CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPS, OBSTACLES, AND STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE SPORTS VIEWERSHIP AMONG NON-SPORT FEMALE FANS
Keywords:
Sports Management, Sports Policy, Non-Sport Female Fans, Group Classification, Audience Engagement, Cluster AnalysisAbstract
Audience engagement is a critical factor in the development of the sports industry. However, non-sport female viewers continue to exhibit relatively low levels of sports viewership, limiting audience expansion and revenue generation. This reflects a structural gap in the sports industry's ability to effectively reach and develop a high-potential consumer segment that remains underutilized, both in terms of economic value and long-term industry growth.
This review aims to examine the literature on market segmentation and barriers to sports viewership,focusing on media-based sports viewership, focusing on media-based sports viewership, particularly in sports where Thai female athletes have achieved outstanding international success, such as volleyball and badminton, by synthesizing relevant studies from both domestic and international contexts using a narrative review approach to provide a comprehensive overview of existing knowledge in this area. Based on the literature
synthesis, this review proposes that non-sport female viewers represent a heterogeneous group that can be segmented into distinct subgroups based on behavioral and attitudinal characteristics, distinguishing them from sports fans and the general sports consumer market. Barriers to sports viewership include social, cultural, and perceptual factors, which must be considered in conjunction with segmentation to achieve a comprehensive understanding of this consumer segment. This review provides practical managerial
implications for stakeholders in the sports industry, as well as directions for future research.
(Journal of Sports Science and Technology 2026; 26(1):7-19)
(Received: 6 May 2026, Revised: 28 June 2026, Accepted: 2 July 2026)
*Corresponding Author: Kritin SMUTHKOCHORN
Sports Management Program, Faculty of Sports Science,
Chulalongkorn University, Pathum Wan, Bangkok, Thailand, 10330
E -mail: 6770001839@student.chula.ac.th
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