In South Africa, sport serves as a powerful unifier, bringing people from all walks of life together to support teams and heroes. As local sports viewership grows, brands, media owners, and rightsholders seek reliable data to better understand which content resonates most with South African fans.

Nielsen Fan Insights (NFI) provides an in-depth look at sports and lifestyle interests across South Africa and Africa, highlighting fan engagement patterns, media consumption, and preferred platforms across various sports and lifestyle categories. The NFI data is accessible via a subscription-based dashboard, tailored data runs, or in report form, supporting clients in objectives like marketing optimisation, sponsorship evaluation, and audience engagement strategy development.

Key Sports and Lifestyle Insights for 2024

Annalie Watt, Strategic Director of Nielsen Sports SA, shared insights from this year’s findings:

“The NFI SA Football report reveals that football fans are diversifying their interests, with a significant rise in multi-sport engagement from 2023 to 2024. While only 4% of football enthusiasts focus solely on football, the majority are following multiple sports, indicating a growing trend of audience diversification."

"NFI SA football fans also show a high level of interest in sports betting, which likely contributes to the increased engagement with both local and African football. This interest is further supported by DStv’s comprehensive coverage of local and African football, alongside the success of South African teams in recent African tournaments.”

"In 2024, broadcaster-owned streaming platforms (e.g., DStv Stream, ShowmaxPro, SABC Plus) emerged as the most frequently used platforms by NFI SA football fans for watching sports. This marks a shift from social media platforms, which were more popular in 2023."

"Additionally, football-focused households display notably higher streaming service subscriptions than the general NFI SA population, with a year-on-year increase in awareness of major events such as AFCON, CAF Champions League, and the Women’s CAF Champions League."

Leveraging Insights to Drive Strategy

These insights enable marketing teams to refine their strategies, ensuring that content aligns with current fan interests and viewing habits. For instance, brands can identify emerging markets within the local football space to create targeted marketing content, while sports teams can use fan engagement data to strengthen sponsorship offerings by showcasing audience data for digital platforms.

For more information about the Nielsen Fan Insights platform or to explore subscription options, contact Nwabisa Sauls, Senior Commercial Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Nielsen Sports: Football Fans Expand Interests Across Sports and Lifestyle

New insights reveal South African football fans are diversifying, with high engagement across sports and streaming platforms. Find out more about Nielsen Fan Insights!

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