Report: Record-breaking global audiences for sports
November 13, 2025
Glance, a specialist in TV and video market intelligence, has shared its annual sports report, Yearly Sport Key Facts 2025, revealing record-breaking audiences and significant shifts in sports viewership patterns across global markets.
The report analyses television sports consumption from September 2024 to August 2025 in 45 markets globally. The initial wave of 15 markets released highlights unprecedented viewing, including the highest-ever Super Bowl audience and the emergence of women’s sports as a major ratings driver.
American football reached new heights with Super Bowl LIX achieving an all-time record of 126.7 million viewers and 100 per cent market share on Fox in the US, demonstrating the enduring power of premium live sports content in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
Women’s sport achieved breakthrough momentum globally, with the UEFA Women’s European Championship securing the number one sporting audience in both Germany and the UK. The Women’s Tour de France nearly doubled its viewership from 1.4 million in 2024 to 2.7 million average viewers in 2025, peaking at 4.4 million viewers with 41 per cent market share on France 2 for the final stage.
“This sporting season has been defined by two clear trends: the continued dominance of premium sporting events in driving mass audiences, and the remarkable growth of women’s sport as a mainstream viewing proposition,” said Yassine‑Guillaume Berhoun, Director of Sport at Glance. “From the Women’s Tour de France nearly doubling its 2024 performance to women’s football topping ratings charts across Europe, we’re witnessing a fundamental shift in sports viewership patterns. Audiences are increasingly embracing diverse sporting content, showing viewers have a strong appetite for a variety of premium live sports content.”
Other key highlights from the report include:
Tennis witnessed historic moments with the Roland Garros final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner becoming France’s most-watched final since 2011, drawing over 5.1 million viewers on average on France 2 and France 3. Sinner’s subsequent Wimbledon victory delivered the UK’s third-highest sporting audience of the season with nearly 5.8 million viewers and a 48.3 per cent market share on BBC1.
Rugby dominated the French sporting calendar with 6 out of 10 of the best sporting audiences of the season being rugby matches, maintaining its position as France’s third most consumed sport at 17 per cent of total sports viewership.
New competitions also captured significant audiences, notably the inaugural NHL 4 Nations Face-off, a new hockey tournament, dominated Canadian sports viewing with 4 out of 10 best sporting audiences. Its popularity culminated in the Canada-USA final attracting 4.5 million viewers on Sportsnet (38 per cent market share) and 9.3 million on ESPN in the US.
Despite these emerging trends, football maintains its global dominance as the most consumed sports genre in 6 of the 15 territories studied, representing 49 per cent of sports viewing in Italy and 71 per cent in Spain.
Glance is planning to share subsequent Yearly Sports Key Facts updates looking at additional markets as well as F1 and MotoGP, which will be released in December and January.
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