FIFA World Cup™ Media Special III : Ultimate Survey from Philips and Yahoo! TM Reveals the True Passion of Football Fans During The FIFA World Cup™

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India , 2006-06-14

With the biggest sporting event on the planet just a month away from kick-off, the eyes of the world will soon focus on Germany, host nation for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. As an Official Partner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, Philips teamed up with Yahoo! to launch an Ultimate Football Fan Survey in order to gain more insight into how the world’s most passionate fans enjoy and celebrate the game. The results include more than 4,500 respondents from nine countries, including FIFA World Cup™ hopefuls such as Brazil, Germany and The Netherlands, all of whom provided their feelings and perspective on a variety of topics ranging from what they would give up for a ticket to the FIFA World Cup™ to which team will triumph as the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ champion.

The world has spoken: Looking into the mind of a true football fan

Fans from around the world will cheer on their favorite team and celebrate in a way that only a true football fan knows how; with dedicated passion for the game. So what makes a great football fan? According to the Philips’ Ultimate Football Fan Survey, 44% of respondents in Argentina and 41% of respondents in the U.K. said that a true football fan is someone who will support his or her favorite team even during a losing season. Other markets differ in their view of what makes a football fan a fanatic, including 23% of Brazilian respondents who will watch every game of the season and almost 24% of Italian respondents who said that they will paint their body in national colors to gear up for the matches.

The Philips Ultimate Football Fan Survey indicates that the FIFA World CupTM fever is in full swing and continuing to swell in anticipation of the action. The survey also probed into what fans would do for a ticket to the final, including selling their car or even giving up well-deserved vacation.

Adding to the fervor, an average of 15% of the global respondents claim to watch more than 31 hours of football a month, with 30% of the fans in Argentina responding that they think about the FIFA World CupTM “every waking moment” when not watching the games.

Football and technology: A true match both on and off the field

With many fans dreaming of attending this high-profile sporting event in person, the majority of sports enthusiasts watch from the comfort of the couch. An average of 89% of survey participants stated that they typically watch a football match at home versus an average of only 25% who will attend the games in person.

For the fans at home, Philips provides home entertainment products to ensure they are immersed in the game. More than 45% of respondents in Argentina, Brazil, the U.K. and Spain agree that a new FlatTV™ would create the perfect FIFA World CupTM home viewing experience, while 35% of fans in Mexico think that a DVD Recorder with Hard Disk would enhance the experience.

Providing a colorful element to the entertainment experience, Philips’ Ambilight™ FlatTVs are ideal for sports aficionados and design-discerning individuals alike. Philips’ Ambilight sets create a better perceived image and expand the viewing area to ensure fans catch all of the action on the field.

Although there is a certain thrill to attending the game in person, sports enthusiasts believe watching the FIFA World Cup™ at home certainly has its advantages. Fifty-seven percent of survey participants believe they are in a better position to make an important judgment call in front of their television versus a referee on the field.

Great FIFA World Cup™ moments: Past and future

While fans across the globe wait in anticipation of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, a true football fan will always remember those great moments of the game that make the FIFA World Cup™ the most exciting and dramatic international sporting event in the world. The great moments are more than a memory to many fans thanks to some of the technology that has changed the game of football. More than 50% of global survey respondents said that instant replay is the technology that has most influenced the game of football.

When asked which team will be the most feared in the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, nearly 70% of the survey respondents named Brazil, which was also named by more than half of the survey respondents as the clear favorite to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. The rest of the world will also have their eyes set on the Brazilian team with 64% of respondents outside of Brazil watching this exciting team during the FIFA World CupTM.

With Brazilian football star Ronaldinho, who was selected by nearly 62% of the global respondents as the best player in the world today, it’s no surprise that Brazil is the clear favorite to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup™.

According to the survey, an average of 46% of the global respondents believe that Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal in Mexico was the greatest FIFA World Cup™ moment, while 26% of the global respondents feel that Geoff Hurst’s hattrick was the best highlight in FIFA World Cup™ history.

Keeping up with the FIFA World Cup™ away from home

According to the Philips survey, nearly 70% of all respondents will follow their team’s progress on the Internet while away from the television; yet new technology allows fans to turn up their FIFA World Cup™ experience a notch further, even while at work or away from the computer.

With time zones and work schedules posing a problem for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ action, Philips DVD Recorders with Hard Disk enable sports enthusiasts around the world to control the game on their own terms, and never miss any of the action. The Philips DVD Recorder with Hard Disk is the ultimate game and memory preserver, enabling users to record the game directly onto a DVD or preserve it on the unit’s hard disk drive.

About Philips’ ultimate football fan survey, conducted by Yahoo!

This survey was commissioned by Philips and fielded to more than 4,500 respondents throughout Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, The U.K., Germany, Italy, France, Spain and The Netherlands via the Yahoo! global network. The survey focused on both male and female respondents over the age of 18 with at least one television in their home.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of EURO 30.4 billion in 2005. With activities in the three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technology and 159,200 employees in more than 60 countries, it has market leadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting and silicon system solutions. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Philips Electronics India Limited, a subsidiary of the Netherlands based Royal Philips Electronics is a leader in Lighting, Consumer Electronics, Medical Systems, Domestic Appliances & Personal Care, Semiconductors and Research. Philips has an unmatched range of internationally current products backed by superior design and technology and an excellent distribution and after-sales service network. Philips has been operating in India for 75 years and employs over 5,000 employees around the country.

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Contact

Ms. Gauri Ambardekar-Raje, Deputy Manager - Consumer & Market Intelligence and Media Relations, Philips Electronics India Limited, + 91 (022) 6691 2000 – Extn: 2276