Women’s sport viewership in Australia up 18% from last year says Foxtel and Gemba
Viewership of women’s sport in Australia has grown 18% from 2022, according to Foxtel Media and Gemba.
The findings were sourced from a survey of some 1,400 Australians across the country.
West Coast Eagles AFLW player Hayley Bullas (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
The report also found viewing engagement has also increased, with 36% of Australians consuming an hour or more of women’s sports per week (up from 32% in 2022), even as overall sport consumption remained static.
It also found 54% of women’s sport viewers are Foxtel or Kayo Sports customers, while 45% of women’s sports consumed by Australians is on Foxtel or Kayo Sports.
Another finding was centred around brand sponsor sentiment, with the report saying some 68% of viewers “feel more positively towards brands that sponsor women’s sport” compared to 53% in 2022.
Foxtel Media director of customer engagement Toby Dewar said the research backs up last year’s findings that brands who sponsor women’s sport benefit from higher levels of trust.
“Our research consistently shows that Australians actively watching Women’s Sport have high levels of sponsorship recall, and this actually influences purchase decisions. For example, NAB’s recent sponsorship of AFLW resulted in significantly higher NPS (net promoter score) among AFLW fans aware of the sponsorship, with a +3ppt impact on brand consideration, taking share from major competitors. Women’s Sport represents an exciting and powerful opportunity for brands, and of course benefits the talented Australian women playing sports at all levels,” he said.
“At Foxtel Media, we’re also proud to see awareness of Women’s League sponsorship being significantly higher among a Foxtel and Kayo Sports audience, and that Foxtel can build awareness more quickly than other media channels. For example, Foxtel viewers are significantly more likely to recall AFLW or NRLW sponsors and 40% more likely to recognise the naming rights partners of major leagues and teams.”
Foxtel Media head of sports sales for Victoria Monika Poposki said: “The research identifies an exciting future opportunity for advertisers. At a total population level, attitudes are improving slowly, with more associating Women’s Sports to have “large scale investment” and as “exciting and fun to watch”. However, there’s a more significant shift among those who actively watch Women’s Sport – showing the importance of broadcast in driving change.”
“40% of female Foxtel/Kayo Sports viewers indicated that they are willing to watch more Women’s Sport but they often forget or don’t know it is on, which reinforces the need for rights holders to provide sufficient notice to broadcasters of season start dates and schedules.”
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