Sports media consumption patterns in Britain

While online streaming and social media have surged in popularity as ways of following sport in recent years, television maintains its dominance in Britain.

YouGov Profiles data shows that three-quarters of sports fans in Britain (77%) still follow their sport live on TV. Three in five British sports fans also watch highlights or repeats (63%) on TV.

Online streaming, used by three in ten British sports fans to watch live action (30%), has certainly made a mark, but it has ample room for more growth. In fact, more Brits still say they catch up on sports using traditional media such as newspapers (38%) and radio (32%) than those who watch live online.
Three in ten Brits use social media for a dose of sporting action (39%), while a quarter of them keep a tab on things using mobile apps (26%).

Patterns vary dramatically across different age groups

In Britain, those aged between 18-29 are only around a quarter as likely as those aged over 51 to read up on sports in the newspaper (11% vs 48%), while being more than twice as likely to follow updates on social media (50% vs 19%).
Younger fans are also likelier to watch live sports via online streaming (41%), but even among this group live TV viewership holds a sizeable lead (64%).

Sports marketing and branding does not come cheap, but an understanding of where to find these sports-consuming fans can help raise efficiencies. YouGov Profiles provides granular insights to help marketers and agencies accurately identify and target these audience segments.

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Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.