While the World Cup kicked off on the weekend, more Australians than ever followed the action from their mobiles.

Mobile Maradona

A new report from the IAB, 2014 World Cup: A Global Mobile Perspective, reveals that Australian soccer fans are among the most mobile-savvy.

The report quizzed sports fans from 11 markets including Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, UK and USA. It found 46 per cent of Australian football fans intend to use their phones to follow the Cup.

This is just below the global average of 48 per cent and is behind TV.

Close to a third of Australian respondents will be tracking the action using smartphones, tablets or desktops.

Couch potatoes

Interestingly, 42 per cent of Aussies will use their mobiles for game-related activities while watching the game on TV.

This is above the global dual-screen average of 35 per cent.

A further 17 per cent of Australians plan to follow World Cup games on their mobile while watching something else on TV, while 15 per cent intend to follow games on their mobile while listening to something else.

Social soccer sharers

Australians football fans are more likely to share World Cup content on Facebook (51 per cent vs 45 per cent globally).

Aussies also lead the pack when it comes to sharing via SMS and MMS (38 per cent  versus 27 per cent globally).

One point mobile marketers should note: while 36 per cent of Australians admit they click or interact with ads to get more information about a product/service at least once a week, this increases to 54 per cent for Australian football fanatics.

To find out more visit iab.net/worldcup. 

If you enjoyed this article then subscribe FREE to the twice weekly SMK Digital Bulletin, click here now or visit www.smk.net.au/subscribe.

Also, click here download a FREE SMK Insghts Program. This FREE programs features 131 must-know social stats covering Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. Keep on top of the latest social facts and figures relating to usage rates, demographics, spending trends, content performance and best practice benchmarks. A MUST for every marketer!