2024 Nielsen Sports SA Trends: Dricus du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya title defence viewership up 1033%

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This is one of several sporting events featuring South African contenders that have seen exponential growth.

In addition, South African sports fans lead the pack globally when it comes to loyalty to their national teams and champions remaining strong.

This was revealed at the recent Nielsen Sports SA’s Annual Trends Breakfast which provides key sports industry stakeholders valuable insights into the latest developments in sports, audience behaviour and market trends – both locally and globally.

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Role of sports influencers

Nielsen Sports SA managing director, Tumelo Selikane presented crucial insights about the globalisation of sports and the expansion of market opportunities for brands and rights holders, emphasising audience fragmentation's impact, and the growing interest in women’s sports.

“Critical takeouts included other key insights such as a noticeable shift in the role of sports influencers, who are now becoming direct revenue generators rather than just brand amplifiers, significantly impacting how sports content is consumed and monetised,” says Selikane.

Selikane was joined on stage by his colleagues and fellow experts Amy Daley, chief operating officer, Nwabisa Sauls, commercial manager, and Annalie Watt, strategic director for Nielsen Sports SA.

Watt revealed critical findings from the July 2024 Nielsen Fan Insights report, highlighting significant fan engagement shifts, analysing a wide range of data sources and touchpoints to understand what sports fans are buying, listening to and watching across media sources.

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Betway SA20 tournament success

At the event, the Betway SA20 panel discussion featured Lynn Naude – chief operating officer, Betway SA20, Graeme Smith – former Proteas cricket captain and SA20 Commissioner and Mark Rowles, head of marketing at Betway.

The panel discussed the success and impact of the fast-growing Betway SA20 tournament, showcasing its role in elevating the local sports landscape.

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“The value of data-driven insights for brands and rights holders cannot be emphasised enough. The sports media landscape is rapidly changing, and the most successful brands will be those that leverage accurate, up-to-date information to engage and retain fan attention,” says Selikane.