Especially among the new generations they follow football remotely
The technological advances of the last three years have significantly enhanced the experience of those who follow sporting events from home, but not of those who do so by going to sports facilities: this is what emerges from the latest report by the Capgemini Research Institute, entitled “A whole new ball game: Why sports tech is a game changer”. As technology continues to improve the viewing experience and make it more immersive, 77% of Gen Z fans and 75% of Millennials say they prefer watching sporting events away from sports venues over 53% of Baby Boomers and 32% of people over the age of 70.
Fans increasingly prefer to see sport away from stadiums, especially the younger ones
While the excitement of watching live events continues to be strong at major international events such as the Olympics or World Championships, that may not be the case for local competitions and regular league matches. This change in fan preferences is resulting in a reduction in their attendance at live sporting events. In the previous research conducted by Capgemini in 2019, it emerged that 47% of fans globally often went to sports facilities, while today the percentage has dropped to 34%, with a significant generational gap: 49% of fans those over the age of 70 often attend sports facilities, while the percentage of Generation Z stops at 17%. This variation is most marked in Australia and the United Kingdom, where the number of people who currently decide to watch live sports on a regular basis has halved compared to 2019, while France and Germany recorded the smallest declines (less than 5 points percentages). In the last 12 months, only 37% of fans globally visited a sports venue at least once, compared to 80% in 2019. Disabled fans in particular report low satisfaction with the overall accessibility conditions of sports venues ( only 48%), but they still say they are confident that technology can help them better access and enjoy in-person sporting events.