Streaming services are in their golden age, with subscription options proliferating and competition between providers fierce. With everyone trying to win the sympathy of subscribers with exclusive content, it is no wonder that they are trying to cover an increasingly wide range of music, television, and film. Most of you will probably have heard of options such as HBO GO or Netflix, and many of you will almost certainly have used one of the Spotify-Deezer-Apple Music trinity. Given this, it’s no wonder that even mammoth companies like Disney and YouTube want a piece of the pie. The sector’s evolution is far from over, but it’s worth looking back at where it all started.
ExpressVPN’s research on the popularity of different sports in the UK reveals which sports are enjoying the greatest success in the UK, asside from football. Let’s take a look!
- Formula 1
What football is to sport, F1 is to motorsport (only MotoGP can match it at world level), even though for many, it was boring in the 2000s due to its red dominance and now its silver dominance.
Its viewership is now lower than before, partly because some races are now on pay platforms. But still, half a billion people follow the circus every year from March to November.
- Cricket
The sport of “stick and ball” has been around for centuries; when medieval man invented the fun of hitting a ball with a stick and running until it reached a safe place on the field, while the opponent tried to prevent this by hitting the ball. An example is the lapta in Russian, the oină in Romanian.
It is currently the world’s third most-watched sporting event after the football world cup and rugby world cup. It can take several days to play a match , but the latest version, Twenty20, lasts around 3 hours, which could make cricket even more popular.
- Rugby
While American football is the dominant sport in the USA, the same can be said about rugby globally. It is one of the most popular sports in Great Britain and the southern hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa). But it is also growing in popularity in other countries.
Interestingly, the last Rugby World Cup was the second most lucrative with £250 million. Almost 2.5 million tickets were sold, and nearly half a million people from 24 countries traveled to last year’s co-hosted World Cup in England and Wales. A significant social media presence was also given by the fact that the tag #rwc2015 was used on Twitter on average every two seconds during the World Cup.
- Golf
A popular sport in developed Western countries. In men’s golf, three of the four major tournaments are in the USA and one in Great Britain.
Huge advertising contracts are available. The biggest proof of this the fact that the two highest earners in golf (Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson) get 90-95% of their annual earnings – around $50 million – from advertising.
In simple terms, the rule of golf is to hit the golf ball into the hole under par. The fewer strokes, the more “minus points” compared to par. It is one of the sports where more minus is just about suitable for the competitor.
The most prestigious golf tournaments in Europe are run under the European Tour series. The Austrians and Chechs host PGA Europe Tour events in the region.
- Football
This is a sport that needs no introduction. Although ball games were played in ancient civilizations, it was in England in 1863 that the first rules of football as we know it today were laid down.
It is therefore not surprising that, it is still one of the most popular sports in our country. Even today it is still popular to go to a match, but when that is not possible, people like to find out about their favorites’ performances online.
In summary
The world of online streaming is becoming increasingly popular, and this is also reflected in sports viewing habits. In the past, everyone watched sports on TV, but nowadays, that can no longer be said.
