Following the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, viewing figures have been released from across the continent. According to figures from the EBU, at least 161 million people tuned into the Contest in Turin.
New records for viewing figures
Across participating broadcasters, many countries saw higher engagement than in previous years. Host country Italy saw its highest viewing figures since their return to the competition in 2011. Across Italy, 6.6 million people tuned into the show on home soil, up 53% on last year’s figures. This roughly equivalates to just under 42% of the viewing population in the country.
Similarly, both Spain and the United Kingdom saw their ratings rise for the Contest – with Spain’s viewing figures reaching 6.8 million, up by 86% compared to 2021. This was also Spain’s highest viewing rate for over 14 years. The United Kingdom also had the highest market share in any of the countries that were measured. 8.9 million British viewers tuned in to watch Sam Ryder obtain the UK’s best result since 1998.
Explainable dips in numbers
Despite the increase in certain markets such as in the Big Five, the total number of viewers for the show is lower than previous years. In 2019, just under 200 million people watched the Netherlands win for the first time in 44 years. Similarly in 2021, 183 million people tuned in to watch Italy also take the trophy.
However, the EBU omitted two major markets for the Contest in the figures – those of Ukraine and Russia. Following Russia’s expulsion from the Contest and the EBU as a whole, numbers would inevitably be down. The Eurovision Song Contest is an incredibly popular show in Russia and thus the lack of viewers from Russia would bring the total viewing figure lower. Similarly, Ukraine’s market was not monitored as a result of the ongoing war with Russia, making it impossible to corroborate a proper figure. Typically, these two markets would collectively add another 29 million viewers, which would have taken the overall figure to 180 million if included.
It is also important to know that in Albania, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Israel, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino and Ukraine, there are no technological instruments implemented to measure viewing audiences.
Promoting Eurovision to the masses
Speaking on the figures, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest Martin Österdahl said:
We couldn’t be happier to see the success of the Eurovision Song Contest across all our Members’ channels and on our digital platforms this year.
Once again, we have seen the enormous popularity of the Contest among young audiences, some of whom are discovering the event for the first time. The Eurovision Song Contest truly has global appeal demonstrated by the millions watching in every territory on earth and millions more interacting on social media.
Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest
As well as the success of the final show, social media engagement with the Contest reached new heights. During the week of the Contest, tweets regarding the show totalled 8 million, double the amount from 2021. Similarly, across all platforms engagement reached roughly 22 million views, taking the show to a wider audience globally.
What do you make of the figures from the EBU? How many extra people do you believe would watch in Ukraine, had they been measured? Are you excited for next year’s show? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all things Eurovision!
News Source: European Broadcasting Union
Photo Credit: EBU / Corinne Cumming
One thought on “📽️ Eurovision 2022 brings in 161 million viewers”