If you cannot be in the stands at the biggest sporting events in the world, streaming from the comfort of your living room is the next best option. Planning to attend the biggest games in your favorite sport is a tradition shared by millions across the world. Those unable to attend the games resort to tuning in from home. Over time, sporting events have made up the majority of the most popular TV broadcasts, as millions of people watch all types of sports on TV.
Want to find out what drives sports streaming in the UK? Here are the most popular sporting events in the UK and how they compare to the World Cup:
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup is one of the most popular global sporting events. According to FIFA, a record 3.5 billion people watched the official broadcast coverage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In the UK, football is by far the most popular sport. After all, this is home to the Premier League, the most prestigious league in the world. The Football Association (FA), which is the body that governs football in the UK, is one of the oldest governing bodies in the entire world.
In terms of viewership, FIFA president Gianni Infantino expects the 2022 World Cup to be the most-watched edition in the tournament’s history. England vs USA match in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar registered the largest UK audience of the tournament, with 18 million people watching the broadcast of the goalless draw.
Cricket World Cup
Cricket has been part of the country’s history for over 400 years, and over 250,000 people actively play the game in the UK. The 2019 Cricket World Cup, where hosts England triumphed over New Zealand in a nail-biting encounter, set a new viewership record. A total of 2.6 billion people from around the world tuned in to watch the broadcast. An incredible 24 million people watched the live coverage in the UK, with 8.87 million people watching the final. This was the most-watched cricket event of all time.
Rugby World Cup
Rugby in both its union and league forms is another of the UK’s most popular sports. England, Wales and Ireland men’s teams have frequently ranked in the top five in the world and regularly compete in the Six Nations championship alongside Scotland, France, and Italy. The World Cup is rugby’s premier event that brings together twenty of the best international teams.
In the 2019 World Cup hosted by Japan, 857 million people around the world watched the tournament as the best teams in the world went head to head. This included 12.8 million people across the UK who streamed the live coverage of the final as South Africa defeated England.
Wimbledon
Wimbledon is the biggest tennis event in the UK and one of the most high-profile tennis tournaments in the world. It is no surprise that Wimbledon is one of the most attended and watched sporting events across the UK. The 2022 Wimbledon Championship recorded the highest attendance in history as over 500,000 fans converged at the All England Club for two weeks of fantastic tennis. Wimbledon has been played since 1877 and is one of the four ATP tour grand slam events alongside the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open.
In terms of viewership, the 2022 Wimbledon Championships attracted 7.5 million viewers during the Men’s singles Final. The tournament set an online viewing record on BBC as 53.8 million people streamed the tournament across its digital platforms.
