With improved internet connectivity and an uptick in mobile adoption, digital viewership is a key area of growth for sports leagues and broadcasters alike.
“Tailoring the user experience for multiple screens is now a must for sports broadcasters to keep pace with consumer demand for global sports entertainment in these fast-growth markets,” noted Chase Buckle, senior trends analyst at GlobalWebIndex, in a blog post.
The strong sense of national pride that soccer fans feel toward the World Cup—coupled with the sheer number of hours they will spend watching their teams play—will undoubtedly provide a unique opportunity for advertisers to engage with their audience and boost digital ad sales this year.
Unlike most sports in the US, where the action is cut up by commercial breaks, soccer is a high-intensity, high-attention-span, lean-forward endeavor. People don’t tend to tune in casually. They’re all in.
With this in mind, Verna said, “World Cup sponsors get a lot of mileage by attaching themselves to the most popular sporting event on the planet. The extension of this event into the digital space only heightens the value of those participating brands.”
Curious to learn more? Tune into the latest episode of eMarketer’s “Behind the Numbers” podcast as our analysts discuss the implications of the FIFA World Cup on consumer behavior and regional ad spending in Latin America.