Euros new era

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Head Start

Back in my day… will Euros be the saviour?

Young audiences are shunning live broadcasts in favour of social media and gaming, according to The Telegraph.

The question is: can the Euros help broadcasters bounce back?

While it’s expected that the Euros will provide broadcasters with short-term relief… the media landscape is changing and traditional media is struggling to keep up.

Broadcasters have suffered from a huge downturn in advertising revenues. ITV, one of two Euros broadcasters in the UK, saw advertising revenues slump 8 per cent last year… 

The competition for the younger generation’s attention is becoming fierce.

TikTok has played its role. It has diverted a lot of attention away from traditional media, with the social media app reaching 1.6 billion total users in 2023.

In fact, 16-24-year-olds spend more time on YouTube and TikTok than watching traditional TV.

Even live broadcasts of sports have taken a hit in recent years because… 

• … sports viewing for under-35s has dropped by almost a quarter since 2015…

• … and The Telegraph says that the growth in Fantasy Premier League and video games like FIFA has meant that young people have greater affiliation with individual star players than national teams. 

The Euros will be a good test for how well the TV executives can engage audiences in the new age.

They’d be happy if they could return to the 32.3 million tuning in live to watch England vs West Germany’s 1966 World Cup final.

But… broadcasters are already focusing less on live viewership, and are investing more into streaming services. They believe viewers - especially those who are “Gen Z” - care more about sports narratives than the actual live games.

(FIFA’s recent study also found that younger generations prefer behind-the-scenes content).

That’s why you’ve probably seen Mbappé and Rooney’s documentaries advertised everywhere.

They’re also ramping up their output on social media… 

… no doubt we’ll be seeing a few viral clips of Roy Keane floating on ITV’s TikTok.

Route One takeaway: It’s not just the football on the pitch that’s changing, so too is the media around it.

Plus…

Three Valencia fans have been jailed for eight months for abusing Vinicius Jr during a La Liga game in May 2023 - the first criminal conviction for racist abuse of a footballer in Spain (More)

Beth Mead ‘disgusted’ by Teesside-based Thornaby FC’s decision to axe its entire female section (More)

Media outlets continue to be criticised for using an image of Bukayo Saka in England’s defeat to Iceland (More)

Stats Zone

Kylian Mbappé - France

→ Since making his debut in March 2017 as an 18-year-old, Mbappé has scored more goals (47) and delivered more assists (28) than any other French player.

→ France have won 47 out of 66 games in which Mbappé started (71.2%). That percentage drops to 55.5% when he doesn’t start (15/27).

Nicolò Barella - Italy

→ Since the 2019/20 season, Barella has won Serie A twice, the Coppa Italia twice, the Supercoppa Italiana three times, and reached the UEFA Champions League final.

→ Barella has the most international goals (9) of anyone in Italy’s 26-man squad, ahead of Federico Chiesa and Stephan El Shaarawy (both 7).

Premier League

A place game in the sun

Newcastle fans had to travel 8,835 miles in total last season - the most of any other club in the Premier League. 

That’s £1,320 of fuel per fan.

What about if you had to travel 6,922 miles (round trip) for just one game? 

Well, that may become a reality. Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has said he’s “determined” to see a Premier League game played in The Big Apple - New York City.

The travel won’t be popular with local fans…

… but Werner hopes he can “figure out a way to offer [fans] very cheap travel [and] accommodation.”

The idea of playing a competitive Premier League game in a different country isn’t new. 

The difference is… the original proposal was to include an extra round of matches in the season which would be played at a neutral venue outside England. 

Hence the proposal’s name - Game 39.

While there was opposition to the idea in 2013 - as it was seen as a money grab by some - there is a chance that overseas games will become a reality.

In May, FIFA set up a working group to determine the feasibility of playing “out-of-territory” matches. 

So… pack your bags. Grab the sun lotion. And don’t be the one to forget your passport.

Off The Pitch

🇫🇷 President Emmanuel Macron has called a snap parliamentary election later this year in the wake of a big victory for his rival Marine Le Pen's National Rally in the European Parliament vote (More)

🧱 Bill Gates-backed startup creates Lego-like bricks that can store air pollution for centuries (More)

🐈 A man claims to own the oldest cat in the world at 29 (More)

🧬 Gene therapy has restored the hearing of children with inherited deafness (More)

🇸🇬 Singapore lifts a ban on pets in flats (More)

🎾 Andy Murray will play Wimbledon doubles with his brother Jamie (More)

Photo of the Day

Breaking boundaries. There are now twice as many registered female football teams in England as there were seven years ago. The largest increase in the period was in 2022/23 - the season after the Lionesses won Euro 2022 - when almost 1,500 new teams registered. Research this year found that average revenues of the top 15 women’s football clubs in Europe grew by 61% to £3.7 million.

Around The Football World

🇫🇷 Ligue 1 still have no broadcaster for the upcoming 2024/25 season, with less than 3 months left till the season begins to find a deal (More)

🇪🇸 Carlo Ancelotti says that Real Madrid will not play in next year’s expanded Club World Cup… but the club refutes this claim and Ancelotti said his words “were not interpreted in the way he intended” (More)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Arsenal Women announce their first-ever pre-season tour taking place in the United States this summer ahead of the 2024/25 campaign (More)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Scottish Women’s Premier League will split into two leagues of 10 teams from the 2025/26 season, reducing the number of matches in the top flight (More)

🇫🇷 RC Lens announce the appointment of Will Still as head coach on a three-year contract (More)

🌍 The makers of Football Manager announce a licensing partnership with the Premier League - the 2025 edition will feature official logos, kits, badges and player faces for all 20 teams (More)

Extra Time

Patrick Vieira addresses his dislike of Gary Neville back in the day. 

A complete guide to all 622 players going to the Euro Championships.

Ally McCoist’s story about Roy Keane on the beach is golden.

Kate Abdo and Thierry Henry compare UK and European food.

Adriano’s shot power was unmatched.

Xavi Hernandez casually playing football in Ibizia.

Game Face On

Question: In which year was the first European Championship held?

Bonus: Who won the tournament?

Scroll below for the answer.

On Today

FOOTBALL

Friendlies: Moldova vs Ukraine (17:00 BST)

Friendlies: Northern Ireland vs Andorra (19:45 BST)

Friendlies: Portugal vs Ireland (19:45 BST)

CRICKET

ICC T20 World Cup: Pakistan vs Canada (15:00 BST, Sky Sports Cricket)

ICC T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka vs Nepal (00:00 BST, Sky Sports Main Event)

ICC T20 World Cup: Australia vs Namibia (00:00 BST, Sky Sports Cricket)

*EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer

1960 in France. The Soviet Union beat Yugoslavia in the final 2-1.

Hottest Take of the Day

Today’s Hottest Take of the Day is: Trent Alexander-Arnold is wanted by Real Madrid but we’re doubting if Southgate starts him. It’s ridiculous. Thanks to Rory from Southampton for the entry. Submit another Hot Take of the Day here.