The 2025 World Snooker Championship attracted large TV audiences with the tournament being streamed a record-breaking 29 million times across BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app – an increase of 25 per cent on 2024.

The overall TV reach across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four over the tournament was 12.6 million – with a peak of 3 million on BBC Two during the final.

The tournament at the Crucible came to a dramatic end on May 5th with Zhao Xintong securing a 18-12 win against Mark Williams to become the first player from China to lift the coveted trophy.

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, commented: “This year’s World Championship has been gripping, with a phenomenal response from fans. The matches have had drama, legends clashing, and rising stars showcasing the brilliance of the sport’s next generation of players. This tremendous championship culminated as ‘The Cyclone’ Zhao Xintong won the title of World Champion against an icon of the sport, Mark Williams. It’s been an unforgettable final weekend at the Crucible with BBC Sport bringing audiences every moment across TV, Radio and online.”

WST Chairman, Steve Dawson, added: “This has been one of the best World Championships in memory, packed with thrilling moments, fabulous matches and a remarkable standard of play. So we’re delighted to see that reflected in the BBC viewing figures. To set a new record for iPlayer streams shows that we have a growing audience of new fans who are tuning in to snooker’s unique capacity for drama. The quality of production this year on BBC was outstanding, and we look forward to working with their team on more world class events next season.”

In January, BBC Sport and World Snooker Tour agreed an extension to their broadcast agreement to 2032.

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Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Content, OTT, Research

Tags: BBC, iPlayer, snooker, Sport