New study reveals the lengths the nation will go to catch their favorite sport, from skipping weddings to watching during work meetings

• Top 10 unconventional places Brits watch sport on the sly revealed 
• 38% have secretly streamed sporting events at work, while one in 10 have snuck away from a wedding to watch a final 
• Half of Brits admit to sneaking off to the loo during social events to check scores, highlighting the nation’s dedication to never missing a game 
• More than a third (36%) have used all their mobile phone data to stream sports 
• New study from Sky Mobile comes as the Premier League kicks off and all Sky Mobile customers can cheekily stream Sky apps, including Sky Sports, without draining their data

As the Premier League kicks off, new research has revealed the extraordinary lengths Brits will go to not miss their favourite sporting events, with many resorting to cheekily streaming games in unexpected places. 

At work (38%), family events (30%) and as passengers during car journeys (25%) have topped the list of a Sky Mobile survey of 2,000 UK adults as the most common occasions people have slipped away to catch a glimpse of sporting action. 

Even more surprising, half of us (51%) even admitted to sneaking off to the loo during social events to check scores, showcasing the depths of the nation’s sporting obsession. 

Shockingly, a third of workers confess to being caught watching sports events at work, with 20% watching between 3-5 hours a week on the company clock. And 30% have admitted to cancelling meetings and missing important deadlines to catch their favourite sport.  

The top 10 unconventional places Brits watch sports from Sky Mobile:

1. At work (38%) 

2. During a family event (30%) 

3. In the car (25%) 

4. In the toilet (21%) 

5. In a hospital waiting room (17%) 

6. During a friend’s birthday party (15%) 

7. During a meeting (9%) 

8. At a wedding ceremony (8%) 

9. During Christmas dinner (8%) 

10. In the garden shed (8%)

Ahead of the start of the season, half (49%) of sports-obsessed people confess that they’ve tried to cancel summer plans to watch sports events live, with one in 10 prepared to miss a friend’s wedding or a meeting at their child’s school to watch a big game. Further to this, faking an illness (30%) and working late (19%) have topped the list of excuses, with 13% claiming a family emergency.

Brits have admitted to some extreme tactics to avoid spoiling important game results before they have a chance to catch up, from avoiding social media (45%) to staying off the internet entirely (36%), and even leaving group chats (12%). 

These measures aren’t surprising as research shows how devoted we are to our favourite sports. In just six months fans have watched almost a billion hours of sports on Sky* (936M hours).

Amber Pine, Managing Director of Sky Connectivity, said: "We’re a nation of sport lovers and many Brits are streaming sports on the go as our research shows major football matches drive a 13% spike in mobile data usage*, which is why at Sky Mobile we don’t want fans to miss a moment, and customers can stream all Sky apps including Sky Sports and Sky Go without using their data" 

Revealing the extent of the problem, more than a third (36%) say they have run out of data when trying to stream sports, but sport-obsessed Brits can breathe easy as all Sky Mobile customers can stream Sky apps, including Sky Sports, Sky Go, Sky News and more without dipping into their data.  

As the football season begins, fans will have even more sport to stream as Sky Sports+ gives access to 50% more live sports via live streams, the mobile app and a dedicated new channel, all at no extra cost. The new launch offers more coverage than ever before from the EFL, both tennis Tours and men’s Super League, all which Sky Mobile customers can stream via the Sky Sports app.

Notes to Editors:

*Data from Sky’s Attention Index Report (January – June 2024), conducted with Public First polling of a representative sample of over 3,000 individuals representing every region in the UK.  

Public First is a member of the Market Research Society. The full tables for all the data used in this report are available to download from Public First’s website.

Sky Mobile network benefits at a glance:  

• 99% network coverage  
• Roll – roll your spare data into your Sky Piggybank for use when you need it  
• Piggybank – share spare data in your Sky Piggybank with up to seven SIMs on your account or exchange it for rewards  
• Watch – enjoy hours and hours of streaming on Sky apps such as Sky Go, Sky Sports and more, without using your data allowance  
• Mix – Change your data plan whenever you like to suit your needs  
• Swap – swap to a new phone or tablet whenever you want, before your contract ends  
• Text to Switch – simply text PAC to 65075 to get your switching code. We’ll take care of the rest

About Sky

Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies and is part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments and experiences that matter. At Sky we Believe in Better. It’s in our DNA.  

We’re famous for innovation. We offer the world’s smartest TV, Sky Glass; our plug and play streaming puck, Sky Stream; the best aggregation platform, Sky Q: the best aggregation platform, Sky Q; and streaming services NOW and WOW. We provide connectivity you can count on in mobile, fast, secure, reliable residential and business broadband, as well as smart home protection through Sky Protect.   

We’re Europe’s premium content producer. We create award-winning original content, produce the biggest live sporting events, and we provide free access to news and the arts. Our new state-of-the-art film and TV studio Sky Studios Elstree is projected to attract £3 billion of new production investment to the UK in its first five years and create up to 2,000 jobs.  

We are a diverse and inclusive employer that has a positive impact on society and the communities that we work and live in. Sky plays a major role in the UK’s cultural economy and, in 2022 alone, supported a contribution of £20 billion to UK GDP, broadcast 70,000 hours of elite sports coverage and invested over £130 million to provide news to consumers free of charge.