The Golazo Effect

By Lydia Daly, SVP, Market & Audience Intelligence

I grew up in a soccer household despite not loving soccer.

Let me rephrase that. I grew up in a Liverpool FC-you’ll never walk alone-anyone but United-FIFA football manager all day-Subbuteo-training after school all week-games every weekend-clean your boots-can I get the latest jersey household – despite not loving soccer (and yes we do call it SOCCER in Ireland, just like in the U.S., because we also have Gaelic Athletic Association football and don't want to confuse!).

This was Ireland in the 80s/90s, and I was a girl with two annoying soccer-obsessed brothers in a household with one TV that only had access to the two Irish channels, RTE1 and RTE 2. This meant that when my brothers decided to watch soccer, I was forced against my will to do the same. Premier League games were the mainstay, but I have vivid memories of weeknight La Liga games broadcast in Spanish, where the commentators would seemingly continuously and energetically shout out, “GOOOOOOLLLLLLLAAAZZZZZZOOOOOOO!!!”

Over the years, I learned to love the game and Liverpool (path of least resistance and all that). The Irish National Team’s brief run of form at the Italia 1990 and U.S. 1994 World Cups were probably to blame. I also enjoyed watching the Premier League, the Champions League and the European Cups.

However, since moving to the U.S. more than 10 years ago, I’ve felt disconnected from soccer culture. With so many great American sports to choose from, Americans just aren’t interested in the beautiful game. And if I’m honest, American soccer coverage has always been a little cringe – the American tone for a game that is international always felt a bit off.

Yet, seeing the number of U.S. viewers who regularly watch soccer go up 56% since 2021* and being someone who studies culture, trends and fandom, I realized that this global game had finally overcome American exceptionalism and truly made itself at home in our living rooms. Surely Ted Lasso can’t take all the credit, so how did this really happen?

Nothing is more popular than success, and the recent dominance of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (let’s consider the last Women’s World Cup performance a small hiccup, shall we?) clearly elevated the women’s game and built a growing fan base, something I didn’t have growing up but am now delighted to share with my daughter. There’s also the Messi effect, where, according to ESPN, La Pulga’s Inter Miami jersey was the fastest-selling athletic jersey in the first 24 hours of release ever recorded. This has a clear correlation with the fact that more American sports fans watch and embrace international soccer than they do domestic.*

Data also tells us that the launch of the Golazo Network on Paramount one year ago has contributed to and capitalized on this cultural moment, and delivered on what soccer fans say is the top benefit to their fandom – a unifying sense of community*.

With an audience that’s more than doubled in households reached since launch,* Golazo is filling the need for international soccer content that hits the mark in style and tone. It creates a communal experience by offering fans content that suits their preferences and passions – from the casual to hardcore, from followers of La Liga to Bundesliga – via live matches, highlights, analysis, interviews, documentaries, social media, podcasts and original shows produced by experts, journalists and engaging personalities.

This is soccer coverage at its finest – funny, irreverent, opinionated, connected. The caliber – and, most importantly, the knowledge – of special guests is up there with that of any football show in the UK. With 81% of fans saying that the quality of the broadcasting team is a big factor in watching live sports on TV*, Golazo has managed to convert even the international skeptics!

Golazo has achieved more than just being another media platform – it's created a community of soccer enthusiasts and helped to bring "football" to the American masses. In fact, in 2023, Golazo Network had more social engagements than some of the biggest clubs in the world, including AC Milan, Inter Miami, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

It’s certainly kept my household connected to soccer, even though Ireland no longer even qualifies for the World Cup, and my English husband sings on repeat, “IT’S COMING HOME,” every four years, when the reality is it hasn’t come home since 1966. I guess I’ll always have the Kop.

 *For more on Golazo, check out the full white paper from our Audience Impact and Intelligence team HERE.