New research by Rocket Fuel reveals consumer behaviours and levels of national support across Europe ahead of the first truly ‘digital European championship’
Nearly half of England is backing Germany to win Euro 2016, which means that almost twice as many English people are backing Germany than England, according to new research released by Rocket Fuel, a leading programmatic marketing platform provider that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence.
Despite the likes of England stars Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy raising expectations in the run up to the tournament in France, just 23% of English people believe England can win, making England the least self-confident country of any of the larger European teams at the tournament. In comparison Germans are the most confident about their own national team, with 70% of Germany confident that they will bring home the trophy.
How confident are countries at Euro 2016?
| Team | Percentage of country who believes their own country can win |
| Germany | 70% |
| Spain | 54% |
| Italy | 41% |
| France | 40% |
| England | 23% |
The tournament looks set to capture the attention of Europeans with half (51%) of Europeans checking digital sources daily and 88% checking in at least once per week. The research indicates that overall interest in the tournament will increase as the finals approach – 67% will follow the group stages, 82% for the Quarter Finals, then 90% and 93% for the semis and the final.
Digital media looks set to play a leading role at the @rocketfuelinc European Championships with half of fans planning to use the internet more than they have in previous years, and 57% of fans set to access Euro 2016 content wherever they are. Online video is set to be popular with nearly half of Europeans planning to use it to catch up on games (51%).
Respondents across all European countries stated their use of different devices will increase when the Euros are on:
- 66% said they’ll watch more TV
- 41% will increase their desktop use
- 37% will increase their smartphone use
- 27% use a tablet more
Commenting, David Nelson, VP Product & Operations Europe at Rocket Fuel said:
‘Although English people aren’t feeling overly optimistic about England bringing home the trophy, Euro 2016 certainly looks set to offer a big victory to digital media, with this tournament becoming the first truly digital Euros. Consumers and fans across Europe will turn to online video and streaming like never before, and switch between smartphones, tablets, laptops and televisions throughout the day. Half of all fans across Europe plan to be always be connected during the tournament.
Understanding consumer patterns – what people are watching, how they are watching and when – is vital to help us as an industry plan ahead and anticipate changing consumer demands. Through the application of artificial intelligence at big data scale Rocket Fuel’s technology performs in real time to determine the likelihood a consumer will engage in a desired action, driving higher-performing campaigns.’
Rocket Fuel conducted a survey across the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.