Eyeballr have mapped global kick-off times against real TV viewing behaviour, and a significant chunk of matches sit in ‘dead-viewership windows’ for key football markets. Late nights, early mornings, and workday slots quietly erode the tournament’s true reach.

When a game falls into a dead slot, three things happen:

1. Reach drops, even for marquee games
2. Sponsor exposure becomes far more localised  
3. Rights value is increasingly driven by a handful of ‘prime’ fixtures

For broadcasters & brands that means the real leverage isn’t only in the rights fee or creative assets, it’s in the scheduling. That’s where the hidden value and the missed opportunities really are.