Eurosport: Live snooker audience up 37% YoY
December 23, 2020
Eurosport has reported strong year-on-year audience growth for its snooker coverage across its linear and digital platforms in 2020.
Average live TV audiences grew 37 per cent vs 2019, driven by record viewership for the UK Championship (+15 per cent), English Open (+32 per cent) and Scottish Open (+39 per cent). This season Eurosport became the first broadcaster to screen live multi-platform coverage of the opening round of the UK Championship, which helped drive Eurosport’s highest ever live audience average for the event.
Free-to-air audiences on Quest followed a similar trend with overall viewership growing 26 per cent, with the Welsh Open achieving record performance with a 52 per cent rise – the channel’s best ever live audience for a Home Nations Series event. This helped secure a 29 per cent growth overall across Eurosport and Quest for snooker in 2020.
Digital consumption of snooker content also saw a substantial increase in 2020 with Eurosport.com generating a 171 per cent rise in unique visitors (UV) vs 2019, plus a 159 per cent growth in page views. Stand-out performances include a 581 per cent surge in UV coupled with a 641 per cent increase in page views for the World Championship. All three of the Home Nations Series events for the 2020/21 season so far have seen triple-digit rises in both UV and page views.
Simon Downing, Head of Eurosport UK, said: ‘These audiences demonstrate our strength in serving fans across multiple platforms. Now with the recent launch of our new SVoD product discovery+, we can provide another way for viewers to enjoy live snooker, creating an efficient eco-system across pay, free-to-air and direct-to-consumer – allowing fans to consume content however they wish. The addition of Eurosport’s digital channels with its comprehensive news, innovative digital formats and live streaming, we have cemented ourselves as the go-to destination for snooker content.’
Ronnie O’Sullivan, six-time World Champion and Eurosport pundit, added: “It’s fantastic to see so many people continuing to enjoy top quality snooker on Eurosport. I love being part of the team and try to do my bit in any way I can to help keep people watching. I’m looking forward to building on that for the rest of the season.”
Eurosport’s live snooker coverage continues in January with the London Masters, from Alexandra Palace* the second triple crown event of the season from January 12th – 19th.