TV Content Focus Group 1 (Sports) - Football matches on TV
In order to understand the viewing environment of the participants and whether it has any correlation with the style of commentary they prefer, participants were asked, generally, did they watch matches alone or with family and friends.
The purpose of this focus group was to explore the experience of watching football games on TV and to understand the preference for a certain type of commentary over others. Three types were discussed:
- Standard commentary on TV matches
- Standard commentary on radio
- Audio described commentary offered as an independent track and not interspersed with standard commentary. Such tracks are also called enhanced audio tracks.
The majority of participants stated that they watched alone, due to being able to concentrate on the match better. However, some watched football matches at the pub with family and friends but found it hard to follow what was happening due to noise levels being high. When watching in a pub, participants predominantly listen to radio commentary on a portable device, although the commentary and pictures are not always synced meaning participants cannot follow the match in real-time. This led participants to watch matches by themselves, as it enabled them to focus on the match with no distractions