As we get ready for Scotland’s opening game against Germany on Friday in the 2024 Euro’s, CGA by NIQ‘s latest BrandTrack survey reveals that nearly half (46%) of British consumers plan to watch the Euro 2024 football tournament, with two in five (40%) of those planning to watch matches in pubs and bars.
It not only means that we can expect more pubs and bars to be screening live football over the following weeks but the survey found that more than three quarters of consumers (79%) expect to go out to pubs and bars more often while it’s on and just over two thirds (70%) saying that going out to see games is better than staying at home.
The boost comes as further research from CGA, in association with Sky Business, shows that consumers watching games spend an average of 36% more than those who don’t visit pubs and bars for live sport and nearly nine in 10 (87%) sports fans will stay longer in a venue if sport is on—and nearly as many (83%) will spend more on drink and food on these occasions than on non-sporting visits. Showing sport can also boost loyalty, as 89% of sports fans are more likely to revisit a pub or bar if they know games are screened.
However, and according the the research. venues will need to offer some compelling reasons to attract people out to watch games as the BrandTrack research shows that 44% of those who plan to stay at home are doing so because they think they will have a better atmosphere, while a fifth (21%) say they’ll stay at home because they don’t want to spend too much.
Violetta Njunina, client director at CGA, said, “Euro 2024 brings some great opportunities for pubs, bars and drinks suppliers—especially as this will be the first major football tournament that is free from COVID restrictions for six years. But it’s important to remember that while many consumers are eager to watch the Euros, many are still affected by the cost of living crisis, while others aren’t interested. For all venues, balancing the needs of these very different consumer groups, and finding the right formula of value and atmosphere to tempt sports fans out of home, will be crucial.”
The Euro 2024 tournament gets underway this Friday (14 June), and CGA will be tracking sales performance throughout the event.
