As the UEFA Champions League starts again FootballFanCast.com have undertaken a survey with over 2000 participants around the world to reveal what is most important to a fan pre, during and after a Champions League Game.
‘We go again’ – The next game is always on fans’ minds
58.5% of fans globally start thinking about the next match straight after the final whistle. 
This is just as important in the UK as 52.1% are keen to know about the next match. Only 13% of fans starting thinking about the game on the same day. 
Armchair Fans – Champions League matches are often watched at home
Nearly 70% of fans watch a match at home, some minor variations by market; the percentage is much higher in South East Asia due to the time difference. This suggests that more people will use second screens to engage with others on match night, especially in Asia. Over 21.9% of UK viewers watch the match in the pub, comparatively to 16% worldwide. 
Better together – People want to be social during the Champions League
Q. Who do you watch the Champions League match with? 
Over 75% of fans share their viewing experience with others, indicating a highly social viewing experience and an opportunity to engage on a broader scale than just one-to-one, this is as high as 80.2% in the UK. 
On the box – Television is the most important viewing platform
93.6% of the UK audience follow Champions League matches on television with 22% streaming online. This is similar across the world with the average TV viewing being 91%. Social feeds, news and post-match analysis are also important channels for avid fans to follow the match on. In SE Asia 18.5% of fans follow the game on a blog or newsfeed, compared to 9.45% of UK fans. Whereas in the US/Latin America text alerts are much more prevalent than other markets and many rely on reading news after the match.
Family values – Staying in contact with family and friends is a popular pastime
Messaging friends/family is the most important past time pre, during and post-match, as 20% of the Champions League audience partake, indicating the importance of facilitating conversation. Q. On Champions League nights, what else do you enjoy doing? 
Live match feeds are increasingly popular, as dual screening grows. People enjoy a drink throughout the 90 minutes – 20% of the audience will consume a beer during the game. Social channels are also an important pass time while viewing a match. 
Divided attention – The second screen experience is important
Q. Do you use any of these devices on matchday, if yes – when? 
An average of 40% of the global audience use their phone pre, during and post-match, and an average of 24% use social media at these points as well. This highlights how brands should focus their media planning around mobile engagement during these periods and how important the second screen experience is to fans. 
We just can’t get enough – Fans have a natural thirst for more content including match day build-up, stats, video and player tweets.
46.9% of global fans would like to see more stats before a match with 46.9% also wanting more of a match day build-up. Equally high amongst the UK audience is video content at 42.1%, fans also want to see more tweets from players (31.2%). Stats and video content are key in match day build ups for supporters and provide an opportunity for brands tweeting around the game. 
So what have we learnt?
Duel screening is very important. Most people watch from home but enjoy a beer while the game is on. Video, stats and in game Twitter activity is a growing need for today’s Champions League fan. Fans think about the Champions league straight after the last game is played and anticipation builds from 4.00pm on Tuesday afternoons.
FootballFanCast.com is Snack Media’s flagship football fan site, and is part of a 150 strong network of fan sites. It reaches over 4 million football fans a month and boasts a popular live match centre which Ford, Capital One, Strongbow, Absolute Radio and many other brands have sponsored to communicate in real-time with a highly engaged audience
In you want to see the full set of results and for more information please contact: advertise@snack-media.com
