The wheel of digital revolution has set its foot on football as much as on other sports, if not more. Keeping football’s popularity in mind, it would be a surprise if the wave of sports modernisation passed it by. Digitalisation has changed football both on the pitch and from the viewers' point of view, and in this article, we focus more on the latter.
From Radio to Live Streams
Once, Portuguese fans, like many other football fans around the world, had the alternative of seeing the game live in the stands only through a radio broadcast. Later, TVs arrived, and with them came live coverage that was not as frequent, though you could expect to see only a select few games, usually during a major event, such as a World Cup.
Afterwards, satellite and cable TVs made football watching much more accessible, really. And with the recent advent of streaming platforms, it’s more accessible today. In combination with smartphones and mobile data, it’s possible to see a game from wherever we are.
Wide Shift Toward Mobile
Mobile viewing brought not only wider accessibility but also changed the way we watch the game. From strictly dedicated activity, many fans today view matches in parallel with doing something else. Either following another football game or sports event, working out, and so on.
Mobile viewing has brought an increased amount of individuality. While the matchday was once synonymous with socialising, mobile football viewing today is often a thing of personal leisure, whether it’s watching a favourite TV Show, listening to music, or playing some of the football-themed mobile slots at Casino Kings like Football Cash Collect or Lucky Score..
Many fans now opt for skim-watching the game too, and as a supplement, follow videos of the most critical moments, such as goals, promising goal attempts, or red card fouls, and controversial moments.
Mobile Even In The Stands
Portuguese fans still place a high value on live matches. But even when they’re at a stadium, a mobile device follows - becoming a sort of unavoidable companion. Fans use it to share moments with their family and friends, to check on social media, etc. Sometimes, they even stream live commentary through headphones to ensure they don’t miss any of the information they would have if they were watching from home.
Watching From Abroad
Another benefit of mobile watching is the ability to watch football from anywhere in the world. Portuguese football has a large following outside Portugal, so interest in streaming Portuguese club matches is high. This is where modern viewing really excels.
Even with the best covered traditional TV stations, one operator would rarely cover all the matches you would watch. However, with streaming services now available, football fans can find streaming of any match out there, really, whether by finding a free stream of it, purchasing a one-time ticket, or subscribing to a service.
Portugal has a large diaspora as well, with a significant percentage of people working and studying abroad, so as a football nation, many of them will also watch the home league games this way.
Conclusion
Portuguese football has always been quite popular, and that remains unchanged over time. Thanks to stars like CR7, Luis Figo, Rui Costa, and clubs like SL Benfica and FC Porto, Portugal's football continuously draws the attention of the global football fanbase. With mobile viewing nowadays, the audience seems to have never been bigger.
