The 1966 World Cup Final was a turning point not only for English football but also for broadcasting.
The victory of England over West Germany was watched by an estimated 32,3 million people. It remains the most watched TV broadcast in British History and has created a link between football on the small screen.
The media landscape is now a completely different place than it was six decades ago. The Euros will bring in large audiences to both ITV & BBC. However, the “water cooler TV moments” are all but gone.
The tournament will be a test both for the broadcasters as well as the sport in general, given the growing competition to attract viewers.
Are England’s footballing achievements enough to convince Gen Z?
Media analyst Ian Whittaker says, “This is the first major social media experiment in live tournaments.” It will be a test to see where we are in terms of consumer watching patterns.
Euros couldn’t have come at a better time for broadcasters. The advertising industry is still suffering from the worst downturn since the financial crisis.
ITV has begun to cut jobs after its advertising revenue fell 8pc in the past year.
The broadcaster forecasts a 12pc increase in ad revenue in the second quarter, despite a low starting point. This is largely due to the Euros.
Sports programming is less likely to have ads, but it can still attract large audiences simultaneously – a rare phenomenon in today’s streaming age.
Over 19 million people watched England’s quarterfinal loss to France in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This compares with just 4.8 millions for the general elections debate between Rishi Starmer and Keir Sunak last week.
Enders Analysis’ Gill Hind says that “the Euros and the World Cup bring in large audiences… They are just things the whole country watches together.”
The audience size will not be the same as it was 10 years ago but the number of people watching the game is still in the tens or hundreds of millions, depending on the players and the progress England makes.
The audience is declining in absolute numbers, but this is especially true among the younger viewers.
According to Enders, sports viewing by under-35s is down almost a quarter from 2015. According to a recent Ofcom study, 16-24 year olds spend more time on YouTube and TikTok now than they do watching traditional television.
The popularity of gaming has also increased, with 56pc UK adults and 91% of 3-15-year-olds using devices online or off.
Sport is now competing in a media landscape increasingly fragmented, which is moving away from live television.
The decline in viewing of highlights shows is most evident due to the availability of videos on social media. Fans can access the best moments instantly.
Amazon Prime has already dabbled in Premier League rights while Netflix signed a deal last month to show NFL games during Christmas Day.
The UK’s listed event regime protects the rights of many major tournaments, including the Euros.
But broadcasters, and the sporting community in general, cannot ignore the changes in viewing habits.
Gen Z viewers are notoriously short-attention spans, and a 90 minute football match is less appealing to them. Ofcom research shows that young people are more likely to “second screen” or scroll through their phones while watching another show.
The growth of gaming has also changed the relationship between viewers and sport. The popularity of games like FIFA and Fantasy Premier League has increased the number of people who are interested in selecting teams, but young people have more affinity with star players rather than national teams.
In response, TV and football executives face existential questions about how to engage audiences beyond just broadcasting 90 minutes action.
ITV and BBC, on the other hand, are trying to attract viewers to their streaming platforms with exclusive content, such as documentaries or replays of classic games, and also increasing their output on social networks.
Euros may boost live TV viewing numbers for a while, but experts warn younger audiences won’t return in the same numbers as they did before.
Whittaker says that Gen Z values social content, sports narratives and live matches as much as they do the actual match. The Euros will be an important test.
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