Stay ahead of changing consumer behaviour in the UK Major Sporting Events Market with Mintel’s market report. Inside the full report, you’ll be provided with consumer-led market intelligence that outlines the latest sporting events industry trends, alongside data-driven recommendations that help you to benchmark and align your strategy with other professionals in the sports events industry. Below, we’ve handpicked some key insights from the full report.
Our Report Provides Key Insights On
- Patterns of interest in attending, watching and following major sporting events.
- The importance of broadcast coverage to major event profiles.
- Perceptions of men’s and women’s major events.
- Implications of the emergence of esports and challenger events in mainstream sports.
- Consumer priorities for major events hosted in the UK.
UK Sporting Events Market – Current Landscape
It has been a strong year for sporting events in the UK. 60% of adults followed a major sporting event during the last twelve months, with almost half of adults watching a major football tournament. This is no surprise, considering 2022 featured both a men’s World Cup and women’s European Championship.
What is more surprising is the relatively low use of social media to follow the action. Only 27% of those following a major sporting event did so, although this likely reflects the availability of free broadcast coverage as 89% watched on TV or another device.
UK Major Sporting Events – What’s Next?
Major sporting events are likely to avoid the worst of the cost-of-living crisis as their special-occasion, one-off nature insulates them from consumers’ growing urge to cut back on leisure spending. In 2023, the men’s Rugby World Cup and women’s football World Cup are likely to attract large audiences with which brands can engage.
Sports other than football are facing a challenge in attracting younger audiences to their major events, particularly with competition from other entertainment options. However, there is an opportunity emerging with the continuing growth and popularity of major events in women’s sports.
To learn more about how consumer interest is shaping the future of the UK sporting events industry, and how your business can embrace opportunities for growth, purchase our full UK Major Sporting Events Market Report.
Major Sports Events Covered in this Report
FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championships, Summer Olympic Games, Winter Olympic Games, Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup, T20 Cricket World Cup, Cricket Ashes Series, Commonwealth Games, World Athletics Championships, Ryder Cup, Netball World Cup.
Expert Analysis from a Specialist in the Industry
This report, written by David Walmsley, a senior leisure analyst, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends in the UK sports events market and add expert context to the numbers.
Major international events are becoming important drivers of the commercial development of women’s sport, attracting growing audiences and earning parity with their male counterparts in how consumers view them, watch them and spend around them.
David Walmsley
Senior Leisure Analyst
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Overview
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Products covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
- The five-year outlook for major sporting events
- Now
- Next
- Future
- The market
- Major events are a majority interest
- Figure 1: Reach of major sporting events, 2023
- UK a major player in hosting game
- Figure 2: Economic impact of government-supported major events staged in the UK, by region, 2022
- Companies and brands
- World Cup and Olympics set streaming records
- No big bang from esports experiments
- Middle East states move in on major events
- The consumer
- Football dominates major event market
- Figure 3: Major sporting events followed, 2023
- Event experiences slow to change
- Figure 4: Methods of experiencing major sporting events, 2023
- Youngest spent biggest on 2022 World Cup
- Figure 5: Men’s 2022 football World Cup viewing behaviours, 2023
- Women’s World Cup looking much like men’s
- Figure 6: Expected women’s football World Cup viewing behaviours, 2023
- Major events winning on gender equality
- Figure 7: Perceptions of men’s and women’s major sporting events, 2023
- Fans want to watch and play
- Figure 8: Priorities for major sporting events hosted in the UK (net – any rank), 2023
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Issues and Insights
- Major events are closing sport’s equality gap
- What do Britons want from the UK’s major events?
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Market Drivers
- Core fans and casuals unite around major events
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- Figure 9: Experience of live sport, 2016-22
- Free broadcast coverage keeps major events centre stage
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- Figure 10: Peak television audiences for selected sports events, 2022
- Major events pay their way
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- Figure 11: Economic impact of government-supported major events staged in the UK, by region, 2022
- UK maintains major event hosting ambitions
- Environmental focus supports sustainable hosting future
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Major Event Profiles
- FIFA World Cup
- Figure 12: FIFA men’s World Cup hosts, 2006-26
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- Figure 13: FIFA women’s World Cup hosts, 2003-23
- Olympic Games
- Figure 14: Summer Olympic Games hosts, 2008-28
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- Figure 15: Winter Olympic Games hosts, 2006-26
- UEFA European Championship
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- Figure 16: UEFA men’s European Championship hosts, 2004-24
- Figure 17: UEFA women’s European Championship hosts, 2005-25
- Rugby World Cup
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- Figure 18: Men’s Rugby World Cup hosts, 2011-31
- Figure 19: Women’s Rugby World Cup hosts, 2014-33
- Cricket World Cup
- Figure 20: Men’s Cricket World Cup hosts, 2011-31
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- Figure 21: Women’s Cricket World Cup hosts, 2005-25
- FIFA World Cup
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Launch Activity and Innovation
- Esports: New friend or future foe?
- Challenger properties threaten major event traditions
- New locations broaden hosting horizons
- Football’s focus moves into the metaverse
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Interest in Major Sporting Events
- Football tournaments are most followed
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- Figure 22: Interest in major sporting events, 2023
- Women’s football World Cup primed for growth
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- Figure 23: Interest in upcoming major sporting events, 2023
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Experiencing Major Events
- Following habits slow to change
- Figure 24: Methods of experiencing major sporting events, 2023
- Major events are a very different social animal
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- Figure 25: Experience of major sporting events through social media, by age, 2023
- Following habits slow to change
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Major Football Tournament Behaviours
- Youngest fans were biggest spenders around 2022 World Cup
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- Figure 26: Men’s 2022 football World Cup viewing behaviours, 2023
- Women’s tournament offers best of both worlds
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- Figure 27: Expected women’s football World Cup viewing behaviours, 2023
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Men’s v Women’s Events
- Fans’ perceptions push towards gender equality
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- Figure 28: Perceptions of men’s and women’s major sporting events, 2023
- Seeing is believing in battle for equality
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- Figure 29: Attributes more closely associated with men’s major sporting events than women’s, by events followed in the past 12 months, 2023
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Major Event Hosting
- Sport for all – watching and playing
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- Figure 30: Preferred priorities for major sporting events hosted in the UK (net – any rank), 2023
- Gen Z: Willing to pay but keen to earn
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- Figure 31: Generation Z* priorities for major sporting events hosted in the UK (net – any rank), 2023
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Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
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