Live sport delivers pubs £1.1bn in 2023

New research into the appeal of live sport in the on-trade has estimated that Sky Sports packages delivered an extra £1.1bn of revenue last year.

According to new research into the impact of the sporting ecosystem by Public First, this extra on-trade revenue is the equivalent to 230m pints of beer.

While the project was commissioned by the sports broadcaster, Public First used a mixture of methods to the conduct research for the findings, including focus groups, interviews and a nationally representative poll of 2,010 adults in the UK.

It goes on to predict that sports fans are estimated to generate £13bn for the UK economy by 2034.

"We have seen time and time again the unique relationship between the pub and sport, and just how vital it is to local villages, towns and high streets across the UK," comments Steve Alton, CEO of the BII. "We are hugely supportive of this report looking forward to the research and subsequent report that Sky is facilitating, showing yet again the vital connection that pubs and sport have to communities everywhere, and why they need and deserve investment and support."

Extra purchase opportunities 

The research also showed that pubs showing Sky Sports saw a notable increase to revenues and sales, as not only beer sales were boosted but other drinks, snacks and meals too.

Of the one in three UK adults that have been to a pub, club or bar to watch a live sports event in the last year, 86% of those ordered a drink, 58% bought snacks and 46% ordered a meal. 

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