RTÉ’s coverage of this week’s FIFA World Cup semi-finals has delivered another compelling reminder that, while viewing habits continue to evolve, the appetite for live sport on free-to-air television has never been stronger.

The broadcaster confirmed that the two semi-finals between Spain and France, and England and Argentina, reached a combined 1.98 million unique viewers on a one-minute reach basis across its platforms, while RTÉ Player has now generated 21.3 million streams during the tournament—more than double the 8.5 million streams recorded across the entire 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Tuesday night’s dramatic Spanish victory averaged 873,000 viewers on RTÉ2, representing a 61 per cent share of the available television audience, while generating a further 1.03 million streams on RTÉ Player.

Wednesday’s England versus Argentina semi-final attracted an even larger television audience, averaging 949,000 viewers and delivering a 60 per cent audience share, alongside 985,000 streams.

The figures reinforce the changing nature of sports consumption. Television remains the foundation of major sporting events, but streaming has become an equally significant part of the audience story rather than simply an additional service.

For rights holders, governing bodies and sponsors, success is no longer measured solely by overnight television ratings. It is increasingly judged by the combined reach across television, connected TV, mobile devices, tablets and laptops, allowing supporters to engage with live sport wherever they happen to be.

Live sport is also immune to 30X speeding through ads as is more evident with time shifted other programming. Think of it in your own terms how many more TV ads you will have registered over the past four weeks?

RTÉ’s performance during this tournament also underlines the continuing value of public service broadcasting.

As one of only a handful of broadcasters worldwide providing comprehensive free-to-air coverage across television, radio and digital platforms, RTÉ has ensured Irish audiences can follow the FIFA World Cup without subscription barriers.

That would not be the norm in France or in Spain. If you were holidaying in Portugal the only group stage games you’d have seen free would have been those involving Portugal and Brazil. We have had the opportunity to watch every single minute of every single game. A privilege we should never take for granted.

The scale of engagement also demonstrates why premium live sport continues to sit at the centre of broadcasters’ strategies despite growing competition from global streaming platforms.

For commercial partners, the figures provide equally compelling evidence.

Heineken 0.0, sponsor of RTÉ’s FIFA World Cup coverage, has benefited from one of the largest multi-platform sporting audiences ever assembled in Ireland. Its association extends beyond television to RTÉ Player, digital content, radio coverage and social media, significantly increasing the value of the partnership.

Declan McBennett, RTÉ’s Head of Sport, described surpassing 21 million streams as “a remarkable milestone” and highlighted the continuing importance of making the biggest sporting occasions available to the widest possible audience.

The tournament now moves towards what promises to be RTÉ’s biggest sporting weekend of the year.

Sunday begins with live coverage of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final between Galway and Limerick before attention switches to the FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain later that evening.

Alongside television coverage, RTÉ will provide comprehensive analysis on RTÉ Radio 1, dedicated Irish-language programming on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, and Irish-language commentary options on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player for both finals.

We cannot wait.

 

 

 

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