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Game Outcome Uncertainty and Television Audience Demand: New Evidence from German Football

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  • Dominik Schreyer
  • Sascha L. Schmidt
  • Benno Torgler

Abstract

Despite its prominence in the economic literature, our knowledge regarding the role of game outcome uncertainty (GOU) in spectator decision†making is fairly limited. Even worse, studies testing the uncertainty of outcome hypothesis (UOH) by exploring TV demand for European football have further intensified the original ambiguity. In this paper, we revisit the role of GOU in spectator decision†making by testing the UOH with regard to two different sporting products: (1) domestic league and (2) knockout tournament games. Analyzing TV demand for almost 1,500 German football games, we find support for the UOH in league, though not in knockout tournament games.

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  • Dominik Schreyer & Sascha L. Schmidt & Benno Torgler, 2018. "Game Outcome Uncertainty and Television Audience Demand: New Evidence from German Football," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 19(2), pages 140-161, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:germec:v:19:y:2018:i:2:p:140-161
    DOI: 10.1111/geer.12120
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    7. Uribe, Rodrigo & Buzeta, Cristian & Manzur, Enrique & Alvarez, Isabel, 2021. "Determinants of football TV audience: The straight and ancillary effects of the presence of the local team on the FIFA world cup," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 454-463.
    8. David Matesanz & Florian Holzmayer & Benno Torgler & Sascha L Schmidt & Guillermo J Ortega, 2018. "Transfer market activities and sportive performance in European first football leagues: A dynamic network approach," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(12), pages 1-16, December.
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    11. Babatunde Buraimo & David Forrest & Ian G. McHale & J.D. Tena, 2020. "Armchair Fans: New Insights Into The Demand For Televised Soccer," Working Papers 202020, University of Liverpool, Department of Economics.
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