UK fans more likely to use smartphone to follow World Cup

UK football fans are more likely to use their smartphone to follow the World Cup, compared to fans in France, Australia and Japan, according to new research from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB).

The study, conducted by On Device Research, revealed that 58% of UK football fans will follow this year’s Brazilian World Cup on their mobile – 10% more than the rest of the world.

60% of UK football fans said that they plan to watch the tournament at home, while 39% said that they are more likely to watch from the pub.

The study also revealed that 32% of UK football fans would use their smartphone to check scores and a third to stream live matches.

Four in five said that social media will improve their overall World Cup experience, with a third claiming it will help them to keep up to date more easily.

Overall 94% of Brits said that they plan to share or discuss World Cup content – behind only China (97%) and Mexico (95%).

“This research provides great insights into just how much football fans in the UK will be engaging with the World Cup digitally this year,” said Hanna Bewley, senior research manager at the IAB.

“It’s great to see that mobile is going to be playing such a key role in football fans’ lives through the 2014 tournament.”