Spain has demonstrated a robust viewership for the Euro 2024 group stage, with Spanish national broadcaster La 1 drawing seven-figure audiences across Spain's three group games. This article will delve into the details of this viewership trend and its implications for sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts.
The Euro 2024 matches have continued its strong trend of viewership in Spain on June 24, with an average of 6.7 million viewers tuning in to watch the Spanish national team advance to the round of 16 with a narrow win over Albania. The game, broadcast on La 1 - owned by state-owned media group Television Europa - achieved a remarkable national viewership share of 48.1% and peaked at an impressive figure of approximately 7.7 million.
The match boasted around twelve million unique single viewers, capping off a trio of strong on-pitch performances by La Roja (the Red One), as well as similarly good performances in domestic viewership stakes.
Spain vs Italy drew more viewership
Spain fixture against Albania, where they were overwhelming favorites and had already secured entry to the next round, performed poorer than their crunch match against Italy but better than their competition opener against Croatia.
- Spain vs Croatia: This opening game drew an average audience size of about five million people (5.07m) and captured nearly half (49.9%)of all TV viewing during its broadcast time.
- Spain vs Italy: The highly anticipated clash between these two footballing giants attracted over eight million people (8.55m), accounting for more than half (56.4%)of all TV viewing during that time slot – making it the most-watched TV broadcast in Spain in that year so far.
- Spain vs Albania: Despite Spain's guaranteed progression, the match still managed to draw an average of 6.7 million viewers and a peak viewership of 7.7 million.
Italy's viewership performance in Italy
Interestingly, the Spain vs Italy game also performed well in Italy where, despite their national team losing 1-0 to Spain, over 13.3 million viewers were recorded across two broadcast networks.
National free-to-air network Rai’s Rai 1 channel drew a staggering audience of about twelve million (12.3m), while coverage on pay-TV broadcaster Sky Italia’s Sky Sports network attracted just over one million (1.05m) viewers.
Overall, these viewing numbers equated to a viewing share of nearly two-thirds (62.9%), showcasing the interest of fans in Italy - who won the last Euros in 2021 - for this tournament. For comparison purposes, Italy’s opening Euro 2024 fixture against Albania had an audience size totaling approximately eleven million (11.2m), representing a viewing share of slightly above sixty percent (60.5%).
The strong performance by both Spanish and Italian broadcasters during Euro 2024 is indicative not only of football's popularity but also its ability to attract large audiences even when matches are seemingly decided beforehand – as was the case with Spain vs Albania game.
