ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE VIEWERSHIP AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON LOCAL LEAGUE ATTENDANCE: A SURVEY OF PORT HARCOURT RESIDENTS

Abstract

This study examines Port Harcourt city viewership of the English Premier Leagueand its implications on the local league attendance in Nigeria. The objectives were to: identify thepercentage of those who prefer to watch the English Premier League compared to those who watchthe Nigeria Premier League; find out if they derive certain benefits by watching the EPL; ascertainthe implications of the EPL on viewership of local league football. The selective exposure theorywas selected for this work. The Survey research method was adopted for this investigation whilethe population of the study was 3,793780. The survey method was employed, with 400questionnaires distributed and 380 successfully filled retrieved from the respondents. Theweighted mean score and simple percentage were used for data presentation. Based on theobjectives, this paper was able to establish that: Port Harcourt city residents prefer the EPL to theNPL; Nigerians derive certain benefits by watching the EPL; the EPL has an effect on the matchattendance of the local league matches. Based on the findings, the following recommendationsamong others were suggested: There should be incentives for media broadcasters willing totransmit local league matches live.