Euro 2004 Even Proves A Hit With Football Phobics
The recent Euro 2004 championships even managed to attract female viewers who previously claimed to have absolutely no interest in football, according to the latest research to be published by media agency Carat.
Before the tournament began a staggering 43% of women said they were not at all interested in following England’s Euro 2004 campaign. However, the latest analysis from Carat shows that 64% got caught up in the sheer excitement of it all and ended up watching England’s final group game.
Similarly, almost a third of 16 to 24 year-olds professed to have no interest in football, but 81% of them tuned in to watch England qualify for the quarter finals of the tournament after securing a nail-biting 4-2 victory over Croatia (see More Than 20 Million Watch England’s Victory Over Croatia).
The research also shows that 16 to 24 year-olds were much more likely to watch the matches at a friends house or at the pub. Worryingly for advertisers, 60% were of this age group chatted through the commercial breaks, with 19% making telephone calls, or using the internet.
Amazingly, 7% of viewers fell asleep during France’s sensational comeback victory over England in the first round. of the tournament. However, this number had fallen to just 2% for England versus Croatia, which saw teenage prodigy Wayne Rooney net two goals to become one of the tournament’s top scorers.
According to Carat, the Euro 2004 final between Portugal and Greece was watched by an impressive 64% of the UK population. 73% of men and 56% of women tuned in for the game to witness the Grecian underdogs secure a historic 1-0 victory over the host nation (see Almost 13 Million Tune In To BBC For Euro 2004 Final).
The North of England, London and Scotland were the highest viewing regions, all with over 68% of people watching the game. Home viewing was significantly higher for the final than for England matches suggesting that watching the home team is more of a social, than a sporting occasion.
The research shows that more than a third of those that chose not to watch the final tuned in to Mrs Brown on BBC Two, Bridges of Madison County on Five, or Diana’s Millions on Channel 4. 31% used the internet, 10% did DIY and 7% had sex.
Earlier this week a study from Initiative Media found that Euro 2004 is the most popular international football tournament since the World Cup 1998 with a cumulative average audience of more than 2.5 billion individuals for its 31 matches (see Euro 2004 Most Popular Tournament Since World Cup 1998).
Carat: 020 7430 6000 www.carat.com
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