INDUSTRY LIKELY TO TAKE STOCK ON WOMEN’S SPORT SPONSORSHIP AFTER FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
A new survey undertaken by sponsorship consultancy ONSIDE and Sport for Business highlights the Irish sports sector's challenges in engaging younger audiences.
8 in 10 industry experts think sport needs to do more to engage teenagers, with 7 in 10 recognising the fragmentation of media rights is making it difficult to reach younger audiences.
The 15-17 age cohort is seen to be particularly poorly served where 69% of experts are of the view that sports broadcasting is average or poor in connecting with this age group and 54% rating the live experience as average or poor for these teenagers.
GAA is seen to be the sport that is most effectively engaging under 18s, ahead of soccer and rugby.
ONSIDE Founder and Chief Executive, John Trainor explains: “Sports rights holders need to invest in better-understanding teenagers so they can update their broadcast and matchday offering to be more aligned to their priorities and consumption habits. Those that do this effectively will be well-set for the future.”
This is the sixth wave of the ONSIDE Sports Impact Monitor that was first launched during the pandemic in 2020. A constant theme in previous waves has been the growth of interest in women’s sport, including sponsorship.
60% of industry experts still agree that women’s sport sponsorships are the most attractive opportunities in the market this year. But for the first time, the proportion that strongly agree with this statement has dropped.
Trainor adds: “Having seen record levels of deals in women’s sport in the past 12 months, particularly in the build-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the market is maturing and – while it will continue to grow – some brands will take time to evaluate the impact of their sponsorships before making new commitments.”
With the Olympics Games in Paris only a year away, one sport that seems to be heading in the right direction is athletics. 42% of industry experts say their perception of athletics has changed for the better in the past 6 months, likely driven by the emergence of new stars such as Rhasidat Adeleke and Israel Olatunde.
Rugby continues to be seen as the most attractive sport for sponsors with GAA in second place and soccer joint-third with the Olympics.
“Rugby’s popularity as a platform is clear with broadcast sponsorship of the upcoming RWC2023 being the most attractive property to sponsor among the 12 specific opportunities tested. A small uplift in enthusiasm for soccer since our last wave of research is also having a positive impact across the sport with over 60% of respondents now rating sponsorship of the FAI men’s national team as an attractive opportunity,” adds Trainor.
The industry experts were all members of the Sport for Business community with the survey undertaken in June 2023.
Rob Hartnett, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sport for Business adds: “The ONSIDE Sports Impact Monitor helped guide the industry during the pandemic and is now providing the intelligence we need to address the next wave of challenges. Reaching and engaging young people is critical to the long-term prosperity of the sector and both broadcast innovation and the spectator experience are important parts of this.”
