NFL in Germany – A fan profile

The NFL has a growing presence in German life and that is reflected by some of the data we collect on the league. Take, for example, its score for Quality which has been rising steadily for some time.

So with the Super Bowl coming up, we thought we’d use our data to examine the German NFL fan and get to know him/her a little better. After all, with 2.37 million of them, this is a sector worth understanding more.

First of all, let’s look at some demographics.

NFL fans enjoy a fairly even distribution across age groups but are more likely to be younger (see chart below). Nearly two-thirds (65%) of NFL fans are men, and they are most likely to be married. Four-fifths of them (81%) are parents, slightly above the German average. They are a third (32%) more likely to be a member of a gym, and more than twice as likely (116%) to be a member of a football team. Their income closely matches that of the general population.

So what about their habits? How do marketers reach these fans? Well, their top three retailers are the same as the general population’s – Amazon, DM and Rossmann – but they are significantly less likely to use each than the general public, in Rossman’s case by almost 20%.

What about websites and apps? Well, NFL fans are about a third (36%) more likely to be a current customer of Twitter but only just as likely to be on Facebook and Instagram this month. In terms of news, NFL fans are more likely to consume it from almost all sources – with the only real exception here being TV which, despite this, remains fans’ favourite source. They are 73% more likely than the general public to use sports apps on their phones or tablets.

So as well as looking at those apps, what else might our fans be doing on Super Bowl night? Well, they are twice as likely as the general population to accompany the game with an alcoholic drink (16.9% v 8.6%). And the chances are that it will be a beer – NFL fans are twice as likely to enjoy a beer at least several times a week (8.9% v 4.5%).

Finally, which team will enjoy the most support in Germany? It’s the San Francisco 49ers. 3.5% of NFL fans support the 49ers, more than twice the proportion of Kansas City Chiefs fans (1.6%). In the meantime, Germany’s favourite NFL team – the New England Patriots – can enjoy just a few more days as reigning champions…