Europe’s number one sports destination has reported strong audience figures for the first Grand Slam of the year with its coverage reaching in excess of 30 million viewers for the opening nine days of the tournament. This represents a 26% increase in viewers per day compared to 2016, with an average of 869,000 watching the action from Melbourne Park every day.

Fans have been enjoying the superstars of tennis go toe-to-toe in one of the most compelling tournaments of the Open era. Legends of the game, such as Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Venus Williams, have all returned to form to reach the latter stages of the tournament, drawing more fans to watch than ever before.

Federer has once again proved the fans favorite with nearly three million viewers (peak) tuning in to watch his epic five-set battle against Kei Nishikori and a further 1.7m (peak) watching his fourth round win over Andy Murray’s conqueror, Mischa Zverev. Meanwhile a peak audience of 1.9m tuned in to see Federer’s long-time rival, Rafa Nadal, beat Milos Raonic in their quarter final match.

Peter Hutton, Eurosport CEO, said: “At Eurosport we aim to match the quality on the court with quality off it and I believe we continue to deliver on that promise. We have every angle covered. This tournament has been full of surprises, with the early exits of local heroes such as Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber, and the return to form of legends of the game like Roger, Rafa and Venus, as they continue to chase history.

“Ratings have continued to grow which is testament to the localized coverage we are delivering to fans and the way we are telling these brilliant storylines as they unfold through fantastic support programming such as Game, Set and Mats and, a new addition, Matchball Becker, in the German market. Super-coach Patrick Mouratoglu offers fans a whole-new perspective on the game with The Coach and The Commissioner of Tennis series presented by John McEnroe continues to humour tennis fans across Europe.”

Eurosport’s strategy of increased investment in local production and talent is already paying dividends. Coverage in Germany alone has seen huge increases in viewers thanks to the addition of premium talent such as former two-time Australian Open champion, Boris Becker. Matchball Becker is a new daily review show that has been introduced to the Germany channel for this year’s event, bringing in an average of 164,000 viewers per episode, a 257% increase compared to Game, Set and Mats, the English language version that ran in its place in 2016.

Peter Hutton, Eurosport CEO, adds: “The feedback we have had regarding Boris Becker’s appearances for our German audience in Melbourne has been overwhelming.  Boris is a genuine legend of the game and when he speaks, people listen. We are thrilled with the response we have had from fans and look forward to seeing if Rafa can join Roger to make it two dream finals at the weekend.”

ENDS.