A robust social media strategy can help sports teams, athletes, and associated brands connect directly with fans and turn following sports into a more interactive experience.

Our recent market research study shows that 62% of Brits follow sports teams or athletes on at least one social media platform.

Using social media effectively can help brands reach both die-hard and casual fans, which in turns boosts followers, engagements, and opportunities for revenue generation.

Why do fans follow sports on social media?

How the UK consumes sports is slowly but surely shifting online. Although 77% of fans in the UK still watch sports live on TV, this audience overlaps with the 30% who watch online streams and the 29% who follow sport via social media.

In addition to showing their support and feeling connected to their chosen team, followers expect social media to deliver real-time news updates and behind-the-scenes access to their favourite athletes.

Who is the audience?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a higher proportion of Gen Z and millennials follow sports teams or athletes on social media (80%) compared to older adults (44%).

Men between the ages of 18-39 are the most likely to be following sports on social media already. However, women in the same age range represent the next largest segment, with room still to grow.

Social media has also played a major role in growing interest in women’s sport in the UK, creating an even bigger audience of both dedicated and casual sports fans.

What platforms and formats are they drawn to?

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok rank as the most popular platforms among sports enthusiasts in the UK.

The Facebook audience skews a bit older and is most popular among fans aged 28-39.  Instagram and YouTube are most popular with fans between the ages of 23-35, and TikTok has the youngest-skewing audience of fans aged 18-35.

Younger people are more likely to use social media to watch short-form video content, voice opinions in the comments, and interact with other fans. Globally, 32% of fans use social media platforms while watching live sports.

What’s the most effective way to engage fans online?

The popularity of social media within sports represents an opportunity for brands to create a two-way conversation and interact with fans 24/7, helping fans feel more connected to the teams and athletes they love.

Brands can take advantage of this by expanding their strategies beyond TV broadcast and delivering more content through digital channels instead. By using a diverse range of content formats to provide a social, immersive experience of following sports, brands can broaden their appeal to capture a wider audience, including younger fans, more casual viewers, and people who don’t have a sports channel subscription.

This increased engagement represents revenue opportunities for sports brands, by making them an increasingly attractive prospect for sponsors, which can in turn boost ticket and merchandise sales.

How can we help?

The sports entertainment landscape is evolving, offering opportunities for teams, athletes, fans, and sponsors alike. However, the rapid rise of social media within sports can mean that it’s harder to capture fan attention, so it’s important for brands to carefully craft strategies that can effectively engage their audience.

Through our market research services, we can help you to understand how the market is shifting, what drives different types of consumers, and how this differs between international markets.

Clear insights into the market landscape and their specific audience can help brands more effectively reach their existing followers while also appealing to new fans with similar profiles.

For more information on how we build audience profiles and conduct market research, contact us here.