Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Reports 13% Surge in Digital Viewership for Australian Open in First Week of Tournament
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe has reported a significant increase in digital viewership for its Australian Open coverage. After the tournament’s first week, the streamer has achieved its largest digital audience in the event.
The streaming platform Discovery+, which exclusively broadcasts the tournament across ten European markets, has seen a 13% rise in audience numbers and a 17% increase in minutes watched compared to the same period in 2023.
Significant audience growth has been observed in various markets, driven by strong performances from local players and an increasing interest in live tennis broadcasts. Notable increases include Finland (45%), Denmark (26%), and Germany (24%). This trend is also reflected in markets the Eurosport App serves, such as Hungary (25%) and France (13%).
Eurosport.com has attracted tennis enthusiasts seeking additional content, news, and videos, achieving a 17% increase in unique users and a 49% rise in free video minutes viewed across all markets. Significant growth in digital visitors to Eurosport.com has been recorded in countries like Norway (52%), Romania (33%), Italy (32%), France (17%), and the Netherlands (15%).
Social media engagement has also risen, with free highlight clips and expert content on Eurosport’s social platforms, including YouTube and Instagram, witnessing a doubling in video views and interactions compared to the previous year.
This year, WBD Sports’ exclusive European coverage of the Australian Open features insights from former Grand Slam champions like John McEnroe, Mats Wilander, Justine Henin, and Boris Becker, along with commentators like Alex Corretja, Tim Henman, Laura Robson, and Barbara Schett. Nick Kyrgios, a former Australian Open doubles champion, joined Eurosport for match commentary and international studio analysis.
Discovery+ and Eurosport will continue to provide exclusive coverage of every match at the Australian Open.
There is a rising trend in viewer engagement in sports streaming. During the cricket World Cup last year, Disney+ Hotstar set a new milestone with 59 million concurrent viewers during the finals between India and Australia.
Meanwhile, the Peacock Exclusive AFC Wild Card drew an audience of 27.6 million viewers, setting a record as the most-streamed live event in US history and was remarkable for being the first NFL playoff game broadcast exclusively via a streaming service to a national audience.
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