AUCKLAND (Reuters) – Short-format content on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are helping drive rapid interest in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, according to WSC, a provider of AI-driven sports content.
The firm predicts a more than 50% jump in interest among ‘avid fans’ – defined as those who follow the tournament fully – compared to the 2019 edition, amid soaring interest in the women’s game worldwide.
The 2023 edition kicks off this week in Australia and New Zealand, with the United States’ bid for an unprecedented third straight title facing a serious challenge from European powerhouses England, Sweden, France and Germany.
A new generation of fans is emerging thanks to the availability of highlights on social media, WSC said, with 43% of the ‘Gen Z’ global audience expected to follow the World Cup on YouTube.
“Our research shows conclusively the rate at which interest and awareness of women’s sport is growing globally,” WSC Sports CEO Daniel Shichman said in a statement.
“It also underlines the role of digital platforms and short-format content in driving a bigger audience for the Women’s World Cup.”
The study surveyed more than 14,000 people across seven countries and showed awareness of the tournament was highest in England, where the ‘Lionesses’ won last year’s European Championship.
The report reflects explosive growth in the women’s sport in the four years after the United States picked up a fourth overall title in France.
Ratings have sky-rocketed in the top-flight North American National Women’s Soccer League while revenue for the Women’s Super League in England grew 60% for the 2020-21 season, according to a Deloitte report last month.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Auckland; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
