Serie BKT: 8.4 million fans and the challenge of economic sustainability

The BKT Series is an ecosystem that holds together territory, identity and youth development. But the decisive game is played off the field, on the terrain of economic governance, because without sustainability, even authenticity risks becoming a rhetorical value. This is, in short, the picture taken by the Nielsen Report 2025 on the Serie BKT, presented at the Social Football Summit in Turin.

According to Nielsen research, Serie BKT is perceived as authentic, linked to the territory and capable of transmitting positive values, as confirmed by the 120 thousand subscribers and 100 thousand average spectators per day in this first part of the season. In an era of globalisation and extreme branding, the B team therefore represents a cultural and sporting presidium that above all tells the story of the Italy of the provinces. The format with playoff and playout, the competitive balance - only eight points separate fifth from seventeenth in the standings - and the presence of numerous Italian players are elements that reinforce this identity.

There are 8.4 million Italians who follow the Italian Serie B with interest, representing 39% of all football fans, and of these 3.2 million declare themselves to be 'avid fans'. The Serie BKT fan is not an 'occasional' fan: 52% say they follow football constantly and up-to-date. They demand authenticity, investment in young people and attention to economic sustainability. Significantly, 83% want cost-cutting measures, while 57% of avid fans are aware of the financial risks to the system. Signs of a new sports culture, in which the result on the field is not the only yardstick. On the digital front, BKT shows signs of vitality: 8.2 million followers on social networks, 120 thousand subscribers and 100 thousand average spectators per day. Data that confirm a growing engagement, but which must be translated into stable revenues to ensure sustainability.

Not surprisingly, the president of the Lega Serie B, Paolo Bedin, emphasised that competitiveness and territorial identity are assets to be consolidated, but he also raised the alarm: 'Economic-financial sustainability is one of the most serious risks for the system today'. Words that were echoed in the considerations of vice-president Luigi De Laurentiis, who referred to the difficulty of building continuity in a championship with a high turnover. The theme is well known: without certain rules and cost control tools, the risk is that Serie B will lose its function as an incubator of talent and competitive balance.

One of the hallmarks of the Serie BKT, confirmed by the Nielsen Report 2025, is its function as a springboard for young Italian footballers. This is not just a matter of perception: the numbers tell of a league that continues to be the main reservoir for youth national teams and Serie A, with 23 players being called up to the Italian Under-19 teams during the last national team break.