Champions League
Bitter Bayern bankruptcy gives DAZN top ratings
One man’s joy, another man’s sorrow – Real Madrid is in the final of the Champions League.
© Burak Akbulut/Anadolu/ABACAPRESS/ddp images
Probably little consolation for Bayern, but: their bitter Champions League defeat against Real Madrid caused huge interest.
As bitter as FC Bayern Munich’s 2-1 defeat in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid may have been, the exciting exchange of blows over more than 100 minutes attracted the TV audience to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in several ways. Above all, the paid streaming service DAZN, which broadcast the game exclusively in Germany, can look forward to record ratings according to initial evaluations.
So investigated AGF video research in collaboration with GfKthat an average of around 410,000 people watched the CL second leg of the two top clubs from 9 p.m. on the linear channel DAZN 1 HD alone. This corresponded to 3.8 percent of the target group and 2.0 percent of the overall reach – quite respectable for a pay-TV channel. And it doesn’t include the viewing figures for the DAZN app, which usually make up the majority.
According to DAZN, the ratings on the linear channel average up to 20 percent – if that was also the case for the game on Wednesday evening, the provider could look forward to a new record with possibly more than two million viewers.
Other broadcasters also benefit
But DAZN wasn’t the only one pleased with the high demand given Bayern’s battle of nerves in the Champions League. ZDF was the first free TV channel to show a summary of the game. The corresponding program “sportstudio UEFA CL” had an audience of 2.13 million people on Wednesday evening, despite the late hour. In the target group of 14 to 49 year olds, this meant a strong 13.1 percent, and in the overall audience it was even 17.2 percent.
However, anyone who tuned in to “Fantalk” on Sport1 couldn’t see the game – but could hear Mario Basler (55), Stefan Effenberg (55) and Co. commentating on the game live. With around 650,000 people watching – or listening – this format also turned out to be a great success.
The final of the Champions League will take place on June 1st (9 p.m.), between surprise finalists Borussia Dortmund and title favorites Real Madrid at London’s Wembley Stadium. The good news for bargain hunters: In contrast to the game on Wednesday evening, DAZN does not have the exclusive rights to it; the major sporting event with German participation will also be broadcast in full on ZDF.