Singapore – With many Singaporeans following international leagues such as the English Premier League, a majority indicated they could also be encouraged to watch local football, given the right motivation. This was revealed in a recent survey from Yahoo and YouGov, conducted as part of the Season 2 launch of Yahoo’s Footballing Weekly.

While this is a widely held belief amongst Singaporeans (40%) in the study with 40% remaining neutral, there are slight differences amongst generations with older cohorts such as baby boomers (45%) and Gen X (43%) particularly standing tall as advocates of football’s significance, believing that football is important and influential to the culture and identity of Singapore. 

Meanwhile, younger generations such as millennials (35%) and Gen Z (37%) trail slightly behind their older counterparts in this sentiment.

The study also revealed that while only 35% say they currently support local football clubs or the national team, 70% would be encouraged to support a local football club or the national team if at least one of their criteria was fulfilled; the top three criteria identified were talented and skilled players (35%), their hobby or interest (30%); and a strong team spirit (28%).

Moreover, while existing support for local football is equal across generations (Gen Z 36%; Millennials 35%; Gen X 26%; Baby Boomers 34%), younger generations may be key to further fuelling the flames of the country’s passion towards the sport. Gen Z (80%) and Millennials (72%) lead the pack, above the national average (70%), in being potentially interested in local football, citing personal interest as the top criteria.

The survey also showed that Singaporeans who support the national team or local clubs are more optimistic about the country’s aspirations for the Unleash the Roar! project – a bid to develop a national squad that could qualify for the 2034 World Cup. Local football fans (39%) believe that Singapore will be represented at the world’s biggest sporting event within the next 10 years, while only 9% of those who identify as non-supporters agree. 

Fans who indicated their support for the Singapore Premier League (SPL) have a different take: 45% of SPL supporters believe that their partner, spouse, or family should support the same football team, compared to fans of other leagues such as Serie A (35%), UEFA Europa League (34%), Bundesliga (31%), UEFA Champions League (29%), La Liga (29%), and EPL (26%).

Aligning with this sentiment that football, especially local football, is a friends and family affair, respondents indicated that strong community engagements (26%), friend and family support (21%), and a strong team spirit (28%) are amongst the factors that will encourage them to support the local football scene.

Despite their love for the beautiful game, fans are split when it comes to paying to attend live matches. Nearly half (45%) of Singaporeans will not want to attend a live match if they have to pay, whether it involves a top European football club or the Singapore national team at the Singapore National Stadium.

Out of those that were willing to pay to attend a match, respondents were willing to pay more to attend a match involving a top European football club as compared to the Singapore national team: 16% would be willing to pay more than $100 for a top European football club, while only 7% would be willing to pay the same price for the Singapore national team.

The study also revealed that Singaporeans are mixed when it comes to catching the action away from the sidelines: 45% said they tune in to watch live matches online or on TV, with almost a third of respondents (32%) spending up to three hours a week catching up on the game and reliving each important aspect. Meanwhile, 55% said they do not watch live football matches online or on TV.

Chia Han Keong, co-host of Yahoo’s Footballing Weekly and Yahoo editor, said, “Football, after all, is a team sport requiring every player to understand their roles and help his teammates. In Singapore, whether you watch or play football, it builds a community bond that few other sports can manage, and that passion and camaraderie shows up in the findings of this survey.”

He added, “As the first whistle blows on this year’s Yahoo Footballing Weekly, we wanted to take a deeper dive into the perspectives, behaviours, and attitudes of Singaporeans towards football. The insights uncovered are enlightening especially as we ponder on the current state and future fortunes of Singapore football. As a nation, we have always loved the sport, but there is clearly a long way to go before the national team can taste sweet success.”

Hong Kong – ELEVEN, a sports media group, has secured additional content rights for some of the most popular sporting events this year, and will be catered to their user base in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. The content will be composed of 2,000 hours worth of live sports content dedicated to the region’s growing sports fanbase.

ELEVEN has an extensive package of Asian Football Confederation rights and is currently home to live coverage of every AFC Asian Women’s Cup and AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar match in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam.

In addition, ELEVEN also has the rights to Spain’s Copa del Rey, the Malaysian SPL Sepak Takraw League (STL) and a roster of international cricket, badminton and Japanese table tennis.

Cricket, table tennis and badminton are being served up as well to fans in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam. Live coverage of this season’s Copa del Rey and STL are also available on ELEVEN across the region with the exception of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

Lastly, a total of 19 European badminton events will be shown by ELEVEN during 2022. Live table tennis coverage from Japan will be delivered to audiences from February, and STL coverage is already underway.

Nick Wilkinson, managing director for APAC at The ELEVEN Group, said, “We are excited to be growing our operations across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong with a compelling mix of local and locally relevant content. Our ambition is to offer our audiences a dynamic new service to follow the sport they love. The partnerships that we have negotiated so far mean we are well on the way to delivering on this mission and we will be continuing to expand our portfolio in the coming months.”

ELEVEN is employing a streaming-first approach in all Southeast Asia markets and Hong Kong, with its platform ElevenSports.com at the heart of its offering. ELEVEN’s streaming service is due to be supplemented by partnerships with local linear operators to make content as accessible to fans as possible.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Aimed at bridging the gap between availability and accessibility of local content millenials love, Malaysian streaming platform sooka has recently been launched, which will offer a diversity of global content such as live sports, as well as hyperlocal content.

According to the company, sooka is on the path to create more hyper local, relevant content, and making it more accessible than ever before to a mobile-first entertainment audience. These include Malaysian dramas and entertainment programs, and of course, sooka exclusives and originals that aim to resonate with millennials on a mobile-based streaming platform.

Aside from the free tier the streaming service offers, sooka is also offering two-tier options: ‘VIP+Sports’ plan priced at RM41.90 per month for avid sports fans to experience unlimited and first-hand access to the best live sports actions all year round; and ‘VIP Entertainment’ plan which is priced at RM15.90 per month that unlocks the best Malaysian entertainment content from local dramas, variety shows, and movies, as well as sooka exclusives and originals.

As part of the ‘VIP+Sports’ plan, there is also an exclusive promotion in conjunction with the upcoming football event UEFA Euro, where sports enthusiasts can enjoy all 51 UEFA EURO 2020 live matches, and other ground-breaking live sports actions, alongside much-loved Malaysian entertainment and local exclusives and originals under the price of RM15.90 per month.

According to Emarina Mohd Kamal, head of programming at sooka, they believe that the platform’s launch comes at a time where users today are now embracing a mobile-first lifestyle and as such are attuned to consuming content online. Furthermore, Kamal states as well that the shift in viewing trends had consumers rapidly embracing the ‘new normal’ digital lifestyle, and great content has become a vital digital asset.

“It is of no surprise that they are reliant on their smartphones and active on social media, and constantly search for great content that they can consume on-the-go immediately from their mobile devices. sooka’s content is curated for this immediate consumption, at affordable price points and simple plans, and we invite all millennials to try sooka,” Kamal said.

She also explained that the platform’s main differentiator is its ability to deliver live sports streaming for passionate fans to enjoy on their mobile devices, enabling them to get their sports ‘fix’ anytime and anywhere. She added that the platform has a strong sports content line up until year-end and will continue to strengthen their sports proposition in order to bring the best for Malaysian sports fans.

“In addition, we are thrilled to offer a deep, current and curated library of premium Malay day-date drama series, movies, LIVE variety, and entertainment plus Chinese and Indian shows to satisfy local viewing preferences. We are also working with the industry’s best creators and production houses to create fresh and engaging originals specifically targeted at millennials, so expect to see more of these in the months to come,” she concluded.

Singapore – Global advertising and marketing company Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has announced the expansion of Fuse, its sport and entertainment practice, across Asia Pacific.

Headquartered in Singapore, the Fuse team will be tasked with delivering transformative marketing solutions for clients in the region across sport, e-sports, and music.

Fuse in APAC will build on the established Fuse network in the UK and across EMEA, where award-winning work has been delivered for international brands such as PepsiCo, Nissan, HSBC, Google, and Vodafone. This enables clients in both regions to benefit from the scale and specialist local expertise of a globally integrated practice.

In APAC, Fuse will be built on a new model that leverages the commercial, digital and creative capabilities of OMG’s network to help clients modernize their sponsorship strategies through better strategic guidance, smarter digital activation, cutting-edge analysis, and delivering faster and more attributable return on investment.

The service will be led by Jonathan Drakes, who played a pivotal role in growing Fuse’s international business out of the UK as its strategy director. Drakes will be based in Singapore and responsible for developing the business across the region, with a particular emphasis on maximizing opportunities in Asia. Drakes reports to Tony Harradine, CEO of Omnicom Media Group in APAC, and to Fuse’s CEO Louise Johnson.

Drakes starts the venture with founding client, beer brand Tuborg, in a move that builds on Fuse’s five-year relationship with the brand, during which time Fuse helped create and grow ‘Tuborg Open,’ the global music platform which has seen it collaborate with international artists.

Harradine said Fuse’s launch in APAC underscores OMG’s confidence in the power of sport and entertainment platforms to deliver meaningful results for clients in a dynamic marketing environment and in a uniquely challenging time.

Johnson commented, “We’re delighted to be building on the success of the Fuse brand and expanding into the Asia-Pacific region. The global sport and entertainment rights and media market is evolving at a phenomenal rate, driven by expanding fan bases and new digital media platforms. This presents fantastic opportunity across APAC and EMEA for agencies that can quickly adapt, at scale.”

In October, OMG has similarly introduced a new practice Transact in the region, its service for brands specializing in e-commerce.