Wednesday, 25 January 2023

Broadcast Sport: Murray heroics help Warner Bros. Discovery to Australian Open audience growth

Story from Broadcast Sport:

Warner Bros. Discovery has revealed that streaming audiences for the first week of the Australian Open have grown by almost a third year-on-year.

Discovery+ specifically has more than doubled its audience, assisted by coverage in the new markets such as Germany and Austria. In France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, the broadcaster revealed it has achieved “double-digit” growth in overall streaming year-on-year.

Andy Murray’s five-set thriller against Thanasi Kokkinakis has attracted the highest number of viewers across Warner Bros. Discovery’s channels and platforms in all markets.

Meanwhile, linear audiences have been boosted by local heroes, with Eurosport 1 audiences growing 84% in Poland and 39% in the Netherlands - boosted by the performances of Magda Linette, Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek in Poland, and the all-Dutch tie of Tallon Griekspoor v Botic Van de Zandschulp in the Netherlands.

Overall, Eurosport 1 audiences have been consistent with the record-breaking 2022 tournament, and Eurosport 2 has enjoyed a 16% growth in viewers across Europe.

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