An exploration of English Premier League YouTube highlights consumption: unexpected outcomes & Schadenfreude

Research Question: This paper develops a conceptual model for the consumption of post-match content in the English Premier League which adjusts for the differences between live and post-match content and incorporates the role of supporter preferences for certain match outcomes, with a particular focus on schadenfreude. 

Research Methods: Ordinary least squares regression techniques are used to examine whether the consumption of Premier League post-match content increases when the Big-Six teams fail to win. Observing more than 1,100 fixtures, over 3 seasons, we examine how match results influence the consumption of highlights videos uploaded by the official Sky Sports’ Premier League YouTube channel. 

Results and Findings: Findings indicate that there is a positive relationship between the points dropped by Big-Six teams and the consumption of highlights suggesting possible evidence of schadenfreude tendencies among fans. Additionally, fixtures where Big-Six teams drop points at home seem to stimulate post-match content consumption more than fixtures where Big-Six teams drop points at another teams′ stadia. 

Implications: We argue that these findings suggest that consumer utility is potentially greater when bigger teams lose. This is possibly due to consumer preferences for unexpected outcomes or the pleasure associated with watching a big rival lose.