New study reveals the lengths the nation will go to catch their favorite sport, from skipping weddings to watching during work meetingsWednesday 14 August 2024
Top 10 unconventional places Brits watch sport on the sly revealed
38% have secretly streamed sporting events at work, while one in 10 have snuck away from a wedding to watch a final
Half of Brits admit to sneaking off to the loo during social events to check scores, highlighting the nations dedication to never missing a game
More than a third (36%) have used all their mobile phone data to stream sports
New study from Sky Mobile comes as the Premier League kicks off and all Sky Mobile customers can cheekily stream Sky apps, including Sky Sports, without draining their data
As the Premier League kicks off, new research has revealed the extraordinary lengths Brits will go to not miss their favourite sporting events, with many resorting to cheekily streaming games in unexpected places.
At work (38%), family events (30%) and as passengers during car journeys (25%) have topped the list of a Sky Mobile survey of 2,000 UK adults as the most common occasions people have slipped away to catch a glimpse of sporting action.
Even more surprising, half of us (51%) even admitted to sneaking off to the loo during social events to check scores, showcasing the depths of the nation's sporting obsession.
Shockingly, a third of workers confess to being caught watching sports events at work, with 20% watching between 3-5 hours a week on the company clock. And 30% have admitted to cancelling meetings and missing important deadlines to catch their favourite sport.
The top 10 unconventional places Brits watch sports from Sky Mobile:
At work (38%)
During a family event (30%)
In the car (25%)
In the toilet (21%)
In a hospital waiting room (17%)
During a friend's birthday party (15%)
During a meeting (9%)
At a wedding ceremony (8%)
During Christmas dinner (8%)
In the garden shed (8%)
Ahead of the start of the season, half (49%) of sports-obsessed people confess that theyve tried to cancel summer plans to watch sports events live, with one in 10 prepared to miss a friends wedding or a meeting at their child's school to watch a big game. Further to this, faking an illness (30%) and working late (19%) have topped the list of excuses, with 13% claiming a family emergency.
Brits have admitted to some extreme tactics to avoid spoiling important game results before they have a chance to catch up, from avoiding social media (45%) to staying off the internet entirely (36%), and even leaving group chats (12%).
These measures aren't surprising as research shows how devoted we are to our favourite sports. In just six months fans have watched almost a billion hours of sports on Sky* (936M hours).
Amber Pine, Managing Director of Sky Connectivity, said: "We're a nation of sport lovers and many Brits are streaming sports on the go as our research shows major football matches drive a 13% spike in mobile data usage*, which is why at Sky Mobile we don't want fans to miss a moment, and customers can stream all Sky apps including Sky Sports and Sky Go without using their data."
Revealing the extent of the problem, more than a third (36%) say they have run out of data when trying to stream sports, but sport-obsessed Brits can breathe easy as all Sky Mobile customers can stream Sky apps, including Sky Sports, Sky Go, Sky News and more without dipping into their data.
As the football season begins, fans will have even more sport to stream as Sky Sports+ gives access to 50% more live sports via live streams, the mobile app and a dedicated new channel, all at no extra cost. The new launch offers more coverage than ever before from the EFL, both tennis Tours and men's Super League, all which Sky Mobile customers can stream via the Sky Sports app.
Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact the Sky team on
sky@taylorherring.com / 020 8206 5151
*Data from Sky's Attention Index Report (January - June 2024), conducted with Public First polling of a representative sample of over 3,000 individuals representing every region in the UK.
Public First is a member of the Market Research Society. The full tables for all the data used in this report are available to download from Public First's website.
Sky Mobile network benefits at a glance:
99% network coverage
Roll - roll your spare data into your Sky Piggybank for use when you need it
Piggybank - share spare data in your Sky Piggybank with up to seven SIMs on your account or exchange it for rewards
Watch - enjoy hours and hours of streaming on Sky apps such as Sky Go, Sky Sports and more, without using your data allowance
Mix - Change your data plan whenever you like to suit your needs
Swap - swap to a new phone or tablet whenever you want, before your contract ends
Text to Switch - simply text PAC to 65075 to get your switching code. We'll take care of the rest
About SkySky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment companies and is part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments and experiences that matter. At Sky we Believe in Better. It's in our DNA.
We're famous for innovation. We offer the world's smartest TV, Sky Glass; our plug and play streaming puck, Sky Stream; the best aggregation platform, Sky Q: the best aggregation platform, Sky Q; and streaming services NOW and WOW. We provide connectivity you can count on in mobile, fast, secure, reliable residential and business broadband, as well as smart home protection through Sky Protect.
We're Europe's premium content producer. We create award-winning original content, produce the biggest live sporting events, and we provide free access to news and the arts. Our new s
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
10/01/2026
This year, podcasts are making their Golden Globes debut with a new category honoring the medium's leading shows and creators. To mark the occasion, Spotify...
09/01/2026
RT Player has 157 million streams, up 10% year-on-year
An increase on 2024, RT...
09/01/2026
RT 2FM has today announced the highly anticipated list of 2FM Rising Artists for 2026, kicking off 2FM Rising week for the eighth year on The Tracy Clifford Sh...
09/01/2026
RT to Host the 2026 RTS Ireland Awards
Thursday, 16 April 2026 | Dublin Royal Convention Centre
The RTS Ireland Television Awards 2026 | Gradaim RTS 2026 | R...
08/01/2026
An evidence-based analysis on disinformation and information manipulation in Sudan's ongoing conflict is published today. (January 8th 2026).
Thomson Found...
08/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
08/01/2026
On Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify welcomed creators and press to a brunch cel...
08/01/2026
TSA awards Rohde & Schwarz contract for advanced airport screening ahead of Socc...
08/01/2026
The review looks back at DPA's miniature microphone development over the years. It compares the evolving technologies from the original mics through CORE an...
08/01/2026
Comscore Launches Audio Targeting and Measurement Capabilities with The Trade De...
08/01/2026
Tonight, on RT Prime Time at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player
Tonight, Prime T...
08/01/2026
The Late Late Show celebrates the very best of traditional Irish music with its first-ever full special dedicated entirely to the tradition
Lisa Canny | Kevin...
08/01/2026
It will be murder on the dancefloor when Dancing with the Stars returns this S...
07/01/2026
Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...
07/01/2026
We know people use Spotify not just to listen, but to share the songs, podcasts, and audiobooks they love with their friends and family. When we launched Messag...
07/01/2026
This week, all eyes are on the podcast industry as the Golden Globes recognizes ...
07/01/2026
Podcasts are stepping onto a new stage this week as the Golden Globes recognize the medium for the first time. To mark this milestone moment, we're hosting ...
06/01/2026
Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...
06/01/2026
Lorde. A$AP Rocky. JENNIE. Baby Keem. KATSEYE. That's just a taste of who...
06/01/2026
Channel 4 and UKTV are giving viewers even more reasons to stream, with UKTV's U service set to feature thousands of hours of free, unmissable and bingeable...
06/01/2026
Tuesday 6 January 2026
An update on our Sky Mobile prices
Devesh Raj, Chief Operating Officer, Sky
Today, we've announced some changes to the prices of ...
06/01/2026
Comscore Launches Daily Program-Level Reporting with Deduplicated Insights on Sh...
06/01/2026
Comscore Completes Recapitalization Transaction with Preferred Stockholders Foll...
05/01/2026
Bad Bunny's DeB TiRAR M S FOToS defined the sound of 2025 for listeners eve...
05/01/2026
As the clock struck midnight and 2026 was born, so was an exciting range of new ...
05/01/2026
These Sacred Vows starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'...
05/01/2026
DANDANCING WITH THE STARS RETURNS TO SHAKE UP SUNDAY NIGHTS
Reigning Rose of Tr...
02/01/2026
Any Given Day: Cork University Hospital premieres Wednesday 7 January on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
RT will debut a powerful new six-part documentary se...
02/01/2026
Friday 2 January 2026
All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and...
02/01/2026
Sequins, chat shows, live sporting action, ground-breaking docuseries and brand-new Irish drama to kick off 2026
New Year, New Content Coming Soon across RT
...
01/01/2026
The Quantum 852 is situated in the 6,500-seat Seoul-based place of worship, a church which is home to a 1,000-person choir and a 50-piece orchestra. There are f...
01/01/2026
Formed in 2002, OneRepublic have enjoyed huge international success, with over 18 billion streams on Spotify alone. Their current tour, Escape to Europe, contin...
01/01/2026
We had been using the club's previous console for the last ten years, so we researched manufacturer information very carefully, says venue audio manager Mr...
30/12/2025
Your live countdown to 2026 with Inhaler, David Gray, Lyra, Garron Noone, Sharon...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
24/12/2025
RT has unveiled an exclusive first look at the new Dancing with the Stars promo...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Monday 22 December 2025
Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...
22/12/2025
Siobh n McSweeney, Rory McIlroy, Elon Musk, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, Ivan Yates and Traitor Paudie Moloney lead new characters for Callan Kicks the Year 2...
22/12/2025
Winner announced in the picturesque surroundings of Wicklow's Avondale Tower and Treetop Walk
Andrew Trimble wins the show in his first series as coach
Th...
22/12/2025
The 2025 winners have been announced today, Sunday 21 December, for Ireland's largest choral competition Choirs for Christmas hosted by RT lyric fm.
Ove...
21/12/2025
John Shortt named Young Sportsperson of the Year Kerry are the Team of the Year
...
19/12/2025
With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout w...
New study reveals the lengths the nation will go to catch their favorite sport, from skipping weddings to watching during work meetingsWednesday 14 August 2024
