Determinants of Demand for Televised Live Football: Features of the German National Football Team

This study analyzes all 216 broadcasts of the German national football team from January 1993 to June 2008 to identify which factors ensure the success of televised sport broadcasts. The results reveal that demand depends mostly on the type of match and its importance in a tournament context. Viewers prefer a national team with established star players and high-quality opponents. Factors unrelated to the sport, such as the kickoff time or weather, have some influence, but coaches and holidays are insignificant. Forecasts based on the proposed model can aid television broadcasters, sports rights agencies, advertisers, and media planners in determining the value of a particular broadcast.