England Netball sees digital channels grow during the World Cup

Source: England Netball

Global sports and entertainment company IMG  reported during the Netball World Cup 2023, the sports body England Netball saw 10% follower growth across its social media channels.

The engagement boost was largely driven by TikTok and Instagram, according to a report published by IMG in partnership with England Netball.

Incorporating data from England Netball’s social media channels and Engage website, the report explores the role of the Vitality Roses’ on-court performance, players’ personal platforms, and earned news coverage during the tournament, in generating deeper fan engagement and commercial growth for the sport.

England Netball’s TikTok channel which launched in July, saw its followers overtake its number of YouTube subscribers at 19,6k. In addition, England Netball became the most followed national netball team on Instagram by the end of the tournament.

The tournament which finished on 14 August 2023 saw Australia take the win, beating the England team in the final.

The report further revealed during the competition, England Netball generated a total earned media value of £74.8M through news coverage and social media traction. Visits to the netball organisation’s website were 269% higher during the World Cup reaching a peak of 41K visits. Searches for ‘England Netball’ also increased by 492% from January, with a 32% increase of daily visitors to the website.

Fran Connolly, chief executive of England Netball said: “The Vitality Roses inspired the nation with their on-court heroics in the summer and it’s a testament to the team that netball enjoyed such an incredible moment and record levels of visibility. As a result, more people than ever engaged and took notice of our sport and we are working really hard to capitalise on this success to move the dial, to improve opportunities for people to get on court and to take our sport to new heights.”

IMG’s Senior VP & MD of digital, Lewis Wiltshire added, “This has been a bumper summer of women’s sport. We’ve seen first-hand how the success of the England Roses and Lionesses on the world stage can be a catalyst for the growth of women’s sport in more ways than one. This report shows how organisations like England Netball can translate that success on court to sustainable commercial growth, channelling the power of fan engagement through its digital channels.”