Comment: Football fever hits property portals as goals cause Rightmove traffic to dip

There’s nothing like the World Cup for getting sociable people hosting fabulous gatherings, those not normally into sport shouting loudly at the telly and shirtless men brawling in the street.

Rightmove traffic during Englad vs Panama, Sunday, June 24 - Credit: Archant

The latter happened near my house after England thrashed Panama 6-1, with some footy fans seeing the victory as an ideal opportunity to down loads of beer before beating each other up.

And that’s not all: turns out the game was so gripping that househunters stopped browsing property portals to take in the many goals. Rightmove reported a dip in traffic at the exact minute each goal was scored, with wannabe movers briefly ditching the second screen to make the most of the moment(s).

Rightmove’s Commercial Director Miles Shipside said that our “obsession with property and the rise of dual-screening on mobile and tablets” can clearly be seen on the portal whenever there’s a significant sporting or national event.

He noted that similar traffic patterns have been seen during other high profile TV offerings, such as Andy Murray winning Wimbledon and the guests arriving for the recent royal wedding.

Househunting football fans weren’t celebrating for long after England’s second victory however – Miles reports that traffic returned to usual Sunday patterns soon after the full time whistle was blown. Better that than stepping out for a bout of fisticuffs – though who knows, they could have done that too.

As someone who’s apathetic about most forms of sport but addicted to scrolling the likes of Rightmove, there have been no such dips in my web browsing. The crowds at the pub down the road alerted me to every goal and I was able to continue about my business without any interruptions. Everyone really was a winner.