A new report from Vividata, Next-Gen Fans, looks into the key demographics, behaviourial and psychographic characteristics of Canadian adult fans of the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League), along with the differences between PWHL and NHL fans. The report is based on Vividata’s SCC Sports Database, Spring 2024.

Nearly four million (3.7 million) Canadian adults are PWHL Fans and follow at least half of the regular or playoff games. PWHL fans tend to be younger; about 30% are under 35 years old with a higher proportion of women (46%) fans compared to the NHL (44%). Canadians working in professional positions are 10% more likely to be PWHL fans than NHL fans.

According to the report, 43% (13.9 million) of Canadian adults say they are hockey fans, with the NHL the most popular league (12.8 million). At 3.7 million, after its first season the PWHL has attracted a fanbase similar in size to long-standing leagues such as the CHL (4.0M) and AHL (2.4M). Fan engagement with the league varies across the country. The strongest PWHL fanbase is found in the Atlantic provinces (15%), followed by the Prairies (15%), Ontario (15%), British Columbia (15%), and Quebec (8%).

The four fan audiences explored in the report include Hockey Fans, those who follow any hockey league; League Fans who follow a specific league; Team Fans who follow a favourite team; and Player Fans who are PWHL Team Fans who have a favourite player. Looking at the study respondents, 69% say they are NHL-Only fans while 23% are Cross-Over fans, regularly following both the NHL and PWHL.  Only 4% are PWHL-Only fans.

Young hockey fans are increasingly tuning into the PWHL and account for nearly 40% of PWHL-Only fans being under 35, compared to 23% of NHL-Only fans. Cross-Over fans also skew younger. The PWHL attracts younger males and females at higher rates than the NHL, while the NHL is more popular amongst middle-aged males and older females.

The PWHL attracts a diverse range of fans. Canadians following the PWHL are more likely to identify as belonging to a racialized group, while the majority (80%) of NHL-Only fans identify as white compared to 71% of PWHL-Only fans and 73% of Cross-Over fans. Cross-Over fans are more likely to be South Asian (8%) and Chinese (6%), while the top ethnic backgrounds for the PWHL-Only audience are Black (8%), Indigenous (5%), and Latin (5%). PWHL-Only and Cross-Over fans are also more likely to have been born outside of Canada when compared to NHL-Only fans.

Since followers of the PWHL tend be skew younger, it’s no surprise that they tend to watch live sports on digital platforms. That said, both younger and older PWHL-Only and Cross-Over fans are more likely to stream live events online, on social media, in app, or using an audio stream. While NHL Only-and Cross-Over fans might watch sports through a cable or TV package, those who watch the PWHL are more likely to be watching TV in a public place.

PWHL fans are an excellent audience for marketers. Compared to NHL-Only fans, PWHL fans, both PWHL-Only and Cross-Over, pay more attention to ads, sponsorships and endorsements. A majority of PWHL-Only (64%) and Cross-Over fans (66%) say they are more likely to notice and respond to sponsorships when engaging with sports-related content. This is most apparent in males and those under 35. When asked where they noticed branded content while consuming sports-related content, this audience say they are more likely to notice branded content on social media, in newspapers, on billboards, radio and on sports websites.

While Cross-Over fans are most likely to notice ads, PWHL-Only fans are more likely to respond to ads and sponsorship. They report they positively respond to content they encounter though their favourite teams, athletes or leagues by way of reported interest or behaviours like trying new products – 55% PWHL-Only and 51% of Cross-Over fans.

Preferred social media platforms varies by audience. Cross-Over fans have the highest proportions of audience who follow a professional player, team or sports promoter on social media. They typically use Facebook (48%), Reddit (39%), TikTok (30%) and Twitter/X (29%). PWHL-Only fans can be found on sports-related content on Instagram (24%) and BeReal (15%).

A majority (77%) of PWHL fans actively follow a player, team or league with Toronto (47%) and Montreal (26%) being the most popular teams. On the other hand, American teams are not well-liked by Canadian fans: Boston (8%), New York (6%) and Minnesota (1%).