Fifa reveals viewing figures for 2014 World Cup

More than one billion fans tuned in to watch the final of football’s 2014 World Cup in Brazil, according to Fifa, the sport’s global governing body.

Germany’s 1-0 win versus Argentina attracted an in-home audience of 695 million for viewers watching for 20 minutes or more, a 12-per-cent increase on the 2010 final. The total audience for the final, including in-home and out-of-home figures for viewers watching for at least one minute, was 1.013 billion.

The competition reached a global in-home television audience of 3.2 billion people – the same as the 2010 World Cup – while about 280 million people watched coverage of the tournament online or via a mobile device.

Broadcasters showed 98,087 hours of match footage in total from Brazil, up 36 per cent from 2010.

Fifa revealed the figures, sourced from data company Kantar Media and the governing body’s new television audience report for the 2014 World Cup.