German media group ProSiebenSat.1 posted a record market share in the key 14-to-49 year-old audience demographic last night with its live coverage of the NFL Super Bowl.
The live coverage up until 03:00am netted an average market share of 47.4 per cent. This was an increase of 7.2 per cent on the share in the same demographic for last year’s game.
The flagship ProSieben channel attracted average audiences of 1.54 million (44-per-cent share), 1.34 million (47.6-per-cent share) and 1.19 million (55.1-per-cent share), respectively, within the 14-to-49 sector during the first three quarters of the season-ending game between Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers last night (Sunday).
An average of 1.9 million viewers (a 29.3-per-cent share) across all ages watched the ProSieben coverage (to 03:00am).
ProSiebenSat.1 renewed its NFL rights in German-speaking territories in a three-year agreement, from 2020 to 2022, struck last year.
Widespread NFL coverage is also available in Germany via OTT streaming service DAZN, which holds pay-television rights until 2022. Furthermore, the league’s international OTT Game Pass service, which is available across German-speaking region, shows all live games and highlights.
The NFL output has represented a significant success for ProSiebenSat.1, with audience numbers consistently improving since the broadcaster took on rights to the Super Bowl in 2012. The broadcaster posted an NFL playoff record earlier this year during the Minnesota Vikings’ 26-20 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Meanwhile, the free-to-air audience for Super Bowl LIV fell in France compared to last year. Commercial broadcaster TF1 pulled in an average audience of 408,000 viewers (and a 13.4-per-cent share) between 00:10am and 03:00am, according to figures from Médiamétrie.
Super Bowl LIII (between the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots) was watched by 513,000 viewers (a 15.4-per-cent share) on TF1.
NFL broadcast rights are also held in France by pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports. Free-to-air digital terrestrial channel W9 aired the Super Bowl between 2010 and 2018.