Axicom reveals decisive shift toward home-based watch parties for sports events

Govee needed robust, data-driven evidence to investigate the scale of the at-home viewing trend ahead of the 2026 World Cup. With stadium ticket prices rising and consumer spending under pressure, Govee wanted to understand whether American fans were genuinely choosing home over live attendance, and whether they were investing in technology to enhance that experience.

Focaldata deployed its research platform to run a nationally representative survey across the United States.

• Sample: 2,000 U.S. adults, including over 1,000 self-identified World Cup football fans
• Methodology: Weighted by age, gender, and region to ensure national representation.
• Fieldwork: Completion within 48 hours‍
• Focaldata's flexible platform allowed Govee to focus on key insight areas including: At-home vs. live viewing preferences, the impact of rising costs on live event attendance, technology investment intentions, and first-time World Cup viewing behaviour

The research produced three compelling consumer insights in particular:

• More than half of U.S. adults (56%) plan to watch at least one World Cup match
• 68% of World Cup fans prefer watching in a private home setting, either their own home or the home of family and friends.
• Rising ticket, travel, food, and parking costs are shaping how fans approach live sports, with 75% of Americans saying those costs have made attending live sporting events less appealing.

These insights directly informed Govee's ‘Unstoppable Fun’ campaign, including a high-profile partnership with legendary U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard and a live TikTok Stream Battle activation launching June 12, designed to bring the match-day atmosphere into living rooms across America.

📩 If you're interested in learning more about the project, please contact anna@focaldata.com