, prestige sensitivity, fashion consciousness, and demographics. As respondents’ willingness to pay was logarithmically transformed in order to correct its skewed bias from the normal distribution, the findings indicated that those who indicated that the utilitarian and symbolic benefits were fulfilled were likely to pay 35% and 19.4%, respectively, more for the sportswear. In order to explore the potential moderating role of the type of brands, we examined the influences of utilitarian, hedonic, and symbolic benefits on purchase intention and willingness to pay for two split samples—one for the two luxury sportswear brands, and the other for the regular sportswear brands. After estimating coefficients for luxury and regular sportswear brands, respectively, a series of z-tests was performed to examine whether the magnitude of coefficients varied across the luxury vs. regular brands. The impacts of hedonic and symbolic benefits on purchase intention were greater for the luxury brands than for the regular brands, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for the utilitarian benefits. Similar patterns of relationships were observed for consumers’ willingness to pay, although the hedonic benefits did not have any significant impact. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed along with future research directions.