The UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) final between Lyon and Barcelona on Saturday saw a record live cumulative viewership of 3.6 million globally.
The competition was broadcast on DAZN, DAZN’s UWCL YouTube channel, and 11 free-to-air channels in Europe. The figure marks a 56% increase in audience compared to last season’s final.
This was the first year in the platform’s multi-year partnership with UEFA and YouTube that made the tournament available for free to fans around the world all season.
Nadine Kessler, Chief of Women’s Football at UEFA, said: “Our first season of the revamped UEFA Women’s Champions League has been an amazing success story. We have seen clubs playing in their big stadiums, attendance records being broken across several clubs and countries – and even a world record for an official women’s match broken twice at the iconic Camp Nou, where over 90,000 fans turned up and made history.
“Together with DAZN and YouTube, who streamed all matches for free to a global audience, we managed to give the women’s game the exposure it deserves. Through this, we keep changing perceptions.
“The mutual investment together with our broadcast and sponsorship partners and clubs is the basis for inspiring young girls and boys to follow the game and to dream of becoming professionals themselves.
“As a former player myself, I also know how motivating it is for the players of this generation to get this increased level of attention. The final in Turin was a very special occasion, and we can’t wait for next season when the road to Eindhoven begins.”
Furthermore, the firm reported that viewing figures amounted from over 230 countries and territories, including millions tuning in live each match week for 168 broadcast feeds in 11 different languages. Of that, 4.1 million live views are attributed to the past weekend’s final.
The growth of women’s football in recent years continues, and DAZN underlined its mission to build on this global interest in the women’s game.
Shay Segev, CEO of the broadcast group, added: “This first season as the global broadcaster of the UWCL has been a tremendous success and reflects DAZN’s commitment to close the coverage gap between women’s and men’s sports.
“We are invigorated about Year Two and look forward to engaging even more audiences as we further contribute towards building popularity in women’s football.”
