Latest news with #LiveScore
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Modern football driving fans away, research reveals
Commissioned by LiveScore and conducted by YouGov Sport, the survey gathered responses from 3,007 adult football fans across the UK. The survey questioned fans on their football fandom - reasons for supporting their club, where in the football pyramid their club plays, and how often they attend matches, as well as football content consumption preferences and behaviours. The findings show that modern fans engage with football in many different ways and their joy and frustrations extend beyond the stadium experience. However, a dedicated section around enjoyment of football produced the most telling statistics, with eye-opening figures set to inform LiveScore's ongoing mission to Fuel Fans' Passion for Sport. Different motivations, same passion It's important to recognise that not all UK football fans are the same. What motivates, inspires, and excites a Premier League fan from the northeast may differ significantly from what drives an EFL League One supporter on the south coast. Fans' perspectives on their own fandom are shaped by a range of factors. (Image: LiveScore) For instance, 77% of EFL League Two fans support the club most local to them. This figure drops to 30% among Premier League fans, who are mostly influenced by family ties (45%) in determining where their support lies. What unites all fans, especially in this country, is the passion for the game. Our survey results found a majority – 68% – of all football fans identify as a 'passionate' or 'core' fan, meaning they either attend matches or watch football on TV, or both, regularly. This could be as a Premier League, EFL, National League, or Scottish football fan. While 67% of UK football fans support Premier League clubs, 57% of them also follow at least one other team to some degree. This highlights that fan identities are often complex. The findings and conclusions below reflect the views shared by most fans, according to the survey results, and highlight areas where football stakeholders can come together to improve the modern-day experience of the beautiful game. Money, Money, Money The modern game is increasingly shaped by money. While investment in football has arguably raised the quality on the pitch, it has also driven up ticket and TV subscription prices — and allowed broadcasters to frequently shift kick-off times. Even the most loyal fans are growing frustrated. The survey reveals over half (53%) of all football fans believe that high ticket prices are diminishing their enjoyment of the sport. While a staggering 81% of fans don't consider tickets to matches as good value for money. This comes as the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United, three of the country's most well supported clubs, all announced ticket price increases heading into the 2025/26 season. For those not attending matches in person, as much as 37% of fans miss matches entirely due to lack of relevant TV subscriptions. Meanwhile 1 in 10 rely on free highlights or illegal streams to watch football. This upcoming season, it will cost Premier League fans, on average, a staggering £966.38 to watch their team on TV. The commercialisation of the Premier League is a key reason for driving up the price of football in the UK. The oldest age group surveyed (55+), many of whom experienced football fandom before the Premier League era, were most likely to agree (55%) that money is negatively affecting their enjoyment of the game. Time to talk kick-off time The Saturday 3pm kick-off is a firm favourite across football fans, with 58% choosing it as their top preference of match time. This rises to 60% in the 35-54 age group, and 75% for 55+. Despite this, fixture scheduling is increasingly shaped by broadcast demands. Sky Sports' record-breaking exclusivity deal for the 2025/26 Premier League season will see its live match coverage rise from 128 games in 2024/25 to 215. Many of these additional fixtures are expected to be scheduled for Friday nights, Sundays, and Monday nights. This includes broadcasting multiple 2pm Sunday matches, which will often feature clubs participating in the Europa League and Conference League. However, only 5% of 18–34-year-olds selected this (2pm Sunday) as their preferred kick-off time. The figure drops to 4% for those aged 55 and over, and to 3% for those aged 35–54. Our data shows that this is the least preferred kick-off time among football fans. While fans strongly favour Saturday 3pm, not all are in the stadium. In fact, 1 in 3 football fans don't attend matches at all, and just 34% say they are satisfied with how many games they're able to see live. For these supporters, especially those priced out or unable to get tickets, access to televised matches is essential. At the centre of this tension is the UK's 3pm broadcast blackout, introduced in the 1960s to protect in-person attendances, particularly in the lower leagues. The rule remains in place despite growing questions about its relevance in today's game. The concern remains that lifting the 3pm blackout, while serving Premier League fans, would be to the detriment of lower league attendances where gate receipts remain crucial to lower league club incomes. Would local fans turn their backs on lower league turnstiles on Saturdays at 3pm in favour of watching the topflight, or indeed their own club, on TV? For the 3pm blackout to apply, over 50% of fixtures in England's top two divisions need to kick off at that time over a weekend. This will not be the case on the opening weekend of the EFL Championship this season (9-10 Aug) with the Premier League season not yet underway, and 6 of the 12 second tier matches kicking off outside of Saturday 3pm. Although a small sample size (during UK school holidays and with no Premier League football on show), this could be a first indicator of how fan attendances are impacted, from Championship level down to non-league, by all EFL fixtures being televised live. Tradition or Barrier? The survey results show the two key reasons for not attending fixtures (81% of all responses) were ticket prices, and ticket availability. These issues almost exclusively apply to the top two tiers, with 61% of EFL League One fans and 78% of EFL League Two fans saying they can easily get tickets. This figure reduces slightly to 68% of National League fans while rising again to 79% of those supporting clubs below that. By contrast, the survey results show just 39% of EFL Championship fans and as low as 21% of Premier League fans experience easy access to tickets. As referenced, Premier League fans account for 67% of all football fans in the UK (per the survey results), with as many as 8 in 10 of all football fans in the youngest survey age category (18-34). This group relies heavily on televised coverage. The key question for decision makers is, therefore, whether he 3pm blackout still serves its purpose of protecting attendances across the entirety of the football pyramid, or if lower league fans' match-going commitment is irrelevant to it. (Image: LiveScore) For the majority (82% of fans support clubs in the top two divisions in England per the survey results), the 3pm blackout cuts off access to the most in-demand kick-off time, making it one of the biggest barriers to enjoyment of the game. As broadcast coverage grows and modern fan habits continue to shift, the 3pm blackout may come under fresh scrutiny. The data suggests it's time to re-examine how the rule aligns with today's fan experience, while still respecting the importance of tradition and protection of lower-league clubs. Regions Driving Fan Engagement London fans tend to be among the most engaged in the country, with 41% reporting they attend live games weekly. That's more than double the national average of 18%. Similarly, 57% of London supporters say they are satisfied with how often they attend matches, compared to 34% of fans overall. Digital engagement mirrors this trend, where 70% of fans in the capital watch live matches or highlights online weekly, exceeding the average fan rate of 61%. Chelsea fans are particularly notable, with 50% attending live matches weekly, significantly above the 18% average. By contrast, their fellow London clubs Arsenal (15%) and Tottenham (13%) fall behind Manchester clubs; City (22%) and United (21%), both exceeding the fan average. A key factor driving Chelsea fans' high attendance may be ticket availability. Nearly half of Blues fans (49%) say it is easy to get tickets for matches, well above the 30% national average. Pinpointing the precise reason for this is complex but, while easier said than done, these findings suggest that improving ticket availability is key to boosting fan attendance across other regions as well. Premier League champions Liverpool recently revealed 1 in 5 tickets at Anfield next season are reserved for hospitality or corporate packages, highlighting how the biggest clubs continue to prioritise profitability over accessibility for core fans. Refuelling Fans' Passion The survey results highlight key pressure points affecting UK football fans' enjoyment of the national sport in 2025. Moments such as the empty stadiums during the Covid-19 pandemic and the widespread backlash to the proposed European Super League have underlined the enduring power and importance of fans at the heart of the game. Whether in stadiums or on screens, in pubs or on social feeds, fans are the constant. Across the tiers, they bring football to life through their passion, and the countless ways they engage both on and off the pitch. Yet the data reveals a deep and ongoing sense of frustration and disillusionment with the direction modern football is taking. LiveScore urges clubs, governing bodies, and broadcasters to work together to protect the fan experience. By making thoughtful, data-driven decisions, with supporters placed at the centre, the industry can reignite fans' passion and safeguard the future of our beautiful game. To access the full survey from LiveScore, you can find it in the link here:
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Football fans reveal reasons they feel disconnected from modern game
Supporters admit high match ticket prices, the requirement for multiple TV subscription packages and untraditional kick-off times are subduing fan enjoyment across the country Disillusioned football fans feel increasingly disconnected from the modern game, new research reveals. Supporters admit high match ticket prices, the requirement for multiple TV subscription packages and untraditional kick-off times are subduing fan enjoyment across the country. Over half (53%) believe that high ticket prices are diminishing their enjoyment of the sport, with a staggering 81% not considering matches as good value for money. And for those not attending matches in person, as many as 37% miss them entirely due to lack of relevant TV subscriptions – with one in 10 relying on free highlights or illegal streams to watch football. The research, commissioned by LiveScore and conducted by YouGov Sport, revealed the Saturday 3pm kick-off remains a firm favourite across football fans, with 58% choosing it as their top preference of match time. But despite this, fixture scheduling is increasingly shaped by broadcast demands – with Sky Sports ' record-breaking exclusivity deal for the 2025/26 Premier League season will see its live match coverage rise from 128 games in 2024/25 to 215. While fans strongly favour Saturday 3pm, not all are in the stadium, with one in three not attending matches at all and just 34% saying they are satisfied with how many games they're able to see live The survey, which polled 3,007 UK football fans, showed the two key reasons for not attending fixtures (81% of all responses) were ticket prices and availability. These issues almost exclusively apply to the top two tiers, with 61% of EFL League One fans and 78% of EFL League Two fans saying they can easily get tickets. By contrast, the survey results show just 39% of EFL Championship fans and as low as 21% of Premier League fans experience easy access to tickets. The survey results highlight key pressure points affecting UK football fans' enjoyment of the national sport in 2025. Moments such as the empty stadiums during the Covid-19 pandemic and the widespread backlash to the proposed European Super League have underlined the enduring power and importance of fans at the heart of the game. Whether in stadiums or on screens, in pubs or on social feeds, fans are the constant. Across the tiers, they bring football to life through their passion, and the countless ways they engage both on and off the pitch. Yet the data reveals a deep and ongoing sense of frustration and disillusionment with the direction modern football is taking. LiveScore urges clubs, governing bodies, and broadcasters to work together to protect the fan experience. By making thoughtful, data-driven decisions, with supporters placed at the centre, the industry can reignite fans' passion and safeguard the future of our beautiful game. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Premier League's great ticket problem as new survey outlines problem 79% of fans face
The new Premier League season is here, and fans will be hoping to follow their favourite team home and away, but they may hit a stumbling block with regards to securing tickets A brand new survey of UK Premier League fans has highlighted how almost four in five struggle to secure tickets to watch their team. A new season is set to get underway on Friday evening, when champions Liverpool face Bournemouth at Anfield. While many football fans across the country will hope to follow their favourite team home and away this season, damning figures from a new LiveScore fan survey, which launched on Tuesday, have revealed that they may struggle to do so. The survey, commissioned by one of Europe's leading real-time scores apps, questioned more than 3,000 football fans on their experiences in 2025. LiveScore uncovered that just 21 per cent of Premier League fans agreed that it was easy to get tickets to watch the action live, with 81 per cent citing availability and pricing as the two biggest stumbling blocks. READ MORE: Man Utd star already had 'severe telling off' from Ruben Amorim's new leadership group That means that 79 per cent of Premier League fans, or almost four in every five, agreed that securing tickets is no easy feat. With 3pm on a Saturday remaining the most prominent time for Premier League fixtures, this is a big blow for English football fans, given blackout rules preventing games from being broadcast live at the time. The blackout rule was imposed in the 1960s to encourage fans to attend lower league games across the country, and it was protected in the last domestic TV rights deal, which will run until at least 2029. This means that no match can be televised between 2:45pm and 5:25pm on a Saturday until the deal expires. However, the enforcement of the rule has led broadcasters to schedule more matches at non-traditional kick-off times. As per LiveScore, Sky Sports' record-breaking exclusivity deal for this season will see the broadcaster increase live match coverage from 128 games to 215. Many of the additional fixtures are expected to be schedule for Monday and Friday nights, as well as Sundays. It also includes showing multiple 2pm kick-offs on a Sunday, which will often feature clubs participating in the Europa and Conference Leagues. And while it is clear that Sky Sports is working to broadcast as many games as possible by working around the blackout rule, there's still more work to be done with regards to increasing the frequency that fans can watch their team on TV, according to LiveScore and LiveScore Bet European Brand Ambassador, Dimitar Berbatov. In an exclusive interview with Mirror Football about LiveScore's findings, the former Tottenham, Manchester United and Fulham striker said: "Well, it's definitely a challenge, you know, especially with how many fans want to be part of the live experience, be at the stadium, supporting, getting all that emotion going through. "And I see, and when I travel a lot into Europe and spoke with the supporters, meeting fans, the demand is still massive. And it's going to be massive because football is the most popular sport in the world. "So it's great that the love for the game is so strong, but of course, it means that sometimes it's difficult to get a ticket. But again, I'm pretty sure that the clubs are always looking for a way to make that happen, improve access, and make sure that the loyal fans get their chance to go to the stadium." LiveScore's mission is to fuel fans' passion for sport - download the LiveScore app for real-time updates and go to for more information.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Modern football driving fans away, research reveals
A new national survey has revealed why many UK football fans feel increasingly disconnected from the modern game. Commissioned by LiveScore and conducted by YouGov Sport, the survey gathered responses from 3,007 adult football fans across the UK. The survey questioned fans on their football fandom - reasons for supporting their club, where in the football pyramid their club plays, and how often they attend matches, as well as football content consumption preferences and behaviours. The findings show that modern fans engage with football in many different ways and their joy and frustrations extend beyond the stadium experience. However, a dedicated section around enjoyment of football produced the most telling statistics, with eye-opening figures set to inform LiveScore's ongoing mission to Fuel Fans' Passion for important to recognise that not all UK football fans are the same. What motivates, inspires, and excites a Premier League fan from the northeast may differ significantly from what drives an EFL League One supporter on the south coast. Fans' perspectives on their own fandom are shaped by a range of factors. For instance, 77% of EFL League Two fans support the club most local to them. This figure drops to 30% among Premier League fans, who are mostly influenced by family ties (45%) in determining where their support lies. What unites all fans, especially in this country, is the passion for the game. Our survey results found a majority – 68% – of all football fans identify as a 'passionate' or 'core' fan, meaning they either attend matches or watch football on TV, or both, regularly. This could be as a Premier League, EFL, National League, or Scottish football fan. While 67% of UK football fans support Premier League clubs, 57% of them also follow at least one other team to some degree. This highlights that fan identities are often complex. The findings and conclusions below reflect the views shared by most fans, according to the survey results, and highlight areas where football stakeholders can come together to improve the modern-day experience of the beautiful modern game is increasingly shaped by money. While investment in football has arguably raised the quality on the pitch, it has also driven up ticket and TV subscription prices — and allowed broadcasters to frequently shift kick-off times. Even the most loyal fans are growing frustrated. The survey reveals over half (53%) of all football fans believe that high ticket prices are diminishing their enjoyment of the sport. While a staggering 81% of fans don't consider tickets to matches as good value for money. This comes as the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United, three of the country's most well supported clubs, all announced ticket price increases heading into the 2025/26 season. For those not attending matches in person, as much as 37% of fans miss matches entirely due to lack of relevant TV subscriptions. Meanwhile 1 in 10 rely on free highlights or illegal streams to watch football. This upcoming season, it will cost Premier League fans, on average, a staggering £966.38 to watch their team on TV. The commercialisation of the Premier League is a key reason for driving up the price of football in the UK. The oldest age group surveyed (55+), many of whom experienced football fandom before the Premier League era, were most likely to agree (55%) that money is negatively affecting their enjoyment of the Saturday 3pm kick-off is a firm favourite across football fans, with 58% choosing it as their top preference of match time. This rises to 60% in the 35-54 age group, and 75% for 55+. Despite this, fixture scheduling is increasingly shaped by broadcast demands. Sky Sports' record-breaking exclusivity deal for the 2025/26 Premier League season will see its live match coverage rise from 128 games in 2024/25 to 215. Many of these additional fixtures are expected to be scheduled for Friday nights, Sundays, and Monday nights. This includes broadcasting multiple 2pm Sunday matches, which will often feature clubs participating in the Europa League and Conference League. However, only 5% of 18–34-year-olds selected this (2pm Sunday) as their preferred kick-off time. The figure drops to 4% for those aged 55 and over, and to 3% for those aged 35–54. Our data shows that this is the least preferred kick-off time among football fans. While fans strongly favour Saturday 3pm, not all are in the stadium. In fact, 1 in 3 football fans don't attend matches at all, and just 34% say they are satisfied with how many games they're able to see live. For these supporters, especially those priced out or unable to get tickets, access to televised matches is essential. At the centre of this tension is the UK's 3pm broadcast blackout, introduced in the 1960s to protect in-person attendances, particularly in the lower leagues. The rule remains in place despite growing questions about its relevance in today's game. The concern remains that lifting the 3pm blackout, while serving Premier League fans, would be to the detriment of lower league attendances where gate receipts remain crucial to lower league club incomes. Would local fans turn their backs on lower league turnstiles on Saturdays at 3pm in favour of watching the topflight, or indeed their own club, on TV? For the 3pm blackout to apply, over 50% of fixtures in England's top two divisions need to kick off at that time over a weekend. This will not be the case on the opening weekend of the EFL Championship this season (9-10 Aug) with the Premier League season not yet underway, and 6 of the 12 second tier matches kicking off outside of Saturday 3pm. Although a small sample size (during UK school holidays and with no Premier League football on show), this could be a first indicator of how fan attendances are impacted, from Championship level down to non-league, by all EFL fixtures being televised survey results show the two key reasons for not attending fixtures (81% of all responses) were ticket prices, and ticket availability. These issues almost exclusively apply to the top two tiers, with 61% of EFL League One fans and 78% of EFL League Two fans saying they can easily get tickets. This figure reduces slightly to 68% of National League fans while rising again to 79% of those supporting clubs below that. By contrast, the survey results show just 39% of EFL Championship fans and as low as 21% of Premier League fans experience easy access to tickets. As referenced, Premier League fans account for 67% of all football fans in the UK (per the survey results), with as many as 8 in 10 of all football fans in the youngest survey age category (18-34). This group relies heavily on televised coverage. The key question for decision makers is, therefore, whether he 3pm blackout still serves its purpose of protecting attendances across the entirety of the football pyramid, or if lower league fans' match-going commitment is irrelevant to it. For the majority (82% of fans support clubs in the top two divisions in England per the survey results), the 3pm blackout cuts off access to the most in-demand kick-off time, making it one of the biggest barriers to enjoyment of the game. As broadcast coverage grows and modern fan habits continue to shift, the 3pm blackout may come under fresh scrutiny. The data suggests it's time to re-examine how the rule aligns with today's fan experience, while still respecting the importance of tradition and protection of lower-league fans tend to be among the most engaged in the country, with 41% reporting they attend live games weekly. That's more than double the national average of 18%. Similarly, 57% of London supporters say they are satisfied with how often they attend matches, compared to 34% of fans overall. Digital engagement mirrors this trend, where 70% of fans in the capital watch live matches or highlights online weekly, exceeding the average fan rate of 61%. Chelsea fans are particularly notable, with 50% attending live matches weekly, significantly above the 18% average. By contrast, their fellow London clubs Arsenal (15%) and Tottenham (13%) fall behind Manchester clubs; City (22%) and United (21%), both exceeding the fan average. A key factor driving Chelsea fans' high attendance may be ticket availability. Nearly half of Blues fans (49%) say it is easy to get tickets for matches, well above the 30% national average. Pinpointing the precise reason for this is complex but, while easier said than done, these findings suggest that improving ticket availability is key to boosting fan attendance across other regions as well. Premier League champions Liverpool recently revealed 1 in 5 tickets at Anfield next season are reserved for hospitality or corporate packages, highlighting how the biggest clubs continue to prioritise profitability over accessibility for core survey results highlight key pressure points affecting UK football fans' enjoyment of the national sport in 2025. Moments such as the empty stadiums during the Covid-19 pandemic and the widespread backlash to the proposed European Super League have underlined the enduring power and importance of fans at the heart of the game. Whether in stadiums or on screens, in pubs or on social feeds, fans are the constant. Across the tiers, they bring football to life through their passion, and the countless ways they engage both on and off the pitch. Yet the data reveals a deep and ongoing sense of frustration and disillusionment with the direction modern football is taking. LiveScore urges clubs, governing bodies, and broadcasters to work together to protect the fan experience. By making thoughtful, data-driven decisions, with supporters placed at the centre, the industry can reignite fans' passion and safeguard the future of our beautiful game. To access the full survey from LiveScore, you can find it in the link here:
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pixalate's April 2025 UK Publisher Rankings: Top Mobile ‘Sports' Apps For Programmatic Advertising Traffic Quality in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store
According to Pixalate's April 2025 rankings, 'FotMob - Soccer Live Scores', 'Sky Sports', and 'LiveScore' were the top three Apple App Store apps within the 'Sports' IAB mobile app category for programmatic ad traffic quality in the United Kingdom (UK) London, May 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pixalate, a leading global platform for ad fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics, today released the United Kingdom April 2025 Top Mobile 'Sports' Apps Rankings for Programmatic Advertising Traffic Quality on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The report ranks mobile apps in the 'Sports' IAB app category based on their programmatic advertising traffic quality, as rated by Pixalate's Publisher Trust Index (PTI). Pixalate also released a U.S. version of the report. The Pixalate Publisher Trust Index is published monthly, highlighting the top apps based on Pixalate's proprietary technology and methodology. UK Mobile PTI Rankings: Top 'Sports' Apps (April 2025) Apple App Store FotMob - Soccer Live Scores Sky Sports LiveScore Google Play Store Flashscore Sky Sports OneFootball Download the full rankings here. Pixalate uses its proprietary algorithms to measure quality metrics, including invalid traffic (IVT, including ad fraud), Made For Advertising (MFA) risk, brand safety, ad density, viewability, reach, and other metrics. The Publisher Trust Indexes include rankings for over 235 countries across four global regions ( North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM). They also provide breakdowns by 20+ different IAB taxonomy website categories. Pixalate's methodology can be found at Publisher Trust Index: Methodology. Pixalate's data science team analyzed over 500 million global open programmatic ad impressions across over 100k Google Play Store and Apple App Store mobile apps in the 'Sports' IAB category in April 2025 to compile this report. Download the Reports U.S. Publisher Trust Index - Top Sports UK Publisher Trust Index - Top Sports About Pixalate Pixalate is a global platform specializing in privacy compliance, ad fraud prevention, and digital ad supply chain data intelligence. Founded in 2012, Pixalate is trusted by regulators, data researchers, advertisers, publishers, ad tech platforms, and financial analysts across the Connected TV (CTV), mobile app, and website ecosystems. Pixalate is accredited by the MRC for the detection and filtration of Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). Publisher Trust Index (PTI) reflects Pixalate's opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes may be useful to the digital media industry. Our reports and indexes examine programmatic advertising activity on mobile apps and Connected TV (CTV) apps. Any insights shared are grounded in Pixalate's proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources in the Indexes and herein should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate's opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees. This report is not intended to impugn the standing or reputation of any person, entity or app. Per the MRC, ''Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in U.S. Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes. Also per the MRC, ''Invalid Traffic' is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. Among the reasons why ad traffic may be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic.'. CONTACT: Nina Talcott ntalcott@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
