BBC Sport, with 81% of the vote, was the preferred channel for UK sports fans to find out about upcoming sports events, followed by Sky Sports and Google search, revealed sports insight agency Goodform.

While BBC Sport came top, rounding out the other six most popular platforms on the list were newspapers, BT Sport and social media, respectively.

The research also found that 73% of sports fans preferred to engage with their favorite sports live on TV and 34% voted for British & Irish Lions rugby union tour of New Zealand in June/July as the most 'looked forward to' sports event in the UK.

Whereas, Wimbledon (tennis) received 100% vote to remain tennis fan's favorite tournament and The Open (golf) the most popular among golf fans with 98% of the vote, followed by the Ryder Cup.

Goodform's survey to find out the most captivating sport was conducted using its Sports Fan Panel, a database of more than 32,000 sports enthusiasts.

Goodform head of research and insight, Alexandra Kyrke-Smith said: “The Lions stat is the headline figure, but the survey went much deeper. It’s also provided valuable information for event owners and rights holders in individual sports. We’ve been able to rank the main events in each sport in order of popularity – whether here or overseas.”

“It’s also drawn back the veil on attendance drivers, such as the main factors dictating ticket purchase and the distance people are prepared to travel to an event,” Kyrke-Smith continued. “These are clearly vital in planning the feasibility of an event, whether a tournament, multi-day championship or a one-off event.”