Champion nation: Women's Euros team (26%), followed by swimmer Adam Peaty (13%) and the England Netball team (12%) are favourites to bring home a winThe rise of the small screen: 37% of sport fans are watching more sport via their mobile phone than a year ago - rising to 48% amongst Londoners
Viewing confessions: Almost 1 in 5 (19%) will cancel going to an event, while 18% will use annual leave to watch a game
Cheer on the wins live: So you never miss a sporting fix, on Sky Mobile you can stream the Sky Sports app without having to use your data
20th July 2022, London: Whether it's football, a 100m sprint or cricket, the UKs summer of sport is set to score with fans, as new research from Sky Mobile uncovers that two of the biggest events that UK sports fans* are most excited for include the European Women's football (36%) and the upcoming games in Birmingham (29%) over the coming months.
With sensational and promising British talent hitting the sporting stage, the study of 2,000 sport fans found that two thirds (66%) are expecting a victory from our home teams and sporting stars.
Among those predicting a first-place victory, the favourite to bring it home is the Women's Euros team (26%) who started the latest football championship with record-breaking results, alongside a predicted gold medal for Adam Peaty in swimming and the England netball team within the upcoming aquatics and team sport events in Birmingham (13% and 12%).
Getting our sporting fix on the go
As a sport devoted nation, 37% of fans are now watching more sport via their phone than a year ago, with more than 2 in 5 of these keeping on top of the latest action by watching on their mobile on the go (43%).
Looking into the cities, London is the most virtually sport-mad, with 39% turning to their phones to watch sporting events, closely followed by sport fans from Yorkshire (31%) and the East Midlands (30%).
When it comes to tuning into the live action, for almost half (45%) of the UK's sporting fans, the main TV at home isnt always available, so sport enthusiasts will turn to the small screen to make sure they never miss a moment.
Someone who is familiar with the need to catch must-watch events on the go is former England player, Arsenal Captain and pundit Faye White, who says: 2022 is going to be a golden year for British sporting stars and I'll be supporting the Women's football team every step of the way, to hopefully bring it home! No matter where I am or what I'm up to, I like to be part of the action so I'm with the many Brits who'll be keeping an eye on the matches and games when out and about.''
Cheering on from the virtual side-lines
With popular matches and fixtures lined up, sports fans are prepared to cancel going to an event (19%) or even use annual leave to watch a game (18%).
When it comes to the more extreme lengths the UK is willing to go to cheer on their teams, 40% admit to tuning into their favourite events on their phone at work, and 22% of 18-24-year-olds will call in sick to work, college or university so they can watch their favourite sporting event, reducing to 10% of 55-65-years-olds.
A country of loyal supporters, almost half of sports fans plan to watch the action live every day (47%), share the latest updates with friends and family via messaging whilst watching (29%), and show their support for their team by interacting with their social media posts (28%).
Watch every win live
Backing all the UK's amazing sporting talent is Paul Sweeney, Managing Director, Sky Mobile who commented, With over two fifths of the nation's sporting fans now using their phone to watch sport on the go, we want to make it easy for those on Sky Mobile to keep watching. So, to help, you can stream the Sky Sports app on the go and catch all the action as it happens - without eating into your data.
With Sky Mobile you can enjoy hours and hours of streaming on Sky apps, without using your data, including Sky Sports, Sky Go, Sky News and more. Plus, Sky Mobile automatically rolls over any unused data into your Sky Piggybank at the end of every month so, if you're running low, you can easily tap into your spare data for a boost, making sure you never miss a sporting moment.
Notes to editors
*Research conducted by OnePoll: 7th - 11th July 2022 with 2,000 UK Sport Fans (who own a smartphone)
Sky Mobile network benefits at a glance:
Sky Mobile is a Which? Recommended provider status and winner of Best Value network in the 2022 Choose Awards. Unlike other network providers, Sky Mobile lets customers keep all their data for up to three years. Every month any spare data rolls into your Piggybank ready for you to use later or share with family. Spare data can be shared with up to 7 SIMs on the account or can be exchanged for rewards, like accessories or money off a new phone. With up to 99% network coverage, Sky Mobile offers the UK's cheapest annual data plan1 with up to twice as much data for half the price2, compared to the big networks.
Roll - Sky Mobile rolls your spare data for up to three years, so you can keep hold of what you've paid for
Piggybank - Share spare data in your Sky Piggybank with up to seven SIMs on your account or exchange it for rewards
Mix - Change data plans whenever suits your needs, make your plan bigger if you need more data, or smaller if you want to spend less
Watch - Stream hours and hours of live sports, the best shows, and kids' favourites without using your data
Swap - Upgrade to a shiny new phone anytime you like and save money when you swap your old one
Text to Switch - Simply text PAC to 65075 to get your switching code. We'll take care of the rest
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