New data from Vianet and MatchPint, the online sports pub finder, revealed that consumer interest in the match finale sky- rocketed, with pubs reaping the rewards.
Across the whole day, the average sports pub poured 467 pints – a 15% increase compared with the previous Saturday, according to the Vianet data.
In terms of category performance, the best-selling brand by total volume at pubs showing the final match was Carling, with the highest rate of sale tap Estrella Damm.
Search data from across the MatchPint platforms showed there were a total of 160,000 searches for the three test matches across the series, with the final game proving the most popular. The sample comprised more than 700 sport pubs that promoted the match on the MatchPint platform.
Mark Fewster, product manager at Vianet, said: “Our insight over the past three weeks proves that pubs opening early to show the Lions matches certainly benefited from a significant uplift in beer sales.
“The series decider undoubtedly encouraged more fans to head to the pub, with our data showing huge volumes at certain sites. Some operators may have questioned the value of early trading but our data proves those that did so, and delivered a great customer experience, reaped the rewards of repeat visits and increased revenue."
Robert Stewart, head of operations at MatchPint, said: “After the previous Saturday’s thrilling victory it’s not surprising that interest in the series finale rocketed. The total number of searches for this match made it the fourth most searched-for sporting event of the year, just behind three major pay-per-view boxing fights.
“Once again this demonstrates how pubs that properly promote live sport can boost their business. Seven in 10 searches also came via mobile devices, meaning it’s more important than ever that operators have a fully-optimised website to promote their offer.”