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From Sports to Screens: Exposing Big Alcohol’s Predatory Practices in 2024

People around the world have hopes and dreams. They value their own health and the wellbeing of their families and communities highly. They want to see their societies thrive.

But the alcohol industry – multinational alcohol giants and their front groups – stand in the way. Profit maximization is the only agenda they care about. And to drive alcohol sales and consumption they deploy predatory and unethical practices deliberately and systematically – from sports to screens.

With this report, we document appalling cases of alcohol industry misconduct. We expose shocking examples of predatory practices. We reveal the direct and fundamental conflict of interest the alcohol industry has. And we bring to light what otherwise takes place in the dark: Big Alcohol’s deliberate strategies targeting vulnerable people, derailing lives saving public policies, and misleading the public.

The consequences of the alcohol industry’s impact on our families, communities, and societies are grave: people’s hopes and dreams are shattered; the most vulnerable people and communities get exploited; good health and well-being remains out of reach for millions of people. And our societies lose precious resources.

But Big Alcohol’s profit greed and their predatory practices do not go unnoticed any longer. We can see that people are concerned about alcohol industry interference and alcohol companies violating laws. We can see that parents worry about Big Alcohol targeting their children. We can see lawmakers taking action to better protect people from the harms caused by the alcohol industry.

This report is also a call to action: For all of us to denormalize Big Alcohol in our communities. For the World Health Organization to end their annual “dialogue” with the alcohol industry. For the UN agencies to stop ignoring conflicts of interest and end partnerships with alcohol companies and front groups. For governments to place people’s wellbeing before the profits of Big Alcohol. And for a global binding treaty on alcohol to protect alcohol policy making from alcohol industry interference and accelerate much needed alcohol policy action to promote health and development for all.

Kristína Šperková, International President and Pubudu Sumanasekara, International Vice President, Movendi International

Big Alcohol’s Playbook: Profit Over People

The Big Alcohol Exposed Annual Report 2024 “From Sports to Screens – Exposing Big Alcohol’s Predatory Practices” sheds light on how the alcohol industry operates in the pursuit of its profit maximization agenda no matter the human and societal costs. Through deliberate, systematic strategies, the Big Alcohol embeds itself in spaces we trust – sports, digital platforms, and wellness culture – while actively undermining evidence-based policies that protect people’s health.

Fundamental, Inherent, and Direct Conflict of Interest

The report reveals latest data from countries around the world about Big Alcohol’s dependence on heavy alcohol consumption and under-age alcohol use for major parts of their profits.

The report sheds light on how the profit maximization agenda of the alcohol industry is in direct and fundamental conflict with the goals of governments to reduce per capita alcohol consumption in order to promote health and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Alcohol represents a leading burden of disease worldwide:

Big Alcohol’s dependence on heavy alcohol consumption occasions 

Analysis of data collected in the International Alcohol Control study revealed the alcohol industry’s reliance on heavy alcohol consumption.

  • In higher income countries heavier alcohol consumption occasions make up ca. 50% of sales.
  • In middle income countries heavier alcohol consumption occasions make up ca. 66%

This reliance, researchers wrote, on heavy alcohol use underpins the conflicting interests between the profit maximization agenda of Big Alcohol on the one hand and the Sustainable Development agenda to promote people’s health and well-being on the other hand. 

Czechia 

In Czechia – one of the countries with the highest per capita alcohol use in the world – a small number of alcohol consumer, stands for the largest part of the profits for the alcohol industry:

  • One fifth of the adult population consumes 67.8% of the total alcohol consumption. 

Germany

A research group calculated in 2024 how dependent the alcohol industry is on heavy alcohol users in Germany:

  • 50.4% of alcohol sales in Germany, amounting to €5.82 billion, are due to high-risk alcohol use.

United Kingdom

If all alcohol consumers followed the low-risk alcohol use guidelines in the UK, the alcohol industry would lose almost 40% of its revenue.

  • This amounts to ca. £13 billion, according to research by the Institute of Alcohol Studies and the University of Sheffield’s Alcohol Research Group.

A Calculated Strategy: From Sports to Screens

The report exposes a clear pattern: Big Alcohol has evolved its tactics to normalize alcohol and target the young generation to hook them early. By infiltrating culturally significant spaces, the alcohol industry leverages trust and visibility to deflect attention from the harms their products and practices cause.

  • Sports Sponsorships: Major events, like the 2024 Olympics, have been co-opted to align alcohol brands with health, performance, and cultural pride. Sponsoring elite sports creates an association between alcohol and success while downplaying its health and social costs.
  • Digital Predators: The alcohol industry exploits gaps in regulation to target young people through influencers, streaming platforms, and precision marketing. Ads often appear on social media and family-oriented programs, making alcohol exposure unavoidable, even for children.
  • Health-Washing: Big Alcohol positions itself as part of a “healthy lifestyle” by promoting non-alcoholic products and misleading claims about moderation. This strategy masks the reality that no level of alcohol use is risk-free, as confirmed by public health evidence.

These tactics are not isolated – they form part of a global strategy to maximize profits, target vulnerable populations, and ensure governments fail to protect people from preventable alcohol harms.

The Dubious Five: A Global Pattern of Misconduct

The report exposes the “Dubious Five” – a framework that identifies the five primary strategies Big Alcohol deploys to maximize its profits and ensure market dominance: Deception, Manipulation, Political Interference, Promotion, and Sabotage

In 2024, these strategies became increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, with the alcohol industry leveraging them to deflect criticism, shape public opinion, determine what people think about their products but also alcohol harm and policy solutions, and to obstruct evidence-based alcohol policy initiatives.

The report examines key examples of the Dubious Five strategies in action, exposing how Big Alcohol deployed misinformation, co-opted narratives, and targeted lobbying to undermine and block health promotion initiatives. From creating misleading health claims to funding deceptive prevention programs, the alcohol industry’s efforts reveal a relentless prioritization of profit over people’s health and community wellbeing. 

The report also reveals how Big Alcohol deploys economic claims to obstruct and derail alcohol policy initiative. For example, in Uganda, the alcohol industry managed to destroy the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill by promoting questionable claims that it would lead to job losses. The Big Alcohol lobby framed their economic contributions as essential to the country’s prosperity, a misleading and false narrative that deflected attention from the devastating health, social, and economic costs of alcohol harm.

This case reflects a global trend in 2024: the alcohol industry systematically deploys claims economic influence, relentless lobbying, and misleading narratives to block lifesaving policies such as raising alcohol taxes, lower the presence of alcohol outlets in communities, and protect people from alcohol advertising.

The Stakes Are High: Why This Report Matters

The Big Alcohol Exposed Annual Report 2024 “From Sports to Screens – Exposing Big Alcohol’s Predatory Practices” serves as both an exposé and a call to action. By documenting and exposing these harmful strategies and presenting real-world examples, the report provides a clear roadmap to counteract Big Alcohol’s influence and advance policies that save lives.

  • Concrete Evidence: The report offers documented case studies, such as Uganda, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, the United States and more, that demonstrate the scale of Big Alcohol’s political interference.
  • Global Perspective: The report exposes patterns of alcohol industry behavior that transgress borders, exposing a coordinated effort to normalize alcohol and block public health measures.
  • Empowerment: Policymakers, advocates, and communities now have the tools and evidence needed to identify and counter latest Big Alcohol narratives and implement effective solutions.

By documenting and exposing these activities, the report aims to expose the predatory practices behind the alcohol industry’s veneer of responsibility and highlight the urgent need for stronger safeguards against their interference.

This report underscores the urgent need for action to protect health and wellbeing.

Conclusion: Exposing, Counteracting, and Protecting Public Health

This report is a wake-up call. By infiltrating trusted spaces “from sports to screens,” Big Alcohol has found increasingly sophisticated ways to target young people and other vulnerable groups, manipulate public perception, and derail health promotion initiative.

This report exposes these predatory practices, equips advocates with evidence, and calls on governments to act. It is time to challenge alcohol industry influence, reclaim public health priorities, and protect communities from the harm caused by the products and practices of the alcohol industry.

Chapters Overview and Executive Summary

The report contains seven chapters. In addition to the Executive Summary and the Introduction, the following chapters provide a detailed analysis into the predatory practices of Big Alcohol in 2024.

Conflict of Interest Exposed

Big Alcohol Themes in 2024

The Dubious Five in 2024

Companies and Front Groups

Research Into Big Alcohol 2024

Executive Summary

The Big Alcohol Exposed Annual Report 2024 “From Sports to Screens: Exposing Big Alcohol’s Predatory Practices in 2024” provides a detailed analysis of the alcohol industry’s worldwide activities.

This report reveals the extent and penetration of Big Alcohol interference against people’s health, evidence-based public policy, as well as healthy and inclusive societal norms. 

The report exposes the predatory practices deployed by Big Alcohol in the past year, to protect and promote its profits, expand markets, and undermine lives saving alcohol policy measures.

The products and practices of multinational alcohol corporations cause devastating health, social, and economic harms and this report shines a light on Big Alcohol’s track record in 2024. 

Big Alcohol Exposed Annual Report 2024 “From Sports to Screens: Exposing Big Alcohol’s Predatory Practices in 2024” highlights the key themes, trends, and case studies that define the alcohol industry’s operations in 2024, offering a roadmap for advocates and policymakers to address these challenges.

Key Highlights from 2024

  • The alcohol industry deploys aggressive strategies to prioritize their own profits over people’s health by targeting vulnerable populations, resisting evidence-based alcohol policy, and promoting harmful myths about their products’ benefits. This report provides shocking examples of strategies such as health-washing, deceitful marketing, and political interference that have been central elements of Big Alcohol’s playbook in 2024.
  • In 2024, key alcohol industry strategies included the normalization of alcohol through sports sponsorships, misleading health claims, greenwashing environmental impacts, and leveraging non-alcoholic product lines to build loyalty with alcoholic brands. These tactics not only obscure alcohol’s inherent risks but also seek to embed the alcohol industry as an indispensable part of society.
  • Big Alcohol continues to use economic power to pollute policy environments and discourses often creating dependency relationships that hinder governments from implementing effective alcohol policy solutions. Investments and lobbying efforts in countries such as Mexico, Uganda, and Brazil showcase the industry’s intent and ability to block regulations that prioritize people’s health.
  • Advanced data-driven marketing practices and targeted campaigns increasingly focus on Generation Z, embedding alcohol brands into social and digital spaces frequented by young people. This includes the use of influencers, apps, and streaming platforms to bypass regulatory frameworks and normalize alcohol among the young generation.
  • This year’s case stories document how Big Alcohol uses misinformation, industry-funded research, and co-opted prevention programs to deflect scrutiny and obscure its role in driving and perpetuating harm. From promoting the debunked J-curve myth, to funding school-based programs in Spain, Big Alcohol continues to prioritize its image over people’s health and public accountability.

A Call to Action

The findings in this report underscore the urgency of countering Big Alcohol’s harmful practices. Public health advocates, researchers, and policymakers must remain vigilant in exposing these tactics and advancing evidence-based policies to protect communities and societies from alcohol harm. 

Big Alcohol Exposed Annual Report 2024 “From Sports to Screens: Exposing Big Alcohol’s Predatory Practices in 2024” aims to empower such efforts and initiatives by providing critical insights and resources to identify and expose Big Alcohol’s interest and tactics, address conflicts of interest, and curb the alcohol industry’s influence to promote healthier, more equitable societies.

Funding

The Big Alcohol Exposed Annual Report 2024 “From Sports to Screens: Exposing Big Alcohol’s Predatory Practices in 2024” is made possible through funding from Movendi International and RESET Alcohol Initiative.