Zug, Switzerland, 17 July 2006 – The viewing audiences for the key final matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany exceeded predictions and broke records. The high in-home audience figures are even more impressive in comparison to past viewing, given today’s fragmented television market and the fact that out-of-home viewing for the FIFA World Cup™ has become a huge phenomenon.

Italy
The Italian team’s penalty shoot out triumph over France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ Final attracted a new tournament - and recent history - record audience for Italian television. An average audience of 23.9 million in Italy watched the Azzurri win the golden trophy for the 4th time in history.  The figure represented 84% of Italians that were watching television at that time. (NB: Italy’s top rated match during the 1998 event was 23.5 million.  During the 2002 event, it was 23.7 million).

 

The record figure of 23.9 million does not include the large number of Italians who watched the games out of home at public viewing events, bars and restaurants. For example, at the capital city's ancient Circus Maximus, a reported 200,000 fans watched the final on three giant screens. In Milan, a further 150,000 fans watched the victory on large screens in the Piazza del Duomo.

 

France
In France, national broadcaster TF1, attracted 22.1 million French viewers to its coverage of the Final between Italy and France.  This figure represented over 80% of the available TV audience at that time, the highest audience share of any French coverage of this year’s tournament.

 

France’s heart breaking defeat on a penalty shoot out was endured by 800,000 more French viewers than tuned in to the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ Final triumph over Brazil.  In an increasingly fragmented television market, this is a strong performance and dwarfs any of those achieved by French television coverage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ Japan/Korea.

 

Germany
The German national side’s impressive progress through the event drew a consistently high television audience at home in the host nation and ended with a new record for the tournament - past and present – despite millions watching out-of-home at public sites.

 

Germany’s 2-0 loss to Italy in the semi-finals on Tuesday 4th July was watched live by 29.7 million viewers at home in the host nation, scoring a market share of 84.1 %. Germany’s previous highest audience at this tournament was the 24.8 million who watched the side defeat Argentina in the quarterfinals.

 

The figure also beats the German audience in the final at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Japan/Korea™, when 26.5 million witnessed Germany bow out against Brazil. It also surpasses the hitherto unbeaten record in German football viewing of 28.66 million registered for the Germany v Argentina final back in 1990 (although this figure does not include the new German states in the east of the country.)

 

Arguably more impressive, the 29.7 million audience also beats the highest German audience (24.4 million for USA v Germany) attained during the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ which, being staged in France, was aired at comparable times to this year’s competition in Germany. In fact, this match was also aired at 21:00 CET. Again, these figures exclude the out of home viewing which ran into millions.

 

Germany’s six matches at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ have scored a combined TV audience on German public service broadcasters ZDF and ARD of 142.1 million, which gives an average of 23.7 million per match. This represents a 45% increase in viewing over 2002.

 

Neutral viewing
Data from Spain and France shows that the Germany v Italy match was one of the most popular with “neutral” viewers - those who watch a match that does not feature their own national side.

 

In Spain, the match had a combined audience on Cuatro and La Sexta of 5.9 million and a market share of 41.7%. This Spanish audience was also higher than both the “neutral” semi-finals in 2002 but not as high as the 2002 final.

 

In France, the Germany v Italy match was shown live on both C+ and TF1 and had a combined audience of 13.3 million and a market share of 57.2%. This figure is higher than any audience during the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, where France performed poorly.

 

The global rights sales for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ were handled by Infront Sports & Media, which has delivered the most varied and extensive coverage in the history of the event. The event was broadcast in more than 200 countries. Sponsorship Intelligence, a UK-based a research driven consultancy appointed by Infront and FIFA, has thus far collated overnight ratings in more than 40 markets. The full television report into all markets will be available later in the year.

 

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