Over 117 mn viewers watch first 26 matches of FIFA WC on TV & digital

Over 117 million viewers watched the first 26 matches played in the first nine days of the FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia, according to official broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI). The tournament is being telecast live on Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 3 and Sony ESPN channels and live streamed on SonyLIV app and website. 

The total cumulative reach of the event on SPNI’s network is 117.3 million viewers. (BARC, All India, CS2+, LIVE matches + wraparound shows + highlights + repeats + surround programming of FIFA World Cup, SPN Sports Network, SonlyLIV). 99.3 million viewers watched the World Cup on TV, while over 18 million viewers live streamed it on SonyLIV. 

Top markets in terms of reach for Live matches on TV were:

West Bengal – 14.8 million

Kerala – 14.5 million

North East – 8.4 million

Maharashtra – 7.1 million

Local language feeds (Hindi + Malayalam + Bengali + Tamil + Telugu) have contributed to 46 per cent of the overall viewership (BARC, All India, CS2+, LIVE matches, SPN Sports Network). 

As far as commentary in regional languages is concerned, 6.8 million viewers in Kerala have sampled Malayalam commentary, while 5.4 million viewers in West Bengal have sampled Bengali commentary. 

Rajesh Kaul, President, Distribution and Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India, remarked, “Our regional commentary accounted for 46 per cent of the overall viewership, which shows a deep penetration and high impact that the football tournament has made with our viewers. Our strategy of engaging viewers and catering to their convenience with local language feeds has helped us expand the market and reach out to a wider fan base.” 

Interest runs high for the tournament in rural markets, with 41 per cent of the total reach coming from rural India (BARC, All India, CS2+, LIVE matches, SPN Sports Network). 

Female viewership has contributed to 46 per cent of the reach of the tournament (BARC, All India, CS2+, LIVE matches, SPN Sports Network). 

The Germany vs Mexico match telecast on June 17 at 8.30 pm is the most watched match of the tournament so far with 7 million impressions (BARC, All India, CS2+, SPN Sports Network). 

Average viewership for prime-time games (8.30 pm and 9.30 pm) has been 4.8 million impressions. 

Each viewer has spent an average of 145 minutes on the tournament in the first nine days. (BARC, All India, CS2+, LIVE matches, SPN Sports Network).

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