Champions League: the unpredictable race to the audience

RMC STORY – SATURDAY 29 AT 9:00 p.m. – FOOTBALL

The final of the Champions League is officially part, in France, of “sporting events of major importance”, like twenty other events, including the Summer and Winter Olympics, the Six Nations Tournament, the finals of the men’s and women’s singles at Roland Garros, the Formula 1 Grand Prix de France or the Tour de France. As such, as stipulated by the decree of December 22, 2004, relating to freedom of communication, said European final must be visible to as many people as possible on a non-paying channel.

Exclusive holder of the broadcasting rights for the European football competition for the period 2018-2021, the Altice group, parent company of the RMC Sport channel, had sold the rights to the 2018 final to C8, a free-to-air channel belonging to the Canal + group. The final, played in Kiev and between Real Madrid and Liverpool FC, had a disappointing audience: 3.7 million viewers on average (over the entire match).

In 2019, a change in strategy: the rights to the final had not been transferred to the competition and the match was broadcast on BFM-TV, one of Altice’s channels visible on free TNT. Unwise choice since the final, played in Madrid and between Liverpool and Tottenham, had attracted only 2.5 million fans, the lowest audience of a Champions League final for ten years.

Scenario still different in August 2020. The presence of a French club in the final, an extremely rare event, had changed the situation. For the Bayern Munich-Paris-Saint-Germain poster organized in Lisbon, it was TF1, enticed by the prospect of a record audience, which had bought the rights, Altice also reserving this long-awaited match to its pay channel RMC Sport .

An unrivaled record

As expected by the leaders of the One, it was a hit with nearly 11.5 million viewers on average on TF1, or 46.2% of audience share. The best audience, by far, for a Champions League final since 2004, the year of the last participation of a French club at this stage of the competition, in this case AS Monaco, whose final lost to the FC Porto had attracted 11 million curious on TF1.

Recall that the best audience recorded in France for a European champions clubs final – as we used to say – dates back to May 29, 1991. The clash between Olympique de Marseille and the Red Star of Belgrade at the time attracted 17.473 million euros. viewers on average on TF1. A record still unmatched.

For its last year as exclusive broadcaster before giving way to the Canal + -BeIN Sports tandem for the period 2021-2024 (the finals being scheduled on TF1), the Altice group once again hoped for the presence of PSG in the final, a pledge record audience. This will not be the case.

This final 2021 made in Premier League – since putting Manchester City and Chelsea, two star clubs in the English championship against each other – should not allow RMC Story, another Altice channel visible for free on TNT, chosen for the occasion (with RMC Sport for subscribers), to record a crazy audience.

This match was originally scheduled to be played in Istanbul. But, due to the health crisis, the meeting was relocated to Porto, Portugal being on the British government’s green list. Six thousand City fans and as many Chelsea fans will be allowed in the stands. From Lisbon in August 2020 to Porto today, Portugal takes a liking to this final. For the French television audience, on the other hand, no record in sight.