Can live sport win back Gen Z?

[sglowrider]

Young people’s interest in watching sporting events is waning, threatening a business model built on broadcasting rights.


A YouGov report last year found that just 31 per cent of global sports fans aged 18-24 watched live matches, compared with 75 per cent for those 55 and over. Instead, younger viewers were more likely to watch highlights clips or interact with star athletes via social media, while a large portion engage with their preferred sports through video games.

 

[TsuWave]

overstimulated youtes with a lot of things competing for their attention

It’s over

 

[Bastian]

Young people’s interest in watching sporting events is waning, threatening a business model built on broadcasting rights.


A YouGov report last year found that just 31 per cent of global sports fans aged 18-24 watched live matches, compared with 75 per cent for those 55 and over. Instead, younger viewers were more likely to watch highlights clips or interact with star athletes via social media, while a large portion engage with their preferred sports through video games.

What a sentence. One of hypernormalisation. We are turning more robotic, no doubt.

 

[V.O.]

According to the graph, the actual thing measured was the percentage who "watch live sports on a TV channel".

I'd answer no to that and I must watch hundreds of live sporting events every year, as would a lot of people under 40 who do the same.

 

[caid]

Its unaffordable and its not a generation that has huge amounts of disposable income. I dont even think its measuring their interest anyway. They can watch a stream a couple of hours after the match and it wouldn't be counted on two fronts. I'm kind of surprised they're getting 30% pick up considering the price of subscriptions really.
They cant 'win back' gen z - cant get money they wont have.

 

[luke511]

More live football on free terrestrial TV would reverse the decline. In the UK If you don’t grow up with parents willing to pay for Sky Sports and TNT sports you’re a bit screwed. Compare it to when the Champions League was on ITV, that made live football a lot more accessible and the audience grew because of it. There was something about it that made it feel more entertaining too, maybe that’s just nostalgia. It’ll never happen because of technicalities, but there should be an agreement to free up one game a week available for everyone to watch on BBC/ITV, long term it would do wonders.

 

[Cloud7]

According to the graph, the actual thing measured was the percentage who "watch live sports on a TV channel".

I'd answer no to that and I must watch hundreds of live sporting events every year, as would a lot of people under 40 who do the same.

On a personal level, I would say that I have gone from being someone who would have been a yes to now a no.

Prior to moving to the UK, I would watch all of my football and cricket via live TV (Which I paid extra for those channels however they were reasonably priced), however since moving here, due to the ridiculous costs to watch the PL (Sky + BT and you still don’t get all the matches??) coupled with the actual times of matches being more awkward to work around, it’s much easier to just use a river when I want to watch a match.

The prohibitive costs, I would imagine, might put off a lot of young people in the UK. The solution to that is obvious, though one that is seemingly not palatable to a lot of people so I can’t see it ever changing unless it’s part of some last ditch effort.

 

[stevoc]

Young people’s interest in watching sporting events is waning, threatening a business model built on broadcasting rights.


A YouGov report last year found that just 31 per cent of global sports fans aged 18-24 watched live matches, compared with 75 per cent for those 55 and over. Instead, younger viewers were more likely to watch highlights clips or interact with star athletes via social media, while a large portion engage with their preferred sports through video games.

In the case of football the game will have to move to 4 five minute halves. Interspersed with dance performances and live ation memes performed on the pitch.

 

[horsechoker]

They should just put a vid of somebody playing subway surfer in the corner

 

[SuperiorXI]

The most obvious thing in the world when you price people out. What did they think was going to happen?

 

[DutchSerb]

More live football on free terrestrial TV would reverse the decline. In the UK If you don’t grow up with parents willing to pay for Sky Sports and TNT sports you’re a bit screwed. Compare it to when the Champions League was on ITV, that made live football a lot more accessible and the audience grew because of it. There was something about it that made it feel more entertaining too, maybe that’s just nostalgia. It’ll never happen because of technicalities, but there should be an agreement to free up one game a week available for everyone to watch on BBC/ITV, long term it would do wonders.

Same in the Netherlands even when I was a kid. Eredivisie and foreign footy were all locked behind PPV and subscriptions. I agree with the Champions League sentiment. Those were the only matches that were/are on free channels here. I think the nostalgia for me was my friends and me actually being able to watch it and discuss it at school.

 

[DutchSerb]

I'm not sure if it's just out of a lack of interest or that they all hop on illegal streams and thus aren't counted. But like everybody else said, it's a money issue.

 

[Mb194dc]

It'll be difficult, the competition from online games, phones, tablets etc is huge.

The current model won't work indefinitely and a streaming centric model will take it's place.

Possibly meaning less revenue from the rights.

 

[Bale Bale Bale]

Give it 10 years and "sprint matches" will become a thing.

 

[Cloud7]

It'll be difficult, the competition from online games, phones, tablets etc is huge.

The current model won't work indefinitely and a streaming centric model will take it's place.

Possibly meaning less revenue from the rights.

This has been long overdue a reset anyway. The money in those TV deals are insane and that cost is passed along to the fans

 

[El Zoido]

It’s happening to cinema as well, covid really accelerated it. Attention spans are much lower, in all of us. I’ve noticed it in myself and I’m 40. But for kids growing up in the Youtube/TikTok/Twitch/Twitter era, this is normal to them. The cost is also a huge issue, as the aforementioned entertainment just requires a phone and and internet connection and no additional cost. Frankly I’m long since sick of the traditional sports broadcasting model and wouldn’t be sad to see the whole damn thing collapse.

 

[fps]

Paywalls killed cricket. Football is oversaturated and expensive, and frankly often not very entertaining any more.

 

[Gavinb33]

Put it back on free to air TV numbers will increase keep it behind paywalls and prosecute people who pirate numbers will continue to fall imo, the CL on ITV would attract upwards of 14 million viewers I bet it doesn't even get 10% of that on TNT

 

[SilentWitness]

I posted in another thread recently but if you grow up as a fan of a club which isn't in the same city as you it can cost c. £200 just to take in a match weekend. That's not affordable for the majority of young people.

Ideally you'd try and get young people into going to see their local clubs in the lower leagues but that's tricky because they don't want to engage with Davis Keillor-Dunn of Mansfield Town when they can engage with Ronaldo/Messi etc. on games, instagram, youtube etc.

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

Main reason its in decline:
1. Social media
2. Short attention spans; due to no. 1
3. A lot of kids follow players and not clubs; generally on no. 1 not by actually watching games
4. The overall quality is poor
5. The entertainment level is low; due to no. 4 and having the majority of leagues being dominated by the same clubs

From own experience it’s not about the cost of watching it live or live on TV anymore, kids just don’t want to ‘waste’ their time watching full games full stop when they can see the best bits on tik tok and learn names and teams by playing fifa. It’s just not a big deal to most teenagers anymore.

 

[FootballHQ]

Is there a big issue? They still need to create their content at these live venues (or film it down a pub).

 

[Malons]

The restrictions on live brodcast football are the issue. If you think of it cynically as content, restrictions drive away younger fans. If a Netflix series of 38 episodes showed 19 of them on the platform and the other 19 there was only the option of brief highlights or making yourself available to watch the other 19 live as they're being filmed, the show would not attract a mass audience.

To younger people it must seem as archaic as explaining to them shops used to close early on Wednesdays.

 

[IrishRedDevil]

The only thing Gen Z love is themselves. Make them watch with a mirror.

 

[dcrompton]

Would it help to get Martin Tyler out of retirement to say “and it’s Live” before every match?

 

[Chesterlestreet]

This is something that should be discussed more.

I have a Gen Z nephew who is obsessed with football.

In some ways he reminds me very much of myself when I was his age.

In other ways - not so much, or not at all (actually).

Point being, for the time being his dad pays for whatever football related products (including live matches) he avails himself of...but I can easily imagine that his generation of fans will constitute a very different demographic (in a consumer sense) than his dad's.

 

[maniak]

I see a lot of jokes in this thread but in my experience with teens and college kids, the issue is not attention span or other interests, it's money. They don't have much money so they are very selective about how they spend it. If there's something they can get for free illegally, they will do it and save the money to spend on real life experiences with their friends (going out, mostly. Concerts, movies, food, etc).

The percentage who loves football and watches matches live is probably similar to when I was their age, but I could watch it on tv for free or pay 15 euros and have all the leagues in one package (CL, PL, la liga, serie a, bundesliga, etc it was all for 15 euros). They watch it through illegal streams and that's it.

I was talking to a lad last month who is crazy for benfica and watches every single match. But he watches it on streams because if wants to watch all matches he needs to subscribe to 3 different channels (one for european footie, one for home matches and one for away matches), how is a young man studying with a part time going to pay for this? They say feck it and see it illegally.

Make football affordable to most people and those number will skyrocket.

 

[thisisnottaken1]

The only thing Gen Z love is themselves. Make them watch with a mirror.

Excuse me?

Personally, as a 25 year old, I don’t watch much because it costs too much to watch stuff on Sky or TNT. I only watch United games on terrestrial TV at home, because I have a freeview TV. Additionally, about decreased attention spans, I naturally have one due to ADHD, but I can and will sit down and watch a game of football or a movie or an episode of TV for however long.

 

[caid]

Insult them and call them too braindead to pay attention for more than 5 mins. That'll work.

 

[MancunianAngels]

Make football/sport ludicrously expensive to even watch on TV and then complain when an entire generation doesn't engage with it.

 

[Jericholyte2]

Gen-Z have always had to pay for football, whether it’s Sky for PL or domestic football, or BT / TNT / Setanta for CL & European football.

Older viewers got hooked from being able to see it in ITV, so are willing to pay for it.

Give people free to air football and they’ll watch it.

 

[RoyH1]

Gen-Z have always had to pay for football, whether it’s Sky for PL or domestic football, or BT / TNT / Setanta for CL & European football.

Older viewers got hooked from being able to see it in ITV, so are willing to pay for it.

Give people free to air football and they’ll watch it.

Agree. European Football has hit the ceiling of what broadcasters can ask for from consumers. It's too expensive.

 

[rimaldo]

these kids would be able to afford satellite tv if they didn’t buy so many avocados and sex pills.

 

[jojojo]

I think the whole experience of live sport is different now - it's not just about watching it on TV. When I was a kid, a match ticket for OT was something you got on the day and it was a pocket money sort of purchase. You could go in, wander around, find your friends or at least your peer group. It was also somewhere that unaccompanied kids (12+ I guess) would go to.

All that's gone, at least for the big clubs like United. Unless your parents take you, realistically you aren't going - finding tickets isn't easy and even harder if you want to sit together. Matchgoing is a habit and optimism and the enjoyment of the experience has to get you there. I just think that's really hard to get now.

Without the matchgoing fanatics football loses something and it isn't just a background soundtrack. Even if you can't go to OT, I think it's part of the TV watching dream to imagine that one day you might.

I'd also say that football has saturated the market. You can basically watch a live match on a pay channel anytime you like but it becomes overwhelming - plus if you can always see the "best bits" for free why would you put up with the worst bits - and pay through the nose for them.

Personally I don't like highlights never mind "best bits" compilations. As far as I'm concerned seeing just the goals is like watching a chess match but only the move when a player says "check mate" - but that's a habit that I think comes from playing or watching 90 minutes. It's easier to watch 90 minutes as a kid if you're watching with your pals (whether at the ground or on TV) or at least with like minded spirits and I think that's when the habit begins. By the time you hit your late teens there's too much going on to pick a habit like that up.

 

[kouroux]

Can't blame gen Z, I have found myself being completely disconnected and distracted during games on TV. 10 years ago, no one could talk to me during a Utd game, I was so focused.
Right now, it's turned basically into background noise

 

[Matt Varnish]

I normally watch my games at the pub, (if it's open when they are on)
You don't see as many down there now as you did a few years back
This week for the Spurs v City game there was probably 6 in the bar, for United v Newcastle it was 4 of us

One thing that will skew the figures one way or the other YouGov is an online thing, you have to subscribe by email, I would say that most of the YouGov subscribers are over 55 anyway!

 

[Strachan8]

Football too expensive for gen Z yet they are content to pony up for Taylor Swift and other live music events. A Utd season ticket is great value by any comparison!

 

[Jippy]

They need to cut back on woke avocados and swap their netflix for sky sports.

 

[Bertie Wooster]

Main reason its in decline:
1. Social media
2. Short attention spans; due to no. 1
3. A lot of kids follow players and not clubs; generally on no. 1 not by actually watching games
4. The overall quality is poor
5. The entertainment level is low; due to no. 4 and having the majority of leagues being dominated by the same clubs

From own experience it’s not about the cost of watching it live or live on TV anymore, kids just don’t want to ‘waste’ their time watching full games full stop when they can see the best bits on tik tok and learn names and teams by playing fifa. It’s just not a big deal to most teenagers anymore.

I'd agree with much of that.

Finance is an issue though as well, obviously. As when it's expensive, it's an even less appealing option above all the other technology options. But all those other technologies aren't cheap either, so it's not as if it's through poverty and many of those people can't afford it. It's through choice, and choosing things that give more instant entertainment value than a 2 hour football match, a 9 hour / 5 day Cricket match, etc.

The shorter concentration spans, and demand for instant entertainment, means many younger generation aren't as fond of sitting through a full game that might well be pretty dull when in that time they could have watched so many different things on Tik Tok or YouTube - or interacted with people on social media, etc.

So even for many of those following it, watching the best bits on the Internet, and reading what others say about it (fan sites, celebrities, etc) is more appealing than committing the time to watch the whole game.

 

[MiceOnMeth]

I'm 29 and there ain't a chance I'm going to spend 40 quid a month for sky it's an absolute rip so yeah it's not really surprising 18-24 are also getting their footy through other means.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Main reason its in decline:
1. Social media
2. Short attention spans; due to no. 1
3. A lot of kids follow players and not clubs; generally on no. 1 not by actually watching games
4. The overall quality is poor
5. The entertainment level is low; due to no. 4 and having the majority of leagues being dominated by the same clubs

From own experience it’s not about the cost of watching it live or live on TV anymore, kids just don’t want to ‘waste’ their time watching full games full stop when they can see the best bits on tik tok and learn names and teams by playing fifa. It’s just not a big deal to most teenagers anymore.

But you are not everyone. It is 100% due to cost and people preferring to watch on illegal streams that aren't included in the statistics.