Potential Baseball Fan Engagement: The Determinants of a New Television Audience in the Chinese Professional Baseball League during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in baseball viewership, thereby providing an opportunity comprehensively explore the determinants of new audience. To this end, we analyze preferences Taiwanese audience 2019 and 2020, both before after outbreak, through TV ratings based on effect outcome uncertainty, tournament factors, consumer availability, game quality. empirical findings show that behavior small-scale Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) sports television viewing market differs from large-scale markets such as Major Baseball. Additionally, uncertainty is inconsistent pandemic. New audiences, unlike existing have been affected by team quality availability are statistically significant, but factors not significant. This study provides first analysis driving CPBL games well impact outbreak contribution filling gap communication research. observations can be used strategic departments professional teams for their marketing target, identify potential fans, direct resources towards sustaining or even growing during events.