World Cup Radio May Attract 30% Of Fans

Over a third of UK football fans will turn to the radio to follow this summer’s World Cup, according to research from the RAB, thanks to the fact that most matches will be during the working day.

Because of the time difference with host countries Japan and Korea, it is thought that this year, where following the tournament has previously been an evening, group and TV dominated activity, this year it will be more of a daytime, solus and deskbound activity- hence the predicted popularity of radio coverage.

The research, carried out for the RAB by Ipsos RSL, surveyed 1025 adults and found that 36% of football fans planned on using the radio to follow the action- whether or not England were playing. When the World Cup was held in France in 1998, only 15% used the radio to follow it.

Earlier this year, a survey by Netpoll suggested that 60% of football fans intended on using the internet to keep up with the match results (see World Cup Pushes Sports Fans Online). The RAB’s research also suggests more popularity for the medium this year, estimating that 37% of fans will go online to follow the tournament, compared to the 14% that did so in 1998, reflecting the increase in reach and popularity of the internet since four years ago.

RAB: 020 7306 2500 www.rab.co.uk

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