Qatar 2022, the World Cup with a thousand platforms and infinite consumption

Many have referred to 2022 as the year of surprises and opportunities. And it is that after 2 years of an exhausting pandemic, many changes and consequences for everyone also came, including the appearance of new platforms and endless new content, adapted to be consumed by all.

The world of sports, for example, is one of the areas with the greatest potential for growth, thanks to new technologies and connectivity that have made it possible to reach ever larger audiences. Proof of this is the Qatar 2022 World Cup, an event expected by the whole world and which first brought together 8.4 million viewers in Mexico with the broadcast of the opening ceremony and the first match between Qatar and Ecuador; then, on November 22, the transmission of the participation of the Mexican team in its first confrontation with the Polish national team, reached 10.3 million Mexicans.

We are at a time where the event consumes us and not the other way around, since we are experiencing it on all fronts. Today we are immersed in a phenomenon of trends and a sea of ​​content that saturates our attention and that, without realizing it, drives us to continue consuming.

With the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) forecasting an audience of 5 billion people who will watch at least a portion of the month-long event, the World Cup offers an opportunity for the entire ecosystem of media – made up of broadcasters, streamers, platforms, as well as brands and rights holders – win over fans and turn it into a profitable business in the short, medium and long term.

And it is that currently there are multiple options to watch the World Cup: on open television, pay TV and without a doubt, digital platforms. According to a study we carried out at Nielsen, open television is the most popular option for football fans (81%), while 62% pay to watch the games, 72% tune in through social networks and 68% watch it on over-the-top (OTT) streaming devices. This means that brands, publishers and platforms have to get creative when it comes to engaging audiences across multiple devices.

Streaming as a trend

Between May 2021 and May 2022, streaming usage increased more than 21%. In fact, it accounted for nearly 32% of total TV viewing time in May 2022, up from 26% a year ago, and the global size of the streaming video industry is expected to reach $224 billion. before 2028. Translated to the sports world, it is estimated that Qatar 2022 will have 42% more reach than Russia 2018, which registered 3.5 billion viewers, thanks to this technology.

Undoubtedly, the development of streaming is a watershed in the transmission of live sporting events, since it significantly expanded coverage and allowed, in many cases, user mobility. There are currently hundreds of platforms with extensive content offerings, and more continue to appear as consumer opportunities are created. For example, FIFA announced this year its free streaming service, to watch live matches from various leagues worldwide. And in Mexico, Vix & Vix Plus, were pronounced as the new platforms that would allow all fans to tune in to the Qatar 2022 World Cup matches.

Content is the main factor for subscribing to an OTT platform, so having exclusive events or content is increasingly important. Today, Mexican Internet users have between 1 and 4 subscriptions to OTT platforms and it is the centennials who consume streaming content, almost twice as much as the rest of the generations.

Qatar 2022 will undoubtedly be the ideal stage to see the true impact of streaming and other innovations for the benefit of football fans around the world. It could also mean the rise of digital platforms for sports consumption, where live and far-reaching sports events such as the SuperBowl, the Olympic Games, or world tournaments of different disciplines would stand out.