30-01-2013, 03:40 PM
The role of soccer in European sports industry and the willingness to pay for soccer
ABSTRACT
Professional soccer is truly an international sport. Estimates suggest that there are more than 240 million registered players worldwide, with fan participation in the billions. In turn, soccer is growing into a large business, with an estimated market size of €12 billion. Fan support is focused primarily on the local national league; however, through the success of tournaments such as the Champions League and the UEFA Cup, as well as cross-border transfers of top players, fans are becoming increasingly global in their support. Professional soccer clubs are exploring more and more options to maximise their income as they attempt to recruit and retain top players and succeed in this global industry. The largest sources of income for clubs remain the sales of TV rights, merchandising, and advertisement and ticket sales. The emergence of broadband access has made the video highlight reports. Improved technology combined with the increasing popularity of downloads and streaming services, as well as market acceptance of paid-for content, could provide soccer clubs with a new instrument to market their games worldwide and open up a lucrative source of income. Yet while the technical and legal prerequisites for a successful launch of video highlights and full-match viewings on the internet already exist, it is not clear if consumers are willing to pay for such new products or if they would rather stay with long-established alternatives in traditional media Internet a viable media channel for the distribution of With more than 240 million registered players,300,000 registered clubs, and an estimated fan participation in the billions, soccer is undeniably a global sport. Under the governing Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), there are 207 member associations, demonstrating the sport’s global reach. Although amateur players comprise the majority of soccer participants, professional soccer is a big business with an annual turnover of approximately €12 billion.