08.11.2023

The Global Game – How exhibition games drive consumer interest

A new study from the Institute of Sports Science delves into the impact of overseas exhibition games, a strategic marketing tool frequently implemented by professional sports clubs in their endeavors to expand into foreign markets.

The project jointly conducted by Georgios Nalbantis and Tim Pawlowski, comprises two different investigations. Study 1 focuses on the effects of English Premier League (EPL) clubs' exhibition games in the US on the willingness to pay (WTP) for add-on football packages on television. This analysis exploits a panel of geocoded survey data. Study 2 shifts the spotlight to regional audience data for EPL games televised in the US in order to examine the impact of the same games on viewing figures.

Overall, the research reveals that exhibition games by EPL clubs have a positive impact on both the WTP for add-on football packages on television and viewership. These effects are predominantly driven by top brands engaging in overseas exhibition games. The findings further suggest that these effects diminish over time, while some spillover benefits on EPL-wide demand emerge.

For league management, the findings underscore the potential (economic) value of organizing overseas exhibition games. For broadcasters, however, our findings might suggest that they need to involve top brands in preseason tours to enhance their return on investment in their national markets. As such, the paper adds to the recently growing literature on internationalization efforts in professional sports and beyond by offering new insights for professionals in the sports and entertainment industry.

Nalbantis, G., & Pawlowski, T. (2023). The effects of overseas exhibition games on consumer interest: The case of the English Premier League. European Sport Management Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2023.2275609