MAJOR SPORTING EVENT PLANNED VIEWERSHIP TRENDING UP IN 2026: 69% OF U.S. CONSUMERS PLAN TO WATCH SUPER BOWL LX, 58% OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES, 26% FIFA WORLD CUP, NUMERATOR REPORTS

Super Bowl Saturday Poised to Be Top Grocery Shopping Day of 2026; NFL Fandom Translates into Distinct Beer Buying Behaviors

CHICAGO, Feb. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Numerator, a consumer data and technology company, has released findings on consumer behavior related to major sporting events happening in 2026, including Super Bowl LX, the Winter Olympics, and the FIFA World Cup. The analysis leverages Numerator’s verified purchase data, as well as a Verified Voices sentiment survey of nearly 7,000 consumers. Survey results showed that intention to watch the Super Bowl is up from last year (69% plan to watch this year, +4 points vs. 2025), and that over half of consumers (58%) plan to watch the Winter Olympics. Just over one-quarter (26%) plan to watch the World Cup happening in summer 2026, and 14% do not plan to watch any of the three events.

2026 Sporting Event Survey Findings

• Super Bowl viewing is on the rise, but the Olympics also find popularity this year. 69% of U.S. consumers plan to watch Super Bowl LX (+4 points vs. 2025), while 58% plan to watch the Winter Olympics. Less popular among U.S. consumers is the FIFA World Cup, which 26% of consumers plan to watch, though planned viewership will likely rise before the World Cup begins in June. The FIFA World Cup is more popular among Gen Z & Millennials, while the intent to watch both the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl is higher among older generations.
• Streaming platforms beat out cable for the top way to watch events. 63% of Olympic viewers and 53% of Super Bowl LX watchers plan to tune into the events via streaming platforms, followed closely by cable services (50% Olympic viewers, 51% Super Bowl viewers). Consumers also plan to watch via social media platforms, which is more popular among Olympic watchers (23%) than Super Bowl watchers (14%).
• The Super Bowl is more of a collective viewing experience than the Olympics. Olympic viewers are more likely to tune in at home alone (77%) than Super Bowl viewers (45%). However, the Olympics are more than twice as likely to bring viewers to a bar, restaurant, or public space to watch (15% vs. 6%).
• The commercials edge out the game as the biggest draw for Super Bowl LX viewers. For the Super Bowl, viewers are excited about the commercials (62%), the game (61%), and the halftime show (52%). For the Olympics, viewers are excited to watch specific sports / events (74%), to watch the Opening and/or Closing Ceremonies (48%), and to root for specific teams / athletes (39%).
  • Winter Olympic viewers prefer figure skating by a wide margin. Olympic viewers rated figure skating as their favorite sport (67%), followed by snowboarding (27%). About one-quarter (24%) of viewers prefer speed skating, ski jumping, ice hockey, alpine skiing, or sliding events.
• More Super Bowl viewers are planning to make purchases, but their tastes are the same as Olympic watchers. 88% of Super Bowl viewers plan to purchase something for the game, with the top items being snacks/chips/dips (67%), alcoholic beverages (39%), and sweets/desserts (36%). 71% of Olympic viewers plan to make a purchase, with the top items being the same but in a different order: snacks/chips/dips (53%), sweets/desserts (30%), and alcoholic beverages (27%).
• Fewer than half of U.S. consumers plan to watch both Super Bowl LX and the Winter Olympics. 45% of U.S. consumers plan to watch both major sporting events. Among them, 51% express more excitement for the Super Bowl, while 32% say they are more excited for the Olympics. While 56% say the Winter Olympics feel like more of a cultural moment and 70% say the Winter Olympics have the better overall athletes, the Super Bowl wins in areas such as having more entertaining commercials (92%), being more exciting to watch live (71%), being more exciting to watch with others (80%), and having the better musical guests (Bad Bunny vs. Andrea Bocelli & Mariah Carey) (64%).

Purchase Data and Psychographics Findings

• Super Bowl Saturday was the biggest grocery shopping day in 2025. The Saturday before last year’s Super Bowl (2/8/2025) was the single highest day of grocery unit volume in 2025 and was the third-highest day of grocery dollar sales (behind Tuesday 12/23 and Saturday 12/20).

• NFL and Olympic fans may need to reassess their streaming subscriptions. Both Super Bowl LX and the 2026 Winter Olympics will be streamed on Peacock, but only 31% of NFL fans and 34% of Olympic fans are subscribed to the service. The current top streaming service for each fandom is Amazon Prime (64% of NFL fans and 69% of Olympic fans).
• New England Patriots fans and Seattle Seahawks fans differ on their most popular beer brands. While the top ten beer brands among the two fandoms are similar—eight of the top 10 brands appear on both lists—each highlights distinct preferences.
  • Top beers for Patriots fans are Miller, Coors, and Bud Light, and share is higher among these fans than it is among the general population. Samuel Adams and Heineken are unique brand favorites for this fandom, and fans spend 3.5x more of their beer dollars on Samuel Adams than the average U.S. beer buyer. Compared to all shoppers, Patriots fans also significantly over-index on Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada, Athletic Brewing Co., and Allagash.
  • Top beers for Seahawks fans are Coors, Michelob Ultra, and Miller, and while they over-index on Coors, they spend less of their beer dollars on the other two compared to the average U.S. beer buyer. Steel Reserve and Natural Light are unique to Seahawks fans, with Steel Reserve capturing 6.5x share versus average. Compared to all shoppers, Seahawks fans also significantly over-index on Elysian, Georgetown Brewing Company, Deschutes Brewery, and Rainier. Seattle fans generally are much more engaged with a variety of beers, particularly local brews.

Top Beer Brands by Household Penetration

New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks, Numerator Insights

% of Beer Spending in 2025

Numerator’s 2026 Sporting Events survey was fielded on 1/22/2026 to 6,971 consumers. 

About Numerator:

Numerator is a data and tech company bringing speed and scale to market research. Numerator blends first-party data from over 1 million U.S. households with advanced technology to provide 360-degree consumer understanding for the market research industry that has been slow to change. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has 5,400 employees worldwide; 80 of the top 100 CPG brands’ manufacturers are Numerator clients.

Bob Richter
Numerator
212-802-8588
press@numerator.com

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