Ampere Study Finds Growing Soccer Interest in the U.S.

Soccer is emerging as a lucrative opportunity for U.S. broadcasters and streamers, according to a new Ampere Analysis report on the growing interest in the sport.

Almost 20 percent of sports fans in the U.S. now claim that soccer is their favorite sport, boding well for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Major League Soccer (MLS) on the heels of Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami.

Soccer is the fourth most popular sport in the U.S. and is faring particularly well with female fans, accounting for 37 percent of those watching the sport, as compared with 31 percent in the big five Western European markets.

Per Ampere, American soccer fans are 43 percent more likely than the average sports fan to have a household income of more than $100,000. In addition to their relative affluence, American soccer fans are also committed viewers, with 73 percent of Premier League and UEFA Champions League fans saying they will pay to watch the competitions.

As of last year, soccer broadcasting rights in the U.S. were worth $1.3 billion, three times the value in 2015. The FIFA World Cup is the leading soccer event for U.S. fans (33 percent), followed by English Premier League (31 percent) and the UEFA Champions League (30 percent). Just 20 percent follow MLS but that is expected to be boosted with Argentine star Messi’s move to Miami.

The digital opportunity is key, Ampere reports, as U.S. soccer fans pay for more SVOD services than average and prefer to watch sports on streaming instead of broadcast TV. Almost half want to watch their games on streaming. In addition, in the event of awkward kick-off times for key European games, fans are engaging with highlights and player content on social media.

Piracy is a concern, though, given the raft of platforms offering soccer coverage. Ampere believes there is an opportunity to offer multi-league bundles to combat piracy.

Sam Nursall, research analyst at Ampere, noted: “Understanding the consumption habits of U.S. soccer fans is crucial for the broadcasters who want to curate and build appealing content around this behavior. There’s a really strong opportunity here to combine the best of traditional broadcast with the capabilities of streaming services and social media to meet the appetite of these passionate fans. Ampere also believes that the challenges of piracy to avoid paying fees can be addressed through multi-league bundles to bring soccer fans all the content they can consume.”