
Gen Z prefers watching women's football over tennis and rugby
An Ofcom report reveals a decline in viewership of certain sports among younger audiences, with tennis and rugby experiencing the most significant drops.
Football remains the most popular sport for 18-34-year-olds, with about 25% interested in watching, while interest in tennis fell from 13% to 10% and rugby from 7% to 5% between 2019 and 2024.
Women's football has seen a rise in younger viewers, attributed to broadcast deals with platforms like YouTube and DAZN, as well as female players' strong social media presence.
Athletics and the Olympics have gained popularity, with interest rising from 5% to 9% and 9% to 13%, respectively, possibly influenced by the Paris Olympics.
Traditional TV viewership has declined, especially among younger demographics (34% drop for 18-34-year-olds), as they shift to streaming platforms, though per-person viewing minutes of live sports have increased overall.

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The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tennis star Jiri Lehecka's girlfriend breaks down in tears live on BBC after his win over Brit Jack Draper
JIRI LEHECKA scored a brilliant win over Jack Draper - and it was all too much for girlfriend Lucka Neumannova. The Czech ace stunned the British No. 1 to book his place in Sunday's final at Queen's Club. 5 5 5 5 Lehecka smashed 16 aces on his way to a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win in the London sunshine. And watching on from the Queen's terraces was stunning partner Lucka. Lehecka's energy-sapping win proved too much for the Czech athlete as she was overcome by emotion. She was spotted bursting into tears while applauding her man's efforts in scorching 30c heat. Lucka was spotted supporting Lehecka in January as he advanced to the 4th round in the Australian Open. The pair have reportedly been dating since last year. A track and field athlete, Lucka has been embracing the London life over the past week. She uploaded a series of snaps to her 129,000 Instagram fans ahead of Saturday's semi-final at Queen's. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The 22-year-old tucked into strawberries and cream, before heading for a run around a nearby park. Lehecka will face either World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz or Roberto Bautista Agut in Sunday's final. Medical emergency stops Jack Draper's Queen's match as distressed fans are picked up on TV The win was one of the biggest of his career and sees him reach a first-ever grass-court final. Lehecka said: "It means a lot, you don't beat a player like Jack every day. "I want to say thanks to [the crowd] for making it fair. "I know your favourite didn't win today, but I really appreciate you being fair and clapping when I hit a few good [shots]." It proved a day to forget for No. 2 seed Draper, who had been an overwhelming favourite to reach tomorrow's final. He let his frustration boil over midway through the match, smashing his racquet to bits and appearing to break the courtside ad hoardings. Despite failing to break a nine-year run without a Brit winner at Queen's, Draper's run to the semis was crucial for his ranking. Draper has now climbed above Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz, cementing a top-four seeding at Wimbledon. He will therefore avoid Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals.


The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
Moment furious Jack Draper breaks advertising board after smashing racquet in shocking Queen's meltdown
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But it appeared the damage was not limited to the screen. Because Draper also cracked right through his frame to break his racquet, sending his shock absorber flying. And it appeared he may have hurt himself too as he checked his hand and hobbled gingerly to his chair for the changeover with blood on his knee. Draper was given a code violation warning for unsportsmanlike conduct by umpire Adel Nour - having earlier escaped punishment for blasting a ball in anger - to go with his time violation warning. BBC Sport commentator Andrew Cotter said: "Again, the anger shows which you understand. "That racquet has seen better days. He's done a bit of damage and maybe damage to his hand. "Adel Nour had no option at all. Yes, you understand it, this is a big, big event for Draper." After digging a fresh racquet out of his bag, the former US Open semi-finalist could not get the all-important immediate break back as Lehecka served out the win and book his place in the final. But tennis fans on social media were disappointed with Draper's furious outburst. One said: "Striking the hard-to-maintain grass court in front of your home fans and your knee like a psycho after losing a point, you will never make me like Jack Draper." Another wrote: "Some weak umpiring meant Draper didn't get a warning when he fired a ball earlier. Furious at getting broken at 5-5 in the third he goes after the ad board signage and… breaks it." A third added: "Lehecka breaks and Draper smashes the billboard… hefty fine coming for the Brit." A fourth commented: "Kids will be watching and follow his abysmal behaviour, just like McIlroy launching his golf clubs through the air. There is absolutely no excuse." And a final user wrote: "Pathetic from Draper. Misses a shot and smashes his racquet into the advertising board. Can't stand that sort of behaviour." It is not the first time Draper has destroyed a racquet in recent times. 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And challenges provided some audience participation, excitedly joining in the clapping countdown before the inevitable "oooh" when the graphic showed just how close the ball was to landing in or out. Purely objectively, Wimbledon's decision to replace line judges with Hawk-Eye Live makes total sense. The accuracy and consistency of calls in real-time will speed things up, save time and should mark the end of arguments over the tight incorrect calls - well, until the technology malfunctions. And Wimbledon's hand was somewhat forced to ditch tradition for their standing in tennis. The Australian Open and US Open already use electronic line calling and the ATP Tour is adopting Hawk-Eye Live across all of its tournaments from 2025. Wimbledon's refusal to comply would leave them lagging behind and exposed to the threat of needless controversy over human error. But the impact - as is so often the case in these decisions - has ramifications further down, below the surface with very little impact on Wimbledon's Championships or the players. It is on the line judges themselves. Approximately 300 officials - aged from 18 to 80 - covered more than 650 matches at Wimbledon. A fraction travel internationally with the circuit but the vast majority of those are part-time line judges based in the UK, earning up to £180 per day to work at the prestigious tournament and their chance to play their part at Wimbledon. For many, they will help out at British tournaments throughout the year, spurred on by the possibility of taking to the lawns of the All England Club. But it is understood many of those officials would be reluctant to work at the lower-level tournaments without the carrot of Wimbledon dangling in the summer. That in turn will put a major stumbling block in the pathway for British tennis umpires, who grind up through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Like football with referees, tennis needs umpires and line judges. So the inability to call "out" at Wimbledon could prove to be a major "fault" for the future of the UK's tennis officials and therefore the state of the sport on these shores.


Reuters
35 minutes ago
- Reuters
Italy cracks down on violence against referees
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