52 per cent of Six Nations Audience is Second Screening

England Wales six nationsAdvertisers hoping to connect with rugby fans enjoying this years Six Nations Championship and Rugby World Cup will need to take make sure they are taking mobile into account, as over half of rugby fans are also engaging with their smartphone while they watch rugby at home on the TV.

In addition to the number who are second-screening at home, 44 per cent of fans are also engaging with their phone while watching rugby at stadiums, highlighting how central smartphones and social media have become to enjoying sport.

Research by RadiumOne revealed that 21 per cent of rugby fans chat via instant messenger while watching, and 19 per cent comment during games using social media channels. 48 per cent of rugby fans share rugby-related content online, and 60 per cent consume content, with this figure rising to 78 per cent of 16 to 34 year olds.

With the Rugby World Cup also approaching, 27 per cent of fans plan on increasing their online sharing activity during the tournament, while 34 per cent believe their consumption of rugby content will increase markedly.

“Technology has fundamentally changed the way fans and brands engage with rugby,” said Rupert Staines, managing director of Europe at RadiumOne. “Marketers need to better understand the nuanced behaviours of todays rugby fans so they can build a tailored conversation on the relevant device. RWC 2015 will be a veritable goldmine for those relevant brands who understand the technology routines and associated data of todays connected rugby fan.”