The Socceroos dour 0-0 against Paraguay, which was enough to see Australia progress in the World Cup, attracted the second largest TV audience in SBS broadcasting history.
The game reached 4.84 million viewers, including an average audience of 3.086 million, slightly more than the 4.75 million (including an average of 3.045 million) that watched the Socceroos 2-0 win over Turkiye.
This makes the fixture SBS’s second largest TV audience after the Socceroos famous win over Uruguay in 2006 to qualify for the World Cup in Germany. That fixture attracted an average national audience of 3.416 million in the days before streaming and catch up.
The World Cup has seen a huge surge in SBS On Demand viewing, with 47 per cent tuned in through the BVOD rather than linear TV.
Almost half of all Australians have watched the tournament as cumulative reach hits 13.9 million.
World Cup matches have consistently ranked in the top ten programs of the day since the tournament began on 12 June (Australian time). So far, 27 matches have reached more than one million viewers each.
The World Cup broadcast has struck a particular chord with younger viewers, ranking No.1 on the VOZ daily ratings for 14 of the last 15 days in the 16-39 age group.
“This is a historic FIFA World Cup in many ways. In our 40 years of broadcasting the tournament, we’ve never seen Australian engagement at this level,” SBS director of sport Ken Shipp said.
“Australians have embraced both the Socceroos’ campaign and the wider tournament in extraordinary numbers, demonstrating the enduring passion for football in this country. We’ve already witnessed some unforgettable football, and with the knockout rounds about to begin, the tournament is entering its most compelling stage.”
World Cup TV audiences are delivering strong numbers when compared to mainstream Aussie sports, especially considering the last match was played during work hours, and the game against the US was played in the wee hours of the morning.
Nine’s recent broadcast of the State of Origin II attracted a total TV Reach of 6.173 million and an average total TV audience of 4.294 million for a Wednesday night, prime time fixture with a far wider support base than football in this country.
