4 Essentials For Pubs New To Showing Live Sport

Experience Is Everything

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It would be easy to assume that sports pubs and bars are primarily battling to win customers who don’t have the option to watch a game at home.

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In fact the opposite is true - having a live sports subscription at home is actually an indicator that someone is more likely to watch sport in a pub or bar.

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A 2023 survey of FANZO users showed that 87% fans with a paid TV subscription at home have visited a pub “regularly” in the past 3 months to watch sport, compared to just 79% fans without one.

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What they’re really looking for are things the sofa can’t offer: atmosphere, social connection, great food and drink, and the energy of a crowd.

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So ask yourself this - how can I make the viewing experience better than at home?

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How to get it right:

• Position your biggest screens where most people can see them, and use smaller screens to cover blind spots.
• If you’ve got space, think about zoning your venue - so groups don’t have to fight for a view or sport isn’t playing whilst diners are trying to relax.
• Where possible, keep the commentary on - it’s a massive part of the atmosphere.
• Consider table service during big games to keep pints flowing and queues down.

Communicate What’s On

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If people can’t see that you’re showing the game, they’ll go elsewhere. Simple.

And with 80% of fans checking a pub’s website before choosing to watch sport there for the first time, visibility online for sport is everything. 

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Chucking a chalkboard on the pavement outside just doesn’t cut it any more.

How to get it right:

• Post the fixtures you’re going to show on your social channels and your website.
• Even better, let FANZO do the heavy lifting by automating your fixture listings and pushing your venue to the top of local Google searches.

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Make Booking For Sport Easy

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The biggest barrier to customers going out? Uncertainty. Nobody wants to spend 90 minutes craning around a pillar or standing at the back.

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Here’s the kicker: only 23% of customers book ahead — but they account for 56% of total sales.

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These are your super customers who stick around longer and put more cash through the till - why wouldn’t you try to get more of them?

How to get it right:

• Use an online booking provider to make it easy for customers who don’t love picking up the phone (FANZO offers this specifically for live sport).
• If digital isn’t for you yet, make it crystal clear that customers can book over the phone for big games.
• Promote bookings early for the biggest fixtures to secure repeat visits and generate FOMO amongst customers.

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Educate Staff On Sport

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Your team are your frontline marketers. Every chat at the bar is a chance to promote upcoming fixtures and get fans to commit to their next visit.

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Think about it: you’d expect a mixologist to know the cocktail menu, or a waiter to know the specials. Same logic applies here.

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How to get it right:

• Keep fixture listings visible behind the bar and in staff areas.
• Brief your team before the weekend so they know which games to promote.
• Challenge staff to upsell — whether it’s pre-bookings for the next Champions League night or drinks offers around the rugby, the more they know, the better their chances of converting.

Final Word

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Whether you’re just starting out with live sport or you’ve been showing it for years, these four essentials are the foundation.

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Get them right, and you’ll build the kind of atmosphere that keeps fans coming back match after match.