The Sports Report: What The UK Watched

The big revenue driver UK pubs missed last month (and another you’ve still got time to nail).

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🤼 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻 𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁

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How does something you’ve likely not thought about since Limp Bizkit were top of the pops, simultaneously do big numbers in pubs yet fly under the radar?

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That was our first question upon spotting WWE’s Royal Rumble received the most pub searches of any event in Jan, whilst also being the biggest missed opportunity for venues by some stretch.

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As ever, our QHS Framework, a device for recognising sleeper hits in pubs, makes sense of it.

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✅ Quality - One of the WWE’s ‘Big Five’ must-watch events.

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✅ History - 39th edition, first outside of North America.

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✅ Scarcity - Just 11 venues advertising it in the UK3 ticks = overindex in pub searches

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Scarcity is the most powerful multiplier in the QHS equation - and supporters reach for FANZO whenever they’re unsure.

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A clash with Liverpool v Newcastle, plus confusion around bars showing Netflix live, no doubt contributed to those table-topping search numbers.

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So what?

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Searches for 2025 were equally high. Set a reminder for Jan 1st 2027 and ensure your venue is being found when an underserved fan audience inevitably starts looking.

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🏏 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁-𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄

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As we’ve noted before in this column, no single fixture drives pub searches on FANZO with such scale and reliability as India v Pakistan.

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But for the last week their T20 World Cup clash has been in doubt as regional tensions spiralled into a boycott.

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Having now 𝗎̶𝗇̶𝖽̶𝖾̶𝗋̶𝗌̶𝗍̶𝗈̶𝗈̶𝖽̶ ̶𝗍̶𝗁̶𝖾̶ ̶𝗐̶𝖺̶𝗅̶𝗅̶𝗈̶𝗉̶𝗂̶𝗇̶𝗀̶ ̶𝗀̶𝗋̶𝖾̶𝖺̶𝗍̶ ̶𝖿̶𝗂̶𝗇̶𝖺̶𝗇̶𝖼̶𝗂̶𝖺̶𝗅̶ ̶𝗂̶𝗆̶𝗉̶𝗅̶𝗂̶𝖼̶𝖺̶𝗍̶𝗂̶𝗈̶𝗇̶𝗌̶ agreed on “protecting the spirit of cricket” however, Sunday’s game will take place in neutral Sri Lanka, as planned.

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It should be a real relief for cricket’s bean counters and British publicans alike.

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With some relatively low stakes FA Cup action the only clash (with all due respect, Grimsby/Wolves fans), pubs could do worse than advertising a fixture that draws a global audience 5x the size of the Super Bowl.

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