THE BARCLAYS : 380 MATCHES, 1,052 GOALS SCORED, 14,000,000 MATCH ATTENDERS, 227,000 HOURS OF TV COVERAGE A YEAR TO 645,000,000 HOMES IN 212 BROADCAST TERRITORIES, GENERATING AN AUDIENCE OF 4,200,000,000 VIEWERS. 930,000,000 FOLLOWERS WORLDWIDE, 21,000,000 FACEBOOK LIKES IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FOOTBALL 2 Sportcal Insight Barclays Premier League premierleague.com In numbers 3 15 150 NEW ARTIFICIAL GRASS PITCHES FUNDED OVER THREE YEARS IT’S ALL ABOUT 95.9%

, OCCUPANCY IN 2013/14

500 THE FOOTBALL The Barclays Premier League is widely B regarded as the world’s most popular and exciting football league, with matches played out in front of packed 227,000 HOURS OF COVERAGE PER YEAR TO 645 MILLION while millions more supporters catch the HOMES IN 212 BROADCAST action on TV and online. Drawing on 5,300,000 TERRITORIES TO AN AUDIENCE OF 4.2 BILLION VIEWERS MATCH-ATTENDING SUPPORTERS independent research conducted for the IN BRITAIN Premier League, Justyn Barnes from 48,825 Sportcal Insight takes a look at the story. The Premier League has become a truly global KITS FOR phenomenon, inspiring passion and emotion from Los , BRITISH Angeles and to Guangzhou and Mumbai, while SCHOOLS AND providing compelling content for broadcasters and huge 000 AMATEUR CLUBS exposure for sponsors all year, every year. The Premier League has not become the world’s league 20,000 PUPILS by accident. Since its formation in 1992, the League’s FROM 2,115 football first approach has underpinned its development. SCHOOLS Everything starts and finishes with the football and ENGAGED everything else – the fans, the sponsors, the broadcasters, IN PREMIER and the community programmes – flow from that. LEAGUE Last season, the title race was compelling to the last, FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTS with the lead at the top of the table changing 25 times. The battle for Champions League places and to avoid relegation was equally compelling and unpredictable. The Premier FOOTBALL CLUBS (20 PREMIER 930 MILLION FOLLOWERS League’s equitable income distribution model rewards LEAGUE, 72 FOOTBALL LEAGUE WORLDWIDE success, but offers all of its clubs significant sums to 161AND 69 FOOTBALL CONFERENCE reinvest in top-class players, and helps fuel this drama. CLUBS) RECEIVING PREMIER Further investment in lower leagues, competitive schools LEAGUE SUPPORT FOR football and community programmes is designed to nurture COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES football’s future prosperity. This special report crunches the numbers behind the huge interest in the Barclays Premier League both locally PREMIER LEAGUE FOLLOWERS and globally. We identify the key areas of support, the IN BRITAIN emerging markets and the new ways in which fans are engaging with the League.

5 MILLION 21 MILLION TWITTER FACEBOOK 1,052 GOALS SCORED IN FOLLOWERS ‘LIKES’ THE 2013/14 SEASON ALL FIGURES IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE TAKEN FROM RESEARCH BY POPULUS, REPUCOM AND THE PREMIER LEAGUE 4 Sportcal Insight Barclays Premier League premierleague.com Football nation 5

11% Support a Premier League club and attend matches 5.3M Adults

atch-attending fans are the 23% M Premier League’s key audience, consuming and Support a Premier engaging with the League the most League club and across all available consumption watch them live on TV channels. Men account for three- FOOTBALL 11.1M Adults quarters of Match Attenders and under-35s are the age group most likely to attend games. The average season ticket holder NATION 32% attends 10 home and five away matches per season, while Casual The success of the Premier Actively engaged Attenders average five matches in with the Premier total (three at home, two away). League is, of course, firmly League 15.5M Adults Last season, 13.94 million people rooted in its enduring attended Barclays Premier League popularity at home in matches, producing an average match attendance of 36,690. This equated to Britain. A 2013/14 Populus 42% a record stadium occupancy rate of survey of the ‘Football 95.9%, highlighting how the Premier Interested in League, formed back in 1992, Nation’ shows that 42% of football continues to deliver a compelling 20.3M Adults spectacle across 10 months of the year. Britain’s adult population, SOURCE: POPULUS 2013/14 For the vast majority of fans, going which amounts to 20.3 to a Barclays Premier League match is million people, follow a social experience which they share with friends (51% of Match Attenders), football. A third of adults with their partner or spouse (20%) (rising to half of adult or with their children (29%). Parents who take their children to matches males), follow the Barclays tend to travel to matches in their own Premier League and almost car and spend more on food, drink and merchandise at the ground than a quarter (23%) support a the average Match Attender. Premier League club. BILLIONS REINVESTED Billions of pounds generated by the Premier League since its formation in 1992 have been reinvested in stadium facilities, which have improved out of all recognition. This has helped to make the stadia more family-friendly. The Premier League engenders enormous appeal among the Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population of Britain. Thirty-seven per cent of 6 Sportcal Insight Barclays Premier League

Top reasons for watching Premier League Quality of the Shared experience withPassion of English style Drama surrounding Quality of television football football played friends and family the fans of football the game coverage Match- Attending fans 57% 40% 36% 28% 26% 24% Non- Attending fans 61% 34% 19% 27% 25% 38%

BAME adults are Premier League fans three-quarters of Match-Attenders (compared to 32% for the general subscribe to a sports channel, population) and the proportion of this compared to half of all football group attending matches is growing followers. season-on-season: 15% of the BAME The appetite for the Premier population regularly attended matches League is strong among all types of in the 2013/14 season, up from 11% supporter, with 68% watching in 2009/10 and 13% in 2011/12. highlights on TV and 52% watching Participation is a key driver of live matches at home on TV at least engagement among BAME fans, with once a month. nearly half of BAME Match-Attenders Increasingly, fans are going online saying they play football regularly, and to keep up-to-date with the two-thirds saying they played regularly 20% competition. The official website is a as children. popular destination for fans with of Premier League one-in-five Premier League Match- BEYOND THE STADIUM Match-Attenders Attenders regularly visiting it, while its regularly visit the When they are not supporting their official Premier Twitter and Facebook accounts have clubs at the match, fans devour the League website millions of followers and ‘Likes’. latest Premier League news and share A quarter of fans use the internet their views via a wide range of media. at least once a day for information It is football that prompts millions of about the Barclays Premier League, Britons to turn to the sports pages rising to half of Match-Attenders. or newspapers, reach for the TV Almost one-in-three Match-Attenders remote or interact with star players, also check their club’s website pundits and fellow fans via Twitter every day. and other social networks. They So Britons have a seemingly further demonstrate their passion by insatiable appetite for football – and buying merchandise, playing EA particularly Premier League football. SPORTS FIFA game and collecting Topps’ Premier League stickers or trading cards. The quality of football is cited by match-attending fans (57%) and non- attending fans (61%) as the top reason for watching the Barclays Premier League. The quality of TV coverage is more important for non-attending fans (38% compared to 24%), though, on average, Match-Attenders watch more live televised matches compared to football followers in general. And

The action and drama on the pitch, the passion, devotion and traditions of the fans who follow the action in packed stadiums, home- grown talent and the host of international star players all contribute to the unique and growing global appeal of the Barclays Premier League premierleague.com World’s League 11

THE WORLD’S 2.3BN

football fans LEAGUE globally

1.2BN layers were selected from 18 of the 20 Premier P League teams to represent their countries at the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil. Indeed, 29 of Premier League fans globally the 32 participating nations included one or more players drawn from English club football. Players from 75 countries are registered with Premier League clubs, bringing a cosmopolitan flavour to the action each week. Many of the world’s finest talents, Sergio Agüero, Mesut Özil, Yaya Touré and Robin van Persie, continue to be attracted to compete alongside home-grown stars such as and Daniel Sturridge. As the competition is infused with such international quality, it is little wonder that it is by far the most popular league in the world, attracting a staggering number of followers across the globe. At the last global count, of 2.3 billion ‘football fans’ (i.e. people with an interest in football), 1.2 billion were Premier 75 League fans. Of these Premier League fans, 930 million were classified as ‘followers’ who follow the League in some form of media each month, and 780 million confirmed as countries with players supporters of individual clubs. represented Closer analysis of the fanbase in some of the key and in the Premier emerging markets underlines the breadth and depth of League passion that exists and the potential for even more growth – as we show on the following pages. 12 Sportcal Insight Barclays Premier League premierleague.com World’s League 13

76,000,000 Number of football fans in , 54.5m of whom follow the Premier League Nigeria Indonesia USA Brazil It seems strange to say it of an African Qatar has an obsession Indonesia is another firmly USA has its own distinct roster of major league sports, Football is a way of life for the 93.6 country, but Nigeria can reasonably be with football and 60% established market for the including , , baseball and ice million fans in Brazil, among whom described as the heartland of the of Qatari adults follow Premier League. Indonesians hockey, which have traditionally dominated the sporting the Brazilian league and the Premier League. Nigerians are the game (the second love their sport, and football landscape. However, the relatively new-to-America sport pan-regional club competition, the absolutely fanatical about football. ranked sport, is the number one passion of ‘soccer’ has established a significant niche, and recent , have the biggest Eighty-three per cent are interested in swimming, attracts with interest from 78% of signs are that this emerging market is finally set for following. However, the Premier football – more than double the 33% interest). an adult population of 156 exponential growth. League has a strong fanbase of number attracted by the next most As with most million people. Traditionally, young American children play soccer at 17.1 million fans. popular sport, athletics (36%). emerging football This enthusiasm sustains school before the boys switch to core domestic sports in Since the 2003/04 season when In total, there are 76 million football markets in the early despite the national football their teens, and, consequently, the women’s game has there were just eight Brazilian fans in the country, a staggering 54.5 stages of development, team’s conspicuous lack of been stronger than the men’s. However, David Beckham’s players, as many as 18 players spell playing for LA Galaxy in million of whom follow the Barclays fans tend to follow success – they have qualified (2008/09 season) have played in the attracted new fans. Add to that the huge increases in Premier League and 62.3 million who individual superstar just once for the FIFA World League in any one season. With the Premier League viewing figures on NBC and the inspiring follow the fortunes of a particular club. players, such as Lionel Cup finals, way back in 1938 – performance of the USA national team at the 2014 FIFA likes of Oscar and Willian at Chelsea, A shared language with Britain and a Messi and Cristiano and their domestic Super World Cup could prove to be a tipping point. Paulinho and Sandro at Tottenham string of Nigerian players such as Ronaldo. It is therefore League attracts average At the last count, there were 59.9 million soccer fans Hotspur, and and Nwankwo Kanu, Jay-Jay Okocha, John unsurprising that the attendances of 10,000 people. in the USA, with 22.6 million Premier League followers Lucas at Liverpool among 13 Obi-Mikel and Shola Ameobi World Cup, when it The FIFA World Cup (59%), and 10.1 million club supporters. American people like to Brazilians featured in the Barclays performing well have strengthened this comes round every four Indonesian watch the best, and the Barclays Premier League is widely Premier League during the 2013/14 long-distance love affair. years, is the Qataris’ (57%) and the Premier League held to be the best league. The feedback from Populus season, interest in the league and its Nigerians view the Barclays Premier favourite competition of (57%) are the football ‘events’ focus groups is that it is perceived to supply entertaining clubs is growing. League as fast, competitive and all (67% interest). that garner most interest, but football, with unpredictable outcomes and intense Brazil’s Premier League fans are glamorous. Unlike many countries However, the Premier the significant popularity of rivalries, all played out in front of packed stadiums of predominantly male (79%) and with where the FIFA World Cup dominates League attracts a (44%), Serie A (41%) passionate fans. The presence of USA international stars 49% enjoying high household the popularity stakes, the Premier passionate legion of and the UEFA Champions like Tim Howard and Jozy Altidore in the league stokes up incomes and 37% aged 16-29, it’s a League tops the charts with 65% fans numbering League (34%) shows the additional interest. Premier League clubs are also doing young and affluent fanbase. interest compared to 63% for the 800,000 (45% of Qatari Indonesians’ fanaticism for their bit by regularly playing pre-season friendlies in the World Cup. Premier League fans in adults), more than any football in general. USA – ahead of the 2014/15 season, nine clubs – Arsenal, “It’s the world’s football elite. The Nigeria are predominantly male (64%). other league. Eighty- Interest in the Barclays Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, best players are there.” Thirty-five per cent of the fanbase are two percent are male Premier League cannot be Manchester United, Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur and Premier League football fan, aged 16-29, with 43% in the 30-49 (compared to 60% of overstated with 96.2 million West Bromwich Albion – will all cross the pond to play in Rio De Janeiro front of their American fans. age bracket. the adult population) adults classified as Premier with 35% aged 16-29 League fans, and a massive 75.4 “Most people follow [the Premier and 53% aged 30-49. million supporting specific “It’s seen as the pinnacle of the sport. It’s like the same League] because they find more clubs. With 45% of those fans way we watch the NBA or NFL – we have a habit of African players are playing there, aged 16-29, and just 4% falling watching the best league of whatever sport.” they play more and the football into a low household income Premier League football fan, New York is skillful.” bracket. 22,600,000 Premier League football fan, Lagos Number of people in the USA who follow the Premier League “It’s amazing to watch the fans in the stadium, atmosphere and the rest.” 75,400,000 Sports fan, Lagos Number of people in Indonesia who support a Premier League club 14 Sportcal Insight Barclays Premier League

89,300,000 Number of adults in India who follow the Premier League campaign

DEFINITIONS: China India ‘‘Football Fans’ (Football Football is ranked fifth in the list of Football has a similar challenge in Interested) Chinese people’s sporting interests India to the one it faces in the USA, All respondents (30% of the adult population), but where it competes for attention with a ‘top 2 box such is the country’s size that it against long-established sports. In interest in football represents by far the biggest Premier India, however, it is just one sport (very interested or League audience in the world. – – that dominates. An interested). Football may be a less-established eye-popping 79% of Indian adults are sport, but it is taking off in a big way. devoted followers, but football (31%) ‘Premier League A third of adults equates to 307 is lodged firmly in second place well Fans’ (Premier million people, including 174 million ahead of the next most popular League Interested) Premier League fans (84% male) and sport on 16%. With over 89.3 All those aware of 57.1 million fans of a specific club. million adults following the ups and the Premier League The domestic Chinese Super downs of a Barclays Premier League with a top 2 box League is perceived to have a long season, it is a hugely valuable interest in the way to go to match the quality of emerging market. Premier League European football leagues, among The relatively recent upsurge in (very interested or which the Premier League (18% of interest in the sport means club interested). adults) arouses most interest. allegiances have not been passed The age and income profile of down from previous generations. ‘Premier League China’s Premier League fans is very Premier League fans there are Followers’ similar to that of the country as a predominantly male (84%), aged All those with a top whole; with 30% of fans aged 16-29 16-29 (62%) and in the medium/high 2 box interest in and 38% and 47% respectively household income groups the Premier League enjoying medium or high incomes. (69%/13%). Young, affluent males (very interested or keen to stand out from the crowd see interested) who “The Premier League is very football as an aspirational sport, and follow the Premier exciting because they’re very fast. 48.1 million Premier League club fans League at least You don’t want to keep watching are eager to show their support. once a month in people who defend all the time.” Eleven percent of the adult the media. Premier League football fan, Beijing population claim an interest in the Barclays Premier League, with ‘Premier League only the FIFA World Cup (25%) Club Supporters’ grabbing more attention. All those aware of the Premier League “Until the end, you don’t know who named a who is going to win or lose.” Premier League Premier League football fan, Mumbai club as their favourite football club from abroad 30% (in UK: favourite Percentage of domestic Premier League football club). fans in China aged between 16-29 who enjoy medium to high incomes premierleague.com Global media 15

GLOBAL MEDIA 212

broadcast COVERAGE territories

4.2BN

global TV audience

his huge demand for Premier League football T around the world has been met, and fed by, extensive and high-quality global media coverage. For 10 months of each year the Premier League’s live broadcast licensees screen 227,000 hours of match coverage across 212 broadcast territories into 645 million homes. A variety of kick-off times – from 12.45pm on Saturday to 645M midweek at 8pm – and highlights shows enable fans in all continents to watch matches at convenient times. In total, the Barclays Premier League attracts an estimated homes across the world with access to channels cumulative TV audience of 4.2 billion viewers, an broadcasting the extraordinary figure which compares favourably to the TV Premier League audiences for other major international sporting competitions. At home in the UK, football is in first place as the most popular sport on TV, with 46% of adults citing it as their 16 Sportcal Insight Barclays Premier League premierleague.com Global media 17 400,000,000 Number of households in China with a television

preferred sport on TV, way ahead of Unsurprisingly, China is the world’s In India, almost two-thirds of TV Two matches per round are also tennis (24%), cricket, rugby and athletics largest television market, with a households have a pay-TV broadcast free-to-air – one at 3pm (all 14%). This voracious demand is met staggering 400 million TV subscription, broadband and mobile Saturday on and one 4pm by over 3,672 hours of coverage on households. This vast media markets are booming. While cricket Sunday match on SCTV – together both subscription and free-to-air TV. landscape is also quite unique. streaks away as the preferred TV sport with the weekly highlights, thanks to During the 2013/14 season, Sky Over six thousand hours of Premier (94%), football is established in second a sub-licensing agreement with Sports and BT Sport attracted an League football coverage is screened place (37%). With a young, vibrant EMTEK media group. average of 1.32 million viewers and the in China, and all of it is free to view via audience for football, the country Access to satellite or cable Premier League had an average UK regional cable companies. The provides fertile ground for the growth television is required in Brazil to watch audience of 18.6 million viewers per eight-hour time difference means of the Premier League. Premier League coverage, which match week (38 match weeks per early-afternoon kick-offs broadcast Last season, Star Sports began means it tends to be more affluent season) across all programming. during primetime generate the largest providing a dual audio feed for Brazilians who watch it. However, with The BBC’s free-to-air Match of the viewing figures. Barclays Premier League matches in 74% of adults watching football on Day highlights programme remains a For the 2013/14 season, China held Hindi as well as English. Indian viewers TV and Brazilian broadcasters upping national institution (it was viewed by a 3% share of the Premier League’s are now able to choose in which their commitment to Premier League over 70% of the UK TV viewing global audience, but that seems sure language they want to hear live broadcasts, the potential for growth population last season), while extensive to rise, especially as the League is a commentary and all matches are is clear. radio coverage is available via BBC hot topic for daily debate on social available in HD. Word is also spreading via social Radio, talkSPORT and Absolute Radio. media. The Premier League has a media – the Premier League’s A significant change occurred at the burgeoning following on mobile social “I watch the Premier League Facebook page, with content start of the 2013/14 season when BT media platform WeChat, and over two because of the quality of football conveniently supplied in Brazilian took over from previous broadcaster million fans on Sina Weibo, the hybrid played and, most importantly, it has Portuguese, has over one million likes. ESPN and challenged BSkyB in the UK Twitter/Facebook-style site that the best coverage.” Only Indonesia (3.2 million likes), pay-TV market. It offers its BT Sport delivers bespoke content to Chinese Premier League football fan, Kolkata Thailand (2.0 million) and India (1.2 channels online, free to BT broadband fans in Mandarin. million) have greater engagement with subscribers and via traditional TV In contrast to India and the general the Premier League via Facebook. channels, screening 38 live matches “The coverage time is pretty ideal picture in the Asia & Oceania region, In the USA, soccer is overshadowed compared to Sky’s 116 live games. for us.” pay-TV is still in its infancy in by more established sports, with just a Additionally, both Sky Sports and Premier League football fan, Beijing Indonesia with a little over three tenth of Americans naming it as one of BT Sport provide a comprehensive million subscribers. Premier League their preferred TV sports. However, at schedule of support programming, and Premier League broadcast rights broadcast consumption on mobile the start of the 2013/14 season, NBC Sky Sports has the broadcast rights to are sold in a package for the West Asia devices (17%) and computer (14%) is took over from Fox Sports and ESPN 31.5m 226 ‘near-live’ matches per season. region, which covers Bangladesh, growing and News Corporation, which as the sole holder of Premier League Number of Not wanting to miss a thing, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Mongolia, currently holds exclusive rights to broadcast rights. Americans who tuned in to 60% of Premier League fans now Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. And internet and mobile TV clips in It was a game-changing deal for the NBC’s coverage consume some of their Barclays the viewing figures are hugely Indonesia, will be looking to increase Premier League, with NBC screening of the 2013/14 Premier League football on a impressive – during the 2013/14 engagement via these channels. all 380 matches live – 196 matches on Premier League season computer, while 41% access the season, 4,400 hours of coverage Media agency MP & Silva holds the the networks of NBC Universal and 184 action on a mobile device. reached an audience of over 92 Premier League broadcast rights until matches via the Premier League Extra The Sun and The Times currently million viewers. the end of the 2015/16 season. Under Time bonus package – including hold the rights to ‘near live’ clips for From the 2013/14 season to the deal, Barclays Premier League simultaneous live coverage of all 10 all 380 matches per season – this 2015/16 season, the rights are held matches are primarily broadcast on games on the last day of the season. package includes the rights to make exclusively by Star TV, which also beIN Sports, which launched three Matches are also broadcast in Spanish available video clips of all matches broadcasts the Spanish La Liga, Italian channels in Indonesia to cover on the Telemundo and mun2 networks. on the internet and mobile devices, Serie A, the FA Cup and England football, one of which is dedicated to A record 31.5 million Americans with in-game clips for all matches international matches on its Star the Barclays Premier League – beIN tuned in to NBC’s 2013/14 season excluding 3pm Saturday kick-offs. Sports channels. Sports 3HD Premier League. coverage, more than doubling the 18 Sportcal Insight Barclays Premier League

reach of 13.3 million who watched the season, across all media platforms and previous season (source: The Nielsen across 23 broadcast territories. Company). It remains to be seen In Africa, the Premier League has whether the hoopla surrounding the successfully harnessed the passion for USA national team’s heroic efforts at football among all income groups by the World Cup will lead to another making one free-to-air match per week spike in interest in the League widely available throughout the continent. regarded by fans as the best. Furthermore, all matches are available Across the Middle East and North via the SuperSport subscription TV Africa (MENA) region, broadcast service, which has made out-of-home markets are dominated by free-to-view viewing in bars and specialist ‘viewing satellite broadcasters and to date, centres’ popular options. The viewing demand for pay-TV has been low. centres, which sometimes charge an However, there is healthy competition entry fee, show concurrent matches on among pan-regional sports different screens (unlike bars which broadcasters such as OSN, beIN typically only show one match at a Sports and Abu Dhabi Sports, for time) – perfect to satisfy African 1 premium sports content including football fanatics who feast on over Number of free- the Premier League. And this is 7,000 hours of Premier League to-air matches made available helping to drive pay-TV subscriptions coverage per season. throughout across the MENA region and satisfy Africa every growing appetite for football. “In a bar, they have just a screen but week For example, football is far and in ‘viewing centres’, they will have away the most popular TV sport in two screens. Let’s say Chelsea and Qatar with 63% citing it as their Arsenal play at the same time, you preferred sport on TV, way ahead of can watch the two matches the second-placed sport on 20%. For together, so most people like to go many Qatari fans, watching football on to viewing centres.” television is a great social activity, with Premier League football fan, Lagos fans visiting each other’s houses or local cafes and restaurants. It helps that Altogether, then, with high-quality the time difference in Qatar is only two coverage across all media platforms hours ahead, which means Barclays available to a massive and expanding Premier League matches are at fanbase, the Barclays Premier League convenient viewing times. offers a lasting level of global No wonder then that last season, exposure that few, if any, sports the Premier League had a cumulative properties can match. audience in the MENA region equating to 13.8% of the League’s worldwide audience. beIN Sports took over broadcast rights for Barclays Premier League matches across the MENA region, at the start of the 2013/14 season. The sub-licensing deal was struck with MP & Silva, which now owns the rights to all 380 Premier League matches per BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE + SPORTCAL INSIGHT PREMIERLEAGUE.COM