90% UK Twitter users to watch World Cup
April 10, 2014
By Colin Mann
This summer, many millions of people across the globe will tune in to watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and that will include 90 per cent of UK Twitter users, according to a new study from GlobalWebIndex cited in the Twitter UK Advertising Blog.
The study highlights how many UK users will be tweeting throughout the month-long football tournament, which is already generating a higher level of buzz than four years ago. With the games in Brazil now only two months away, one in three UK Twitter users say they are more interested in the 2014 World Cup than they were in South Africa in 2010.
That level of excitement means that millions of fans will watch the games — and many of them will be actively tweeting to celebrate the highs and lows of the on-screen action. GlobalWebIndex found that 87 per cent of UK users will be watching the World Cup on live TV, and the vast majority (79 per cent) will be doing so with others.
That latter fact highlights how live TV is inherently social, conversational, and in the case of the World Cup, global. This all contributes to make Twitter the perfect platform to extend fan fervour by bringing football together supporters wherever they are.
Even when fans are not watching a particular game, @globalwebindex found they are turning to Twitter to check for news and results. The research reveals that:
- 46 per cent of users agree football news breaks fastest on Twitter;
- 43 per cent say they use it for results;
- 42 per cent follow football stars on Twitter such as @WayneRooney, @glen_johnson and @JackWilshere.
With 49 per cent of UK Twitter users planning to watch all England matches (and as many other games as possible), the series represents a significant opportunity for brands looking to connect in the moment with consumers using TV + Twitter, suggests Twitter.
“We’ve already shown that there’s a 95 per cent increase in message association when Twitter and TV are combined versus TV alone, and a 58 per cent increase in purchase intent versus TV alone,” says Twitter.
“With fans looking at the TV screen and at their mobile phones (80 per cent of UK Twitter users access the platform via a mobile), many are influenced by the messages that they see from brands. We know this from previous research that told us 56 per cent of Twitter mobile users are influenced by content on Twitter when they are buying a product or service. That means savvy brands, tweeting engaging and relevant World Cup content, will be able to connect with fans whether they are watching at home or away.”