Approximately 6.1 crore viewers tuned in to Indian broadcaster Sony Pictures Network to watch its coverage of the UEFA Euro 2020 competition, the network has said. SPN said that the viewing figures included the cumulative reach of all live matches, wraparound shows, highlights, and repeat shows for the tournament, which took place between June 11 and July 12.
It added that the figures are more than three times it achieved for Euro 2016, drawing in an average of 43 lakh viewers per match, Exchange4Media reported. The viewership growth in India is said to be commendable as overall viewership for the Euros has been growing worldwide. Earlier this month Broadcasters across western Europe reported a near 90 million viewership for the Euro finals across the UK, Spain, Germany, and others. Sony could have potentially anticipated this growth considering that nearly 3 crore viewers watched the Group stages across June.
SPN said it achieved 47 lakh viewers for the live telecast final between Italy and England, where the match went right till the end, with Italy winning narrowly on penalties. This number represents a 70% growth in viewership compared to the Euro 2016 final, where Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal came out victorious over favourites France.
Matches were simulcast across eight channels, including Sony Ten 2, 3, and 4, in both standard definition and high definition. Regional figures saw the Hindi feed for live matches total 1.6 crore viewers and 87 lakh for the Malayalam and Bengali feed on Sony Six. The media group picked up the rights for the delayed national football tournament on the Indian subcontinent in 2018.
When asked about this, Sony Pictures Network’s Chief Revenue Officer Rajesh Kaul stated, “We at Sony Pictures Sports Network are delighted with the reception UEFA Euro 2020 has received in the Indian subcontinent. We aim to provide our viewers with the best multi-sport events, and the viewership numbers for this tournament prove that there is a demand for quality International sporting content in India.”
With Tokyo Olympics starting soon, Sony Pictures Sports Network believes that the coming months also look promising for sports broadcasting.