Football is considered the most popular sport in the world, with around 3.5 billion fans worldwide. Few events captivate the European audience as much as the UEFA European Championship (EC).
The 2024 tournament, which began on June 14 and lasted until July 14, once again featured the continent’s best national teams. But how will these matches impact internet traffic in the countries with national teams participating in the tournament, with millions of eyes glued to the football for an entire month?
Senior Data Editor at Cloudflare.
Internet traffic trends during the European Championship
Cloudflare’s comprehensive view of internet activity gives them a unique view of traffic trends during major events – and the current football tournament is no exception. With fans in every country glued to a different type of screen, it’s no surprise that internet usage trended downward during matches. In fact, on average, internet activity dropped by 6% across all participating countries during matches.
Internet traffic and HTTP requests are typically affected by major events, such as the Super Bowl, solar eclipses, and elections. Football games, however, have a unique impact. When star teams or national teams are playing, the attention they attract can significantly alter Internet usage patterns. For example, if a game is broadcast on national TV, traffic typically drops because people are watching the game on their televisions—a trend that is especially evident when the broadcast is free.
Today’s streaming services add a whole new layer to these intriguing traffic trends. The advent of high-speed internet and the proliferation of smart devices have made it easier than ever for fans to stream live matches from anywhere. For example, England’s opening match against Serbia on 16 June was watched by 15 million people on the BBC One broadcast, with a further 3.5 million streams on BBC iPlayer – highlighting a shift towards digital viewing, even where no subscription is required.
To better understand the broader trend, you only need to look at how internet traffic shifted in individual countries during their national team matches. Several countries experienced significant drops in internet traffic during matches where their national team was playing.
Western Europe and neighbouring countries saw the biggest drops in internet traffic during their own matches, with countries including the Netherlands, Turkey, Belgium, Croatia, Slovakia, Serbia and host nation Germany seeing drops of at least 12% compared to the previous week.
Meanwhile, England and Scotland experienced similar declines in traffic of 8% and 6% respectively. This data highlights the significant and widespread impact of the Euros on regional internet usage.
While the popularity of football in these countries has a notable impact on this trend, these variations can also be attributed to factors such as the availability and accessibility of broadcasts and the level of national involvement in the tournament. For example, in countries where football is an important part of the national culture, such as Germany and the Netherlands, the impact of games on internet traffic is more pronounced.
Conversely, countries such as Albania, Romania, Poland, Ukraine and Slovenia saw an increase in HTTP requests during matches. In some cases, this could indicate a greater reliance on online streaming rather than traditional TV broadcasts, or possibly higher engagement with digital platforms that offer real-time updates and interactions.
Analysis of country-specific HTTP data around match times shows a spike in social media usage during half-time and immediately before and after matches. Unsurprisingly, traffic to websites in categories such as AI chatbots, e-commerce (with some exceptions during half-time), business and financial services, and productivity tools all see a decline during Euro 2024 matches.
Day One Impact: Germany-Scotland
With so much tension and excitement leading up to the first kick-off, it will be interesting to see how the internet reacted in home country Germany on the first day of the competition.
At the start of the ceremony, online traffic was down 11%, and when the first match between Germany and Scotland officially began, it jumped to 12%. At half-time, traffic briefly recovered to 4% below the previous week’s level, but dropped back to 11% below the level in the second half.
But the downward trend didn’t stop with the end of the match. By 02:00 local time, requests had dropped by a significant 19% compared to the previous week, marking a night of celebration for German fans.
But while online traffic may decrease during the Games, the dangers posed by the World Wide Web remain just as great.
On the way to the final
Fast forward to the most recent matches of the tournament: the semi-finals. Both finalists, England and Spain, experienced the most significant drops in traffic as their matches drew to a close, with reductions of 11% and 19% respectively. France and the Netherlands, on the other hand, saw a notable 27% drop, mainly in the first half.
During the Spanish team’s Euro campaign, internet traffic in Spain dropped most significantly during matches against big teams and former champions such as Italy (the reigning champions), Germany and France. In comparison, England’s performance had crucial moments towards the end of their matches, when internet traffic in the UK dropped the most – particularly during the knockout rounds and after Scotland’s elimination from the tournament.
Concerns about cyber security
With millions of fans tuning in, high-profile events like this year’s tournament also create the perfect opportunity for criminals to ramp up cyber threats. In fact, there have been multiple cyber attacks in Germany during the Euros.
The most prominent type of activity is Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, which target multiple targets. These incidents aim to overwhelm a target with a flood of Internet traffic, making it inaccessible to legitimate users. Such an event can disrupt services, cause financial losses, and damage reputations.
During the European Championships, such events are a popular target for cybercriminals due to the increased internet traffic and public attention. They want to exploit the situation for various purposes, such as political statements, financial gain or simply to cause as much unrest as possible.
During the European Championships, such events are a popular target for cybercriminals due to the increased internet traffic and public attention. They want to exploit the situation for various purposes, such as political statements, financial gain or simply to cause as much unrest as possible.
These attacks highlight both the vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure during major events and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect against such threats – not just during peak times and cultural events, but at all times.
Football holds a special place in the heart of Europe. So much so that it has caused notable shifts in internet traffic this year as fans flock to watch their national teams compete in the European Championships.
Despite the rise of online services such as live score apps, sports news websites with minute-by-minute updates and improved betting platforms with visual aids and statistics, people’s attention is still diverted from the internet when a match is on.
Ultimately, the 2024 European Championship has not only captivated audiences, but has also significantly changed internet traffic patterns across the continent, creating a fascinating intersection between sport and digital behaviour.
And as digital viewing continues to increase, future tournaments could see even greater shifts in internet usage.
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