Testing Sports Fandom
Advertising, Branding & Sponsorships
Uncovering What Fuels Sports Fandom
Measuring Star Power During the NBA Finals
We put Conference Finals highlight content in front of 400 NBA fans in Lumiere and captured how they responded, moment by moment. Every star’s favorability rose after fans watched. So did their intent to watch the Finals, and their view of the league itself. Here’s what that means for networks, streamers and leagues: the highlights you already make shift how fans feel about your players. With Lumiere, you can see the moments that cause the shift, and show sponsors exactly what their partnership is buying.
What We Tested
As the NBA Finals approached, we tested content from both Conference Finals matchups: Thunder vs. Timberwolves and Knicks vs. Pacers. We built the study in a Lumiere Channel, a multi-video testing environment our analyst team designs for each study. For this one, we skinned the Channel as an NBA Playoffs hub, so fans felt like they were browsing real playoff content rather than taking a survey. They moved through it freely, choosing what to watch and in what order. That gives us two layers of signal: how people respond to each video, and how they behave across all of them. Inside the Channel, 400 NBA fans watched matchup hype videos featuring each team’s stars: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton. They reacted as they watched, left timestamped comments and answered brand perception questions. A 100-person control group answered the same questions without seeing the content, so every number below is the difference the content made.
What We Tested
As the NBA Finals approached, we tested content from both Conference Finals matchups: Thunder vs. Timberwolves and Knicks vs. Pacers. We built the study in a Lumiere Channel, a multi-video testing environment our analyst team designs for each study. For this one, we skinned the Channel as an NBA Playoffs hub, so fans felt like they were browsing real playoff content rather than taking a survey. They moved through it freely, choosing what to watch and in what order. That gives us two layers of signal: how people respond to each video, and how they behave across all of them. Inside the Channel, 400 NBA fans watched matchup hype videos featuring each team’s stars: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton. They reacted as they watched, left timestamped comments and answered brand perception questions. A 100-person control group answered the same questions without seeing the content, so every number below is the difference the content made.
Where Fans Stand, and What the Content Did
After watching, fans rated each star’s favorability. Two different findings sit inside those ratings. Favorability tells you where an audience stands. Lift tells you what the content did. Anthony Edwards finished highest: 80% favorable after watching, up from 64% in the control group. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moved the most: from 54% to 74%, a 20-point lift and the biggest in the study. Tyrese Haliburton rose 14 points (59% to 73%) and Jalen Brunson 13 (61% to 74%). Because Lumiere captures reactions as fans watch, each of these lifts can be traced to the moments in the reel that drove it. That is what lets a network or league show a sponsor not just that its content works, but which content — and which moments — to build around.
Where Fans Stand, and What the Content Did
After watching, fans rated each star’s favorability. Two different findings sit inside those ratings. Favorability tells you where an audience stands. Lift tells you what the content did. Anthony Edwards finished highest: 80% favorable after watching, up from 64% in the control group. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moved the most: from 54% to 74%, a 20-point lift and the biggest in the study. Tyrese Haliburton rose 14 points (59% to 73%) and Jalen Brunson 13 (61% to 74%). Because Lumiere captures reactions as fans watch, each of these lifts can be traced to the moments in the reel that drove it. That is what lets a network or league show a sponsor not just that its content works, but which content — and which moments — to build around.
Where Fans Stand, and What the Content Did
After watching, fans rated each star’s favorability. Two different findings sit inside those ratings. Favorability tells you where an audience stands. Lift tells you what the content did. Anthony Edwards finished highest: 80% favorable after watching, up from 64% in the control group. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moved the most: from 54% to 74%, a 20-point lift and the biggest in the study. Tyrese Haliburton rose 14 points (59% to 73%) and Jalen Brunson 13 (61% to 74%).
A Second Way to Reach the Lift
Point lift rewards a low starting line: a player at 54% has more room to climb than one at 64%. So we also looked at headroom lift — the share of fans not yet won over that the content won over: (exposed − control) ÷ (100 − control). On that view, Edwards edges SGA, 44% to 43%, with Haliburton at 34% and Brunson at 33%. The content moved both leaders with nearly the same efficiency from very different starting points. Edwards, already the most liked player in the study, still won over 44% of the fans who weren’t with him yet. For anyone building content around their biggest names, that is the point: even established stars have room the right content can claim.
A Second Way to Reach the Lift
Point lift rewards a low starting line: a player at 54% has more room to climb than one at 64%. So we also looked at headroom lift — the share of fans not yet won over that the content won over: (exposed − control) ÷ (100 − control). On that view, Edwards edges SGA, 44% to 43%, with Haliburton at 34% and Brunson at 33%. The content moved both leaders with nearly the same efficiency from very different starting points. Edwards, already the most liked player in the study, still won over 44% of the fans who weren’t with him yet. For anyone building content around their biggest names, that is the point: even established stars have room the right content can claim.
Content That Drives Tune-In
Fans who watched the Conference Finals content were more likely to watch the Finals: 91% against 83% in the control group, an 8-point lift. The content moved how fans saw the league, too. Agreement that “The NBA is an entertaining league” rose 14 points, from 73% to 87%. For networks and streamers, this is the case for pre-event and shoulder content: it builds the audience for the event and lifts the league around it.
Content That Drives Tune-In
Fans who watched the Conference Finals content were more likely to watch the Finals: 91% against 83% in the control group, an 8-point lift. The content moved how fans saw the league, too. Agreement that “The NBA is an entertaining league” rose 14 points, from 73% to 87%. For networks and streamers, this is the case for pre-event and shoulder content: it builds the audience for the event and lifts the league around it.
Brand Sentiment: The League Wins Too
Players weren’t the only ones to gain. We also asked fans how they felt about the NBA itself, and the content lifted league brand sentiment on every statement we tested. Agreement that “The NBA is an entertaining league” rose 14 points, from 73% to 87%. “This year’s NBA Conference Finals are fresh and exciting” rose 13 points, from 71% to 84%. Fans’ enthusiasm grew no matter which kind of team we asked about: big-market teams (+16), the same top teams returning year after year (+14), small-market teams (+11), and new, young teams (+10). Lumiere points to where that lift came from. In their moment-by-moment comments, fans reacted less to individual plays than to the spectacle around them: the crowds, the cities, the energy in the building. That spectacle is the league’s brand, and the content put it in front of fans. For a league or network, that’s the case for investing in content around the event. It sells the league, not just the matchup.
Brand Sentiment: The League Wins Too
Players weren’t the only ones to gain. We also asked fans how they felt about the NBA itself, and the content lifted league brand sentiment on every statement we tested. Agreement that “The NBA is an entertaining league” rose 14 points, from 73% to 87%. “This year’s NBA Conference Finals are fresh and exciting” rose 13 points, from 71% to 84%. Fans’ enthusiasm grew no matter which kind of team we asked about: big-market teams (+16), the same top teams returning year after year (+14), small-market teams (+11), and new, young teams (+10). Lumiere points to where that lift came from. In their moment-by-moment comments, fans reacted less to individual plays than to the spectacle around them: the crowds, the cities, the energy in the building. That spectacle is the league’s brand, and the content put it in front of fans. For a league or network, that’s the case for investing in content around the event. It sells the league, not just the matchup.
What This Means for Streamers and Leagues
The highlights, hype packages and shoulder programming you already make are changing how fans feel about your stars, your matchups and your league. Lumiere shows how much, and at which moments. For networks, streamers and leagues, that means three things to work with: proof that your content lifts the stars you sell around; evidence that pre-event content builds the audience for the event; and a moment-level read on which players, plays and storylines to build programming and sponsorships around.
What This Means for Streamers and Leagues
The highlights, hype packages and shoulder programming you already make are changing how fans feel about your stars, your matchups and your league. Lumiere shows how much, and at which moments. For networks, streamers and leagues, that means three things to work with: proof that your content lifts the stars you sell around; evidence that pre-event content builds the audience for the event; and a moment-level read on which players, plays and storylines to build programming and sponsorships around.
MORE CASE STUDIES
transformers-one
Sci Fi
What Audiences Think About the New Look
28-years-later-content-study
Sci Fi
Horror Fans React to the Official Trailer in Lumiere
viral-moo-deng-brand-lift-study
Brand Lift Study
Moo Deng's Viral Success: What It Means for Brand Strategy
how-to-end-a-rom-com-right
Rom-Coms
How to End a Rom-Com Right
MORE CASE STUDIES
transformers-one
Sci Fi
What Audiences Think About the New Look
28-years-later-content-study
Sci Fi
Horror Fans React to the Official Trailer in Lumiere
viral-moo-deng-brand-lift-study
Brand Lift Study
Moo Deng's Viral Success: What It Means for Brand Strategy
how-to-end-a-rom-com-right
Rom-Coms
How to End a Rom-Com Right
MORE CASE STUDIES
transformers-one
Sci Fi
What Audiences Think About the New Look
28-years-later-content-study
Sci Fi
Horror Fans React to the Official Trailer in Lumiere
viral-moo-deng-brand-lift-study
Brand Lift Study
Moo Deng's Viral Success: What It Means for Brand Strategy
how-to-end-a-rom-com-right
Rom-Coms
How to End a Rom-Com Right
Want to know even more about what audiences found compelling in these clips? Or what they might find particularly engaging in your content? Reach out to us!
Want to know even more about what audiences found compelling in these clips? Or what they might find particularly engaging in your content? Reach out to us!
