Consumers consider AV/location in World Cup venue choice

Over half of consumers in Ireland who watch sporting events planned to watch World Cup games in the on-trade, with local pubs and bars more popular than high street premises, according to new research from CGA.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicked-off recently and CGA by NielsenIQ’s latest research highlights the venue types and drinks categories that will see a boost as a result.

It’s no surprise that soccer is the most popular sport for Irish consumers to watch in the on-trade followed by rugby and GAA.
But when it comes to live sports in general, local pubs (64%) and local bars (51%) are more popular venues than their high-street alternatives and consumers in Ireland generally watch live sports in pubs more often than bars.

Key for operators looking to capitalise on the World Cup is understanding what drives choice of venue – with consumers stating that the size and quality of TV screens are key attractions although this is more prevalent in the Republic of Ireland (29%) than in Northern Ireland (26%).

Other key drivers of venue choice include outlet attributes such as location (39%), atmosphere (30%) and seating availability (26%).
Although a high-quality set-up to catch the games is important, the quality of drinks also ranks highly – with this sitting as the third most-important driver of venue choice for on-trade consumers wanting to watch the World Cup in pubs, bars and hotels.

When it comes to category choice, Long Alcoholic Drink serves prove the most popular for consumers watching live sports; soft drinks tend to outperform spirits.

“Consumers in Ireland are still discerning when it comes to their choice of venue for watching live sports,” said Sian Brennan, CGA by NielsenIQ’s Client Director for Ireland, “Although they may favour their local pubs and bars, venues who consider consumer preference when it comes to attributes such as atmosphere and the quality of their AV setup are best placed to capitalise on increased visitation.

“There are also significant opportunities for drinks suppliers to maximise sales of popular categories but given the level of competition within this category, brands need to be emphasising the quality of their offering.”