YouGov’s SportsIndex Report Reveals Sport With The Most 'Buzz'

The seventh edition of YouGov’s SportsIndex Buzz Report reveals events and teams which have generated the most positive chatter amongst UK public in 2019. And for the first time, international data is also included.

Headlines from the report:

• A women’s sports property makes it into the top five for first time
• Wimbledon pips the Rugby World Cup to first place
• The highest-ranking non-free-to-air property is in sixth position
• Six Nations racks up its highest ever score
• Despite England’s rugby team being unable to replicate the success of their cricket counterparts, the Rugby World Cup nearly tops the Buzz table

The data sees both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the England Women’s National Football Team both make it into the top five – the first time that female-only sports properties have done so.

In a strong year for rugby, the Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations both make it into the top five, matching football’s power to create conversation. The latter recorded its highest ever score in 2019, a strong indication that the property is going from strength to strength.

Wimbledon continues to be solid gold as far as its ability to generate Buzz goes. It reaches the top of the Buzz rankings whenever there is an off-year for mega-events and 2019 was no different. Even without British interest past the quarter-finals stage of the main draw, the event still creates astonishing amounts of positive chatter.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is the ranking’s highest-placed non-free-to-air property. Its high placing is contributed to by home hosting and a finish worthy of Hollywood.

Frank Saez, founder and Managing Director of YouGov Sport says the rankings show the potential of women’s sport to rival the dominance of men’s events. “Three of the top four are women’s or mixed properties, with the Women’s World Cup and the England team missing out on top place by a fine margin.

“It shows that, given the right platform, there’s plenty of appetite out there for women’s sport but marketers have to find ways of keeping it in the spotlight. As some of the sports who have fallen out of the top ten this year have found, that’s easier said than done.”

The full report can be downloaded here