As Sunday 28 June delivers the tournament’s biggest daily audience so far, data from Ozone’s audience platform demonstrates news brands’ place at the centre of Britain’s football coverage remains strong
Weekly readership held at 9.26 million across the final week of the group stage, with fans generating 53 million page views over the same period. Sunday alone saw 2.77 million football users on digital news brands, a 6% increase day-on-day that built on Saturday’s 25% surge. What’s more, daily users across last weekend were 25% higher than the pre-tournament average recorded between Friday 15 and Thursday 28 May.
England’s 2–0 victory over Panama on Saturday night, securing their place as Group L winners, drove much of this growth. Readership began climbing at 6pm, with football audiences 63% higher at 10pm kickoff than at any other point in the day. Interest then held firm through until full time. Live blogs continue to prove the tournament’s most popular format, with the Guardian’s Panama vs England live updates among the weekend’s most read content.
Sadly, Scotland’s story unfolded differently. With their fate unconfirmed until Sunday morning, fans turned to digital news brands to follow the permutations needed for survival. Once confirmed, the team’s elimination plus manager Steve Clarke’s resignation half an hour later came to dominate the day’s top articles. Indeed, Clarke’s share of voice among football readers jumped 57% week-on-week as the Tartan Army sought reaction and analysis across news brands.
While England progresses into the last 32 alone, further audience spikes seem likely as the knockout rounds get underway.
Source: Ozone digital news brands
