TV audiences turn off the rugby – Is sports sponsorship bubble bursting?

by

When news of SA Rugby’s sponsorship woes first surfaced, the reaction from some quarters was that corporate South Africa didn’t like the direction the sport was taking. This was another way of saying corporate South Africa was anti-transformation. Since the corporate view on transformation had never been publicly expressed or measured, this reaction seemed largely superficial. In a world where money talks and return on investment is a compelling influence on decision-making, it seems the direction TV viewership was taking is a big reason why potential sponsors are wary of putting large amounts of money into rugby. TV audiences are declining and sports bodies are demanding increasingly large amounts of money to be associated with their brand. The result is the sports sponsorship bubble is bursting. – David O’Sullivan

From Sport24

Cape Town – South African Super Rugby TV viewership and attendance figures are dwindling at an alarming rate.

Newlands_stadium_July2016

According to Rapport, SuperSport’s South African viewership of Super Rugby games dramatically decreased in 2016.

Up until Round 9 of this year’s competition, viewership figures decreased by 3.8 million viewers compared to the same stage four years ago.

According to the Afrikaans newspaper, TV viewership also decreased in Australia and New Zealand, but not nearly as much as in South Africa.

Attendance figures at stadiums are also decreasing, with only Newlands – which boasts an average of 26 992 fans per game – able to fill more than a half-full stadium.

Ellis Park, the home venue of the table-topping Lions, only has an average of 19 808 (32%) fans per game, while Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (15%, 6 914 fans per game), Free State Stadium (17%, 7 780), Loftus Versfeld (35%, 17 921) and Kings Park (45%, 23 591) are all struggling to put bums on seats.

According to a local rugby boss – who wished to remain anonymous – the struggling economy, several top players plying their trade overseas and the transformation issue all play a part in the lack of interest in the competition. – Sport24

Source: http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRugby/super-rugby-tv-fan-viewership-plummets-20160704

Visited 529 times, 2 visit(s) today

BizNews