Eurosport Tdf Ratings Hit Six-year High
Eurosport has reported one of its best ever half-year audience results for the first six months of 2013, with the trend continuing last weekend thanks to coverage of the opening stages of the 100th Tour de France, which attracted 17.1m different European viewers – a 50% rise in audience vs. the 2012 edition of the race.
The historic race debut in Corsica saw the channel achieve its best start to the Tour de France since 2007.
The live sports specialists, currently broadcast in 131 million homes across the continent, started 2013 strongly with action from the Australian Open tennis, Dakar Rally, Africa Cup of Nations, Snooker’s UK Masters and Wintersports World Cups, resulting in an average European audience rise of +5.3% in January vs. January 2012 and +19.9% vs. 2011.
All the channel’s core sports of tennis, cycling, wintersports and motorsports achieved positive ratings, according to a Eurosport press release.
Grand Slam tennis from Australia and France respectively attracted 53 and 59 million different viewers on Eurosport and Eurosport 2, with the 2013 French Open the second best Grand Slam ever for audience numbers on Eurosport.
In wintersports over 140 million fans watched live coverage of World Cup rounds and World Championships on Eurosport and Eurosport 2 in 2013, a 5% increase compared to 2012.
More recently in motorsports, 18 million fans watched Eurosport’s complete round-the-clock live coverage of Le Mans 24 Hours. A rise of more than 12% vs. 2012.
