The Euro 2024 quarterfinal clash between Germany and Spain became the most-watched TV event in Germany this year, according to data from public broadcaster ARD.
An impressive 27.1 million viewers tuned in to the live broadcast on July 5, capturing a remarkable 80.9% market share. Germany's hopes were dashed as they were eliminated from the home tournament following a 2-1 extra-time defeat to eventual champions Spain.
In contrast, Germany's women's team topped the viewership charts in 2022 and 2023, while the men's team failed to make the top 50 after disappointing exits in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
"The home European championship was very dominant, the tournament was a lot of fun for people," ARD sports coordinator Axel Balkausky said.
More than 20 matches not involving Germany reached the 10 million-viewer mark. The final between Spain and England was watched by 22.4 million people.
"That was impressive proof of the power of football at tournaments,” Balkausky said.
The most successful sport after football was, as in the previous year, handball.
Five European Championship matches involving the German team were among the 50 most successful sports broadcasts of the year, including the semifinal defeat to Denmark with 9.8 million viewers, ranking 29th.
The Olympic Games were also a major ratings driver. The opening ceremony on public broadcaster ZDF delivered the highest rating from Paris: 10.4 million people watched the ceremony, which lasted about four hours and ranked 26th in the ratings.
