As Lionel Messi and Argentina lifted the FIFA World Cup Trophy after one of the greatest matches the beautiful game has ever seen, Sunday’s FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™ Final attracted an average audience of 4.8 million viewers on TSN, CTV, RDS, and Noovo, according to preliminary overnight data from Numeris. The match becomes the second-most-watched broadcast event of the year, behind only SUPER BOWL LVI.
Audiences for the instant-classic Final marked an increase of +23% compared to the 2018 Final, and the match broke streaming records, becoming the most-watched live streaming event in TSN and RDS history.
The FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™ Final reached more than 10 million unique Canadian viewers, with audiences peaking at 7.7 million viewers at 12:54 p.m. ET as Argentina secured the title in a dramatic penalty shootout. The Final also led to TSN and CTV ranking as the first and second-most-watched networks of the day on Sunday, respectively.
“It’s been an honour for our Bell Media networks to be Canada’s home for the FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™, which saw viewers across the country come together throughout the month to share in the excitement, demonstrating yet again the unifying power of live sports,” said Shawn Redmond, VP, Bell Media Sports. “As the tournament began with Canada’s men’s national team taking part for the first time in decades, and ended with a truly unforgettable Final, we witnessed record ratings and massive fan engagement across all platforms. We can’t wait to carry this momentum into our complete coverage of next year’s FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND 2023™.”
The FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™ tournament overall attracted major audiences on TSN, CTV, and RDS throughout the month, as 24 million Canadians – 62% of the country’s population – tuned in to watch some part of the iconic tournament.
Additionally, the tournament represented the most successful sustained period of digital content consumption over 28 days in TSN history, garnering more than 32.5 million video starts and 215 million page views throughout the tournament.
On social media, TSN’s official accounts attracted significant engagement around the FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™, with 137 million video views and more than 550 million impressions across platforms. The TSN video highlight reel of the Final was Canada’s #1 trending video on YouTube on Sunday.
Source: Numeris, P2+ Total Canada, PPM era (Post 2009), Preliminary Data; Subject to Change.
