Football, or soccer as our friends across the pond call it, has an uncanny way of stirring up emotions like no other sport. We kept a close eye (and heart) on the UEFA Euro 2024 final, analyzing the match’s emotional impact on audiences across Portugal, the UK, and the USA.
Spoiler alert — football fever is alive and well.
And how did the emotional impact of advertising and content differ across the three markets? Interesting trends reveal what truly captured viewers’ hearts in each region.
BONUS — Throwback to the semi-final and TV history! We recorded the highest emotional response ever observed in televised history. Keep. Reading.
Kicking off with Emotional Impact – UEFA Euro 2024 vs. benchmarks and finals
Our emotional impact analysis, benchmarked against the world’s largest database of emotional reactions to televised content (over 200,000 hours of data, cough-cough), shows that live football matches are emotional goldmines, consistently shattering records. But how did the Euro 2024 final stack up?
Portugal
Portugal showed a notable Emotional Impact Score (EIS) of 675, surpassing sports and TV norms for this market. However, it fell short compared to the Women’s World Cup 2023 Final, indicating the unique emotional resonance of that event among Portuguese viewers.
UK
On the other hand, with 560 EIS, the UK had a significant uptick in emotional engagement, particularly in contrast to the Men’s World Cup 2022 Final. Certainly, the fact that England was playing in the finals needs to be considered – The “football’s coming home” effect.
USA
Football fever hits hard. Audiences in the USA showed robust emotional responses for that market, outpacing sports and TV norms by a comfortable margin. Soccer may not be king in the US, but it’s definitely gaining ground.
Content vs. Advertising: Who won the Heart Game?
The comparison of emotional impact between the content and advertising revealed exciting insights. In Portugal, advertising scored higher than content, indicating a strong emotional connection with advertising messages. On the contrary, the UK viewers displayed a reverse trend. In the US, both content and advertising were neck and next in emotional engagement, showcasing a balanced viewer engagement landscape.
Peak EIS, the most emotionally impactful moments of the Final match
Peak emotional impact moments during the match also revealed when viewers were most engaged. Across the markets, goals and critical match opportunities were the emotional high points, offering brands perfect opportunities to connect with passionate fans. Why?
Moments of high emotional impact produce long-lasting effects on the audience — and ones that brands want to be associated with. By identifying the most impactful sports TV properties, brands get insights to help them plan their upcoming media spend.
Record-breaking moment in television history: Highest Emotional Response ever measured during UEFA Euro 2024
We recorded the highest emotional response ever observed in televised history during England’s thrilling goal in the final moments of the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final game broadcasted by ITV.
Ollie Watkins’ remarkable last-minute goal against the Netherlands not only secured England’s spot in the Euro final but has also broken television emotional impact records being the most emotionally impactful moment ever recorded in television. The goal had millions of English fans explode with emotion, shattering the record for the highest emotionally impactful moment on television with a remarkable 6030 Emotional Impact Score (EIS).
Mediaprobe sees football consistently breaking records for peak emotion amongst fans, however, this is the highest peak ever recorded, way above anything registered since emotional impact started being measured in live audiences.
The Final Whistle
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened!” —UEFA Euro 2024, LinkedIn
As the dust settles on the UEFA Euro 2024 final, one thing is clear: live football’s emotional impact is profound and far-reaching. The match not only captivated audiences across Portugal, the UK, and the USA but also provided a rich source of data for understanding emotional engagement dynamics during major sporting events. Another thing is even more clear: Brands seeking to associate with high-impact sports events can leverage emotional impact insights to optimize media strategies and enhance audience connections in the evolving landscape of sports entertainment.
Until the next kickoff!
