Euro 2004 scores heavily with fans on net

FOOTBALL fans are flocking not to television but to the internet for Euro 2004 news.

Analysts Nielsen/NetRatings found that almost a million people logged on to the BBC Sport site during the first week of the competition.

Visits to the BBC soared on the day of England’s game against Switzerland on 17 June, which took place while many people were still at work.

Nielsen/NetRatings has forecast that 25m Europeans will turn to the web for football action during competition.

There has been huge interest in Euro 2004, reflected in the viewing figures for TV.

Almost 20m viewers tuned in as England fell 1-2 to France, while the team’s 3-0 victory over Switzerland was watched by more than 14m.

Football fever has spilt over into cyberspace. According to Nielsen/NetRatings, more than 900,000 turned to the BBC Sport site during the first week of the competition.

Four other sites, including Yahoo Sports and Uefa Euro 2004, attracted between 150,000 and 200,000 visitors over the same period.

One of the busiest days for the web was on 14 June.

In the UK, the internet is helping fans keep up with all the action on the pitch, especially with matches in late afternoon.

Nielsen/NetRatings said traffic to the BBC peaked on the day of England’s game against Switzerland on 17 June.

“England’s first game against France fell on a weekend, and so football fans were able to watch the game live on TV at home or in the pub,” said Gabrielle Prior, European Data Analyst.

“However, we see a very different viewing pattern for the second game that took place on a working day.

“Clearly more people were getting their updates online.”

BBC Sport, Sky Sports, Yahoo Sport, Uefa Euro 2004, Sporting Life and AOL Sport are the most visited sites according to the survey.