BBC: 25.7m streams for Women’s World Cup
August 21, 2023
England’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Final defeat to Spain on August 20th was watched by an audience of 12 million on BBC One, alongside an additional 3.9 million streams on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online.
Millions of UK viewers have followed England’s progression to the final of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Despite defeat to Spain, The Lionesses yet again made history by reaching England’s first Football World Cup Final since 1966.
Overall, the tournament saw total BBC TV reach of 21.2 million (15mins or more) and was streamed 25.7 million times across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app, a 75 per cent increase on the 14.7 million streams for the 2019 World Cup.
Director of BBC Sport, Barbara Slater said: “We’re proud to be long-term partners for women’s football which continues its fantastic upward trajectory. The Lionesses came so close but they should be incredibly proud of reaching a World Cup final. It was a brilliant tournament for audiences and these figures prove once again that no one can bring the nation together for the big moments quite like the BBC across TV, iPlayer, Sounds and the Sport website.”
BBC coverage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in numbers:
- BBC television reach (15 mins or more) has been 21.2 million
- Matches have been streamed 25.7 million times across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app – this is a 75 per cent increase on the 14.7 million streams during the Women’s World Cup in 2019
- England vs Spain was the most-watched game of the tournament with a peak BBC TV audience of 12 million and peak share of 71 per cent
- There were 22.6 million unique visitors to the BBC Sport website and app throughout the tournament
- Total number of 2023 Women’s World Cup content plays on BBC Sounds was 1.9 million, with 232,000 requests for the final
Speaking on the viewing figures, a spokesperson at Arqiva, a Broadcast 2040+ campaign member. said: “The Women’s World Cup final was an historic moment, with more than 14 million people tuning in to witness the drama unfold on their TV or radio. These huge audiences were united through the power of broadcast in their support of the incredible Lionesses, reaffirming the vital role of broadcast TV and radio services across the UK. Free-to-air broadcast services act as a unifying force in this country, bringing people together regardless of where they live or their financial situation. The Broadcast 2040+ campaign is committed to protecting digital terrestrial TV and radio – to ensure they remain available to those who continue to enjoy and rely on them, including some of the most vulnerable in our society – whether that’s older people, rural communities with limited access to broadband, or those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Without vital TV and radio services, many millions of people across the UK would miss out on the opportunity to be part of these shared national moments. That’s why we’re calling on the Government to guarantee the future of these services and make sure important moments like this continue to inspire, entertain, and unite the nation into 2040 and beyond.”