Does live broadcasting displace gate attendances? Evidence from the English Football League

Babatunde Buraimo, Jake Owen and Rob Simmons

Chapter 10 in A Modern Guide to Sports Economics, 2021, pp 152-173 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter investigates the potential threat to gate attendances from live television broadcasting. We will focus on impacts of live broadcasting on gate attendances at English Football League games. The English Football League (EFL) has three divisions comprising 72 professional clubs below the English Premier League (EPL), each with promotion and relegation transitions. The three divisions have undergone many branding changes over time, so we will refer to these as Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 to indicate their status. Although the effects of live broadcasting on lower division attendances have been studied before (Buraimo et al., 2009; Forrest and Simmons, 2006; Wallrafen et al., 2019, 2020), there is now an extra reason to revisit this topic. In September 2018, live streaming of Football League matches took place alongside competing live transmissions of midweek UEFA Champions League games. Fans of Football League teams then faced three viewing alternatives: watch their favoured team by live stream, watch a Champions League game via BT Sport or attend the League game regardless. With two viewing alternatives rather than just one, the impact of live broadcasting on gate attendance for Football League teams could be substantial (Baker, 2018).

Keywords: Economics and Finance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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