The fifth SBC Summit Ukraine 2026 All-Ukrainian Sports Marketing Conference took place at Kyiv’s Parkovy Exhibition and Convention Center. Betting brand GGBET, the event’s premium sponsor, presented the panel discussion on Gen Z’s behavior and habits regarding watching sporting events, consuming content and spending on sports. Panelists discussed the transformation of sports content, the change in the audience’s habits, and new challenges in the fight for their attention.
The discussion was attended by GGBET UA CEO Sergii Mishchenko, Tribuna.com editor-in-chief Oleh Shcherbakov, Adidas Ukraine general director Ihor Marynych, and Head of Media at FC Polissya Oleksandr Fedoryshyn. Sports blogger Dmytro Povoroznyuk served as the moderator.
GGBET presented the results of a sports audience study conducted among FC Polissya fans, GGBET UA’s audience, subscribers of Tribuna.com and Sports Business Media, and Dmytro Povoroznyuk’s audience. A total of 937 individuals took part in the survey.
First off, the study refuted the widespread belief that zoomers in Ukraine almost never watch matches due to their short-form content consumption habits. The results showed that 54% of Gen Z members not only watch matches, but do so regularly, i.e., several times a week or more. In this regard, there’s almost no difference between them and millennials or Gen X.
In addition to that, zoomers are the most active consumers of short-form content. They have the greatest demand for a variety of content, particularly entertainment content.
During the discussion, GGBET UA CEO Sergii Mishchenko shared three principles for sharing content that the GGBET UA team put together after analyzing its own advertising campaigns. He stated that effective sports content today must adhere to three criteria: be exclusive, unique, and timely.
“As one of the top betting operators in Ukraine, GGBET UA produces and publishes a large volume of content. The only way to attract and retain an audience is to constantly be in their information bubble.
We present players as real-life people, just like the fans. We record quizzes, challenges, and Q&As with them, and basically give a behind-the-scenes look,” Sergii Mishchenko said.
Some of the interesting insights from the study include the following:
- Online is the primary way people interact with sports (94% of zoomers, 96% of millennials, and 94% of Gen X watch sports events online).
- Zoomers are the most social offline: 37% want to interact with players, and for 65%, a match is an opportunity to spend time with friends.
- Alternative broadcasts with streamers have the lowest demand among all generations compared to other types of content.
- While only 16% of all respondents go to the stadium, a significant proportion does so regularly.
- Only zoomers have subscriptions and content (33%) at the top of their sports-related spending.
The SBC Summit Ukraine 2026 conference brought together approximately 1,200 participants and over 60 speakers, including representatives of federations, brands, and media and sports organizations. The event served as a platform to discuss top trends in the sports industry, developing partnerships, communications, and interacting with the target audience. This wasn’t GGBET UA’s first time at the event. Last year, the brand organized a panel discussion entitled "Ukraine in esports: facts and fakes" at SBC Summit Ukraine 2025, which was the first professional dialog among esports industry experts in SBC Summit Ukraine’s history.
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