Champions League Beats Superbowl TV Audience
The UEFA Champions League final is the most-watched annual sports event, according to a survey by Initiative Futures Sports and Entertainment.
For the first time the football tournament’s climax replaced the NFL’s Super Bowl as the world’s most watched sporting event.
The Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United drew an average audience of 109 million, compared to the 106 million viewers that watched the Superbowl between Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals.
The Champions League final drew in a total audience – the amount of people that watched at least some of the event – of 206 million, whilst the Superbowl managed 162 million.
The global brands of Manchester United and Barcelona helped draw in a larger worldwide audience, whereas the Superbowl’s audience was mainly domestic.
Formula One’s Bahrain Grand Prix came third with an average of 54 million viewers and the men’s 100 metres final in the Athletics world championships drew in 33 million.
