Kipchoge run attracts 5m YouTube views
October 16, 2019
Eliud Kipchoge’s historic 1:59:40 marathon run on October 12th, which saw him become the first human in history to run under two hours, was watched around the world as the INEOS 1:59 Challenge recorded landmark viewing figures.
Some 4.9 million viewers watched the YouTube stream of the event alone, with a live peak of 779,000 coming at the moment Kipchoge crossed the finish line.
Regionally, 49 broadcasters aired the event on their channels, with an estimated reach of 500 million across 200 territories, while INEOS claim that 120,000 people arrived at the Prater in Vienna to watch live in person.
Jo Grindley, CMO/CCO, INEOS Team UK, said: “Whilst Eliud Kipchoge and the performance team were set the incredible challenge of running the first ever sub-two hour marathon it was our responsibility on the engagement side of the challenge to ensure that we fulfilled Kipchoge’s dream to inspire the world and leave a legacy that No Human Is Limited. The initial numbers coming from this weekend’s coverage are simply astounding and there is no sign that the coverage is slowing down. It will take a long time for the impact of this event to fully sink in but Kipchoge said in his post-event press conference that “sport can unify people, I wanted to sell the message to the world that no human is limited” and we are delighted that every piece of evidence points to the fact that Kipchoge has successfully achieved his goal.”