One-fifth of Generation Y is already watching the match on tablet and mobile
Budapest, July 4, 2018 – Football is the uncrowned king of sports: according to a global survey by Nielsen Sports, 43 percent of respondents are interested in it, representing 131 million football fans in the five largest European countries. Football is also a leading sport in Europe; 54 percent of Hungarians are interested or very interested in football, making Hungary 15th in the world rankings. Nearly a third of women watch the FIFA World Cup worldwide.
Seven out of ten women consider the FIFA World Cup to be a particularly attractive event. The sport itself usually keeps one in three women in the world fevered, while Hungarian women are particularly fond of football: 5 out of ten people follow it. 90 percent of Hungarians have heard of the ongoing vébé, with an equal proportion of women and men. About two-thirds of men and 40 percent of women actively follow it.
The top list of football fan countries, which ranks the level of interest of the population, is a good illustration of how successfully the sport has conquered different cultures. Four-fifths of the urban population in the UAE is interested in or very interested in football, making it a world leader. This ratio represents a market of 3.2 million for the sport. Sixty percent of Brazil’s population, the five-time world champion, is “interested” in football, yet that represents a crowd of 75 million. The growing interest of the Spanish and Portuguese population in football can be attributed to the percussive national team and star players such as Cristiano Ronaldo. Hungary is 15th on this list, ahead of Russia and the United Kingdom.
Including this year’s Vébé in Russia, the ranking includes 11 former tournament-hosting countries, with six more to host a continental football event in the current or near future as directors or co-directors.
Hungary, the Czech Republic and Turkey are exceptions to this, but the Turks have started for the right to host Euro 2024, while Hungary will provide a field for some matches at the European Championships in 2020, which will be held in 12 countries.
“The FIFA World Cup, with an audience of hundreds of millions, is a mega-event that generates billions of dollars in revenue for various streaming and broadcast channels,” said Erik Vágyi, Sales Director at Nielsen. Broadcasting fees continue to rise despite the fact that Vebe continues to be broadcast free of charge in major markets, and pay-TV channels are less important in this area. “Subscription fees can’t be pushed by such a gigantic sporting event either, because they only cover four years and a short period. A football league that spans months, for example, is much better suited to broaden the subscriber base, ”the expert added.
In markets where football is of paramount importance, broadcasting rights are typically taken over by state channels. Moreover, in some countries, such as England, the law requires the tournament to be broadcast free of charge.
Reflecting the change in media consumption habits, vébé intermediaries should also pay attention to the fact that younger age groups prefer to watch matches on mobile or tablets (25% between the ages of 11-20 and 19% between the ages of 21-34). they are worth thinking about in appropriate advertisements.
Contact: Metta Karafiáth, metta.karafiath@nielsen.com, +36309625480
