The relationship between novelty of introducing breaking at the 2024 Paris Olympics and potential viewers’ media engagement, anticipation, and viewing intention: a study

Background: This empirical study investigates the impact of various variables on the potential novelty and adoption level of breaking as an official event in the 2024 Paris Olympics and how these factors influence media engagement and viewing intentions. This is meaningful in providing academic implications that can predict potential consumer sports-viewing patterns post-COVID-19 by delving into the psychological shifts among consumers. Methods: This research involved 520 South Korean youths, potential viewers of the 2024 Paris Olympics, as participants. The final analysis incorporates responses from 493 participants after excluding 27 inadequate questionnaires. Analytical techniques such as frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation model analysis using SPSS 28.0 and AMOS 25.0 are employed. Results: The findings highlight several key points. First, the novelty of the introduction of breaking as an Olympic sport has a statistically significant effect on the anticipation, media engagement, and viewing intention of potential viewers. Second, while the anticipation of the introduction of breaking does not have a statistically significant effect on the viewing intentions of potential viewers, it does have a statistically significant impact on their media engagement. Finally, media engagement had a statistically significant effect on their viewing intentions. Conclusion: Breaking, which was introduced as a new sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was perceived by the younger generation as new, novel, and fresh, unlike the traditional Olympic image. This is consistent with the reason why the IOC adopted breaking as an Olympic sport. The results suggest that the novelty of introducing a new sport as an Olympic event has a positive effect on younger generations' perception of the Olympics and their potential viewing intentions.