During this month's World Cup, new technologies will give soccer fans greater access to the event and offer businesses new ways to capture a share of their wallets.
Retailers and bars have traditionally been beneficiaries of World Cup spending in Canada. Now technology is opening doors to new players such as Rogers Communications Inc., which believes fans will pay to download flags and anthems on their cellphones.
“It's big for us,” said John Boynton, chief marketing officer at Rogers' wireless business. “This is the linchpin concept [for wireless] of our spring/summer campaign.”
It may be called the poor man's game, but there are plenty of ways for Canadian companies to make money, even a continent away and with no team in the World Cup. It's a tournament that Canadians increasingly follow, with one expert even predicting a slight drop in productivity as fans are glued to TV screens instead of their desks.
Rogers has made a big bet on the month-long event that kicks off on Friday. The communications conglomerate has licensed World Cup rights in Canada for its TV, Internet and wireless platforms.
Mr. Boynton wouldn't disclose how much Rogers is spending on the broadcast rights, but made it clear the investment should pay off by attracting new subscribers and convincing existing customers to buy new soccer-related services.
Rogers is tapping into a growing consumer trend, he said. Clients can tune into the World Cup day and night, thanks to new technologies it has deployed in recent years.
Rogers' digital cable clients, for example, can watch games for up to 24 hours after they air using a free on-demand service. If they can't wait until they get home, Rogers' Internet subscribers can watch free highlights on the Web. And for those on the go, Rogers is selling $20 packs of video clips for cellphones, featuring goals and penalties.
“If you want to see a video clip, you should be able to see it wherever you are” including at work, Mr. Boynton said.
Nike Canada is also using new technology to market its soccer gear during the World Cup. In certain malls in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, shoppers can send text messages on their cellphones to play one of several Nike soccer videos on an overhead screen.
Of course, the World Cup isn't nearly as big in Canada as it is in other countries. The event won't have a “broad” impact on the Canadian economy, said David Watt, senior economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. But the games will “certainly” affect some areas of consumer spending, Mr. Watt said.
The event may also prove a distraction for workers, he added. “It might just give us a little bit of a downward blip on productivity for the month.”
Soccer is attracting more interest in Canada in recent years. Immigrants from soccer-loving nations, along with more games on TV, are helping to usher the sport into the mainstream here, said Kaan Yigit, president of consulting firm Solutions Research Group. That's an encouraging trend for businesses hoping to cash in on World Cup fever.
Adidas AG, a top sporting goods firm, expects revenue at its soccer business in Canada will jump almost 50 per cent this year, according to adidas Canada president Jim Gabel. A big part of that increase is from World Cup-related gear.
But it's not just a one-off deal, Mr. Gabel added. “What we found is in the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 Euro Cup, we don't have a big drop the next year because that brings more people into the sport,” he explained. “Soccer lifestyle apparel becomes more popular in the years following the World Cup.”
Bars and restaurants also expect to get a boost. Despite the new twists on World Cup viewing, they believe plenty of fans will still want to watch the games the old-fashioned way: in large groups.
Cafe Diplomatico in Toronto's Little Italy is buying 10 extra TV sets to show the games. The restaurant expects its sales during the month will rise by up to 20 per cent because morning and afternoon games will attract customers during typically slower times.
“This place just gets crazy when the games are on,” said Rocco Mastrangelo Jr., co-owner of the family-run restaurant.
