What are the mobile preferences of UAE viewers for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022?

UAE: There are only a few days left until the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup, which football fans around the world eagerly wait for and become the sole focus of every four years. For the tournament to be held in Qatar for the first time, not only football and sports fans but also all spectators eagerly await who will be the new champion. With the first whistleblowing on November 20, the tournament will start with the match between the host Qatar and Ecuador. The whole world will watch the struggle of 32 countries to be the best in the world. While the audience can’t wait to watch the matches from different screens, brands are making plans on how to capture their target audiences through certain channels.

Digital Turbine conducted World Cup Research to understand and analyze the behaviour and preferences of viewers in UAE during the World Cup, as well as how brands can interact with consumers, and the results once again demonstrate the unstoppable power of mobile.

While 61% of the respondents stated that they will watch the World Cup on TV, the rate of those who say that they will follow the games on their smartphones is 49%. Even though UAE was unfortunately eliminated from the tournament, the audience is ready to experience the enthusiasm of global football. While 44% of the respondents said that they will follow the tournament from their home, 24% report that they will follow the tournament live from stadiums in Qatar. In addition, 66% of the respondents stated that they watch soccer broadcasts at least a couple of times a month, proving once again that football is one of the most popular sports in the UAE.

We can say that the applications that we frequently use on our mobile devices are taking a different form in this period compared to the process we are in. While 55% of the respondents stated that they spend more time on sports applications during the World Cup and similar tournaments, the majority of users say that they use sports applications before or during the match.

In terms of apps, 28% of the participants state that they will spend most of their time on sports news apps while watching the World Cup, 24% say they will spend more time on sports mobile game apps, 24% on social media apps and 13% on messaging apps. In addition, it is one of the most important pieces of research that 80% of users state that it is important to follow the World Cup from more than one device.

During such a large and global tournament, it is more important than ever for brands to capture their target audience. While 62% of the respondents stated that they are likely to look up an ad that aired during the World Cup. 93% stated that they would consider purchasing the product they saw in the advertisement. 34% of them state that they can buy the product within 2-3 days after seeing the advertisement.

One of the most important issues that brands should pay attention to here is to meet the expectations of users from advertisements. 53% of respondents think it’s important for ads they see during the World Cup to be funny, while 51% think it is important to be emotional/heartwarming.

As a result, the research seems to be creating huge targeting options for advertisers and brands of the World Cup era on mobile channels, which could also increase their product sales or brand awareness. If the ad is funny and creative, it raises viewers’ interest in a product they’ve seen advertised and brings them closer to purchasing.