Advanced Television

TV viewers prioritising World Cup over Wimbledon

July 11, 2018

A national survey of 1,633 internet users by market research company, GlobalWebIndex, reveals 63 per cent of the UK will be watching the World Cup final on July 15th (presumably even more if England are involved) – in comparison to just 25 per cent who will be watching the Wimbledon Men’s Final.

Some 44 per cent of UK said they won’t be watching the Men’s Final at all on the Sunday due to Andy Murray’s absence from this year’s competition. The former champion and world number one had to bow out of Wimbledon due to an ongoing hip injury.

According to respondents, with the two finals coinciding with one another, only 8 per cent of those watching the tennis state they are prepared to stick with the coverage should the match run over into the start of the World Cup final.

This clash is unfortunate for those attending the tennis tournament, with Wimbledon 2018 standing firm on its policy of ‘tennis only’ screening and being a football-free zone, even if England are playing.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the wider Wimbledon tournament though; 17 per cent of internet users state they are actually more engaged in the tennis this year as a direct result of the World Cup also taking place.

Not just a big screen affair

With nearly half (63 per cent) of consumers choosing to watch the World Cup final, brands looking to jump on the conversation taking place online will thrive by anticipating the second-screen commentary and analysis.

According to GlobalWebIndex, just under a fifth of Sports Fans say they use social media to watch or follow sports events. Some 44 per cent of Sports Fans follow sports stars on social media, and they’re 23 per cent more likely than average to discover new brands via celebrity endorsements.

Chase Buckle, Senior Trends Analyst comments: “Live sport remains one of the only types of content which viewers make an appointment to view. Broadcast TV remains absolutely central, with digital consumers but consumption habits are slowly changing. Sports fans increasingly expect a multi-device presence from broadcasters and brands alike.”

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