RedTorch has released the latest edition of its annual SportOnSocial report, which examines the social media performance of 43 international federations. And there's a change! Volleyball World, World Athletics, and FIBA made up the top three, in that order, in 2023. Only the International Athletics Federation remains in the top three in 2024. Better still, the body chaired by Sebastian Coe is now number one. Under the spotlight with the Paris Games, World Aquatics ranks second, while the International Cricket Council climbs eight places to complete the top three. This is one of the many takeaways from this report.
Canoeing, World Skate and cricket pick up the pace
The report uses data such as subscriber count, follower growth rate, engagement rate, and video views to compile this ranking. It's clear that World Athletics has made the most of the Paris 2024 Games: it ranks first on Facebook and Instagram, second on X, fifth on YouTube, and ninth on TikTok. “We knew the world would be focused on athletics and we had to be ready to deliver the most complete experience for our fans., explains Laura Arcoleo, digital manager at World Athletics. We know what athletics fans want because we're fans ourselves. By preparing detailed plans well in advance, we can create the most engaging and captivating content for our audience."
The report notes significant gains for the International Canoe Federation (+12 places, 23rd), World Skate (+9 places, 31st), the International Shooting Sport Federation (+9 places, 32nd), and World Triathlon (+7 places, 30th). The International Equestrian Federation (12th), the International Judo Federation (16th), and the International Dance Federation (24th) also climbed five places each. Even without the spotlight of the Games, the International Ski Federation (FIS) and Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) recorded the biggest increases in performance on YouTube (+10 places for FIS, +8 for IIHF). The International Badminton Federation also made a spectacular breakthrough on TikTok (up 34 places), where it now ranks second, behind FIFA.
- Top 5 on Facebook: World Athletics; World Aquatics; International Gymnastics Federation; World Rugby; FIFA.
- Top 5 on Instagram: World Athletics; World Aquatics; International Gymnastics Federation; United World Wrestling; FIBA
- Top 5 on X: FIBA; World Athletics; Volleyball World; International Cricket Council; World Aquatics
- Top 5 on YouTube: International Canoe Federation; International Cricket Council; Volleyball World; FIFA; World Athletics
- Top 5 on TikTok: FIFA; Badminton World Federation; International Cricket Council; United World Wrestling; World Rugby
Instagram, the platform to use first?
Although the number of fans is greater on Facebook (181 million followers, 15 more than in 2023), Instagram appears to be the most powerful platform for international federations. This is particularly evident in engagement, a key criterion since it defines an engaged fan community, which interacts and brings to life the content shared on social networks. Instagram accounted for 76% of IF engagement in 2024. This is an overwhelming trend for several years: IF engagement relied on Instagram at 75% in 2019, 73% in 2020, 76% in 2021, 60% in 2022 and 71% in 2023. This underlines the importance of visual storytelling – and Instagram – in maintaining and growing an engaged community. 34 of the 37 federations involved in the Paris 2024 Games saw their engagement increase compared to Tokyo 2020, with an average of 2,8 times more engagement than in 2021. The International Gymnastics Federation (2nd IF on Instagram, +8 places), World Archery (11th, +9 places) and the International Equestrian Federation (15th, +13) were particularly successful in standing out.
The report, however, identifies some levers that are still under-exploited, notably post-event storytelling, which only represents 19% of publications despite an average of 131.000 engagements per post. “Emotion-driven recaps, behind-the-scenes moments, and athlete reactions can extend engagement beyond the event.”, note the authors. The contents behind the scenes, showing what happens behind the scenes, have the highest engagement rate (427.000 per post), but only represent 6% of total posts. “There is a clear opportunity to produce more of this type of content. Fans show a strong preference for authenticity and intimate glimpses into athletes’ lives. By offering exclusive, unscripted glimpses into the athletes’ world, IFs can build fan loyalty and differentiate themselves from standard competition-day coverage.” Content featuring female athletes is also underutilized: it represents 43% of posts, but generates 53% of total engagement, demonstrating the public's interest in these figures. Now it's up to the federations to act!
