Sky Broadband Reveals ‘The Forty-Seven %’ to Mark Historic Arrival of First Ever ‘Women’s Esports Final’

Sky Broadband reveals “The Forty-Seven %”, ahead of the Women’s Esports Final, the culmination of the year-long Women in Gaming 2024 initiative.

Before every major tournament, it’s a rite of passage for the full squad to take a photo together. That’s why Sky Broadband and McCann London have created “The Forty-Seven %”, a powerful image featuring 47 inspiring women gamers representing the 47% of UK gamers who are women, a little-known statistic which this campaign spotlights.

Despite 47% of UK gamers being women, only 5% of UK professional gamers are women. This is a surprisingly low number due to the lack of infrastructure nationwide, and infrequent opportunities for women in this space. This bleak statistic highlights the importance of Sky Broadband and Guild’s Esports initiative, culminating in the Women’s Esports Finals, announced in April as the first-of-its-kind in the UK to improve diversity and inclusion in the gaming world. You can read Sky Broadband’s initial press announcement here.

Featured in “The Forty-Seven %” are both influential women gamers such as Yammy, everyday gamers and surprising celebrities who are gamers themselves, and supporters of this initiative, such as England Lioness Rachel Daly, Lady Leshurr and Chloe Burrows, Love Island 2021’s finalist.

The campaign is led by a two-minute social film directed by Miranda May, showcasing the squad photo ‘making of’, where the 47 women come together to unveil the importance of the initiative. The work is now live across social and OOH/DOOH including Fandom and Reddit ahead of the Women’s Esports Finals, which will take place on November 9th live at Sky’s London HQ and also be livestreamed on the Sky Sports’ & Guild Esport’s YouTube channels.

For more information on all of the Women in Gaming activity across 2024 please visit the Sky Broadband website.

Sunny Bhurji, Sky Connectivity’s marketing director said, “‘The Forty-Seven %’ is an incredible representation of everything that the Women in Gaming initiative has achieved over the past couple of years. We wanted the image to be inspiring for women in general, not just women gamers. Pulling everything together has been a monumental collaboration with our partners and I’m super proud of the end result.”

Gémina Gil Flores and Jemma Burgess, creatives at McCann London added, "In a world where nearly half of gamers are women, yet few reach the pro level, visibility is more than representation—it’s a call to action. Sky Broadband's “The Forty-Seven %” campaign and squad photo are our way of giving women in gaming a moment and a movement, because when women are seen, they are empowered to pursue the pro paths they deserve. This isn’t just a photo; it’s a powerful reminder that the true face of gaming is diverse, skilled, and unstoppable."

Nick Westwood, chief creative officer at Guild Esports said, "Through all the work we have done in the Women in Gaming space with Sky we have witnessed the scale and breadth of a thriving, passionate and diverse community of women gamers who are looking for more opportunities to do what they love. Sky Broadband has been the perfect partner to create groundbreaking events and opportunities for this audience, and McCann London’s “The Forty-Seven %” campaign uniquely illustrates how much gaming means to young women, here in the UK."

“The Forty-Seven %” and the Sky Broadband Women’s Esports Final are the final two activations for 2024 in the ‘Women in Gaming’ initiative that supports women gamers in a variety of ways. The initiative has seen tournaments created for women gamers as well as the award-winning #NoRoomForAbuse campaign, which shined a light on the horrendous abuse experienced by women gamers.