EBU Member broadcasters have reported significant TV audiences for the opening weekend of the BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon 2024 (10-11 February), taking place in Nové Město na Moravě, Czechia.

During the Men’s Pursuit competition on Sunday, Germany’s ARD channel saw an average live viewership of 4.1 million, while France’s L’Équipe achieved an average live audience of 1.6 million for the Women’s Pursuit. Notably, L’Équipe witnessed its highest average audience for this specific race since 2017, and a 33% increase in viewers compared to 2023.

Additional highlights include:

• Slovenia’s SLO2 achieved its highest market share at 27.4% for the Men’s Sprint on Saturday evening.
• Austria’s ORF experienced its best ratings for the Men’s Pursuit with a 29.88% market share, indicating an increase of more than 5 points compared to 2023.
• Finland’s YLE TV2 channel recorded 425,700 viewers for the Women’s 10km Pursuit on Sunday afternoon.
• In Czechia, CT Sport reported a 30.5% market share for the Women’s Pursuit on Sunday afternoon, marking a 7-point increase compared to 2023.
• Sweden’s SVT achieved a record 72.84% market share during the Women’s Pursuit and witnessed an increase from 874,000 in 2023 to an average live audience of 1,022,000 during the Men’s Sprint on Saturday.
• Norway’s NRK achieved its highest ever ratings for the Men’s Pursuit with a 78.7% market share, with Norwegian athletes securing all medals for the event.

These substantial viewing figures reflect the strong engagement of biathlon fans and the commitment to the promotion of biathlon by EBU Members, partners, and Eurovision Sport.

Eurovision Sport is the EBU’s first direct-to-consumer service and marks a watershed in live sports broadcasting. Thousands of hours of content are set to be streamed in a single digital destination – complementing existing coverage provided by public service media – and showcasing every second of a wide variety of events, including the BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon.

Robert Portman, Head of Winter Sport at Eurovision Sport said: “The IBU World Championships is the biggest event this year in the winter sports calendar, and we are really proud to be able to offer the excitement and action of the sport of biathlon to such large audiences in the traditional biathlon countries.”