World Soccer Talk: Euro 2020 Round of 16 matches average 1.8 million viewers; 38 percent increase from 2016

Thursday, 1 July 2021

Euro 2020 Round of 16 matches average 1.8 million viewers; 38 percent increase from 2016

The eight UEFA EURO 2020 Round of 16 matches on ABC and ESPN from June 26-29 (Saturday through Tuesday) delivered an average audience of 1,816,000 viewers, a 38 percent increase compared to 1,317,000 viewers for the same matches in 2016.

Through 44 EURO 2020 matches (Group Stage and Round of 16), the average audience across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 is 1,063,000 viewers, a 29 percent increase over 822,400 viewers for comparable matches in 2016.

Sunday’s Belgium-Portugal Round of 16 match on ABC is the most-viewed match of the tournament so far with 2,653,000 viewers – the fifth most-watched UEFA European Football Championship match since ESPN and ABC began airing the competition in 2008. Belgium’s 1-0 victory over the reigning European champions was only surpassed by the three EURO finals in 2012 (4,567,000 viewers), 2016 (4,538,000) and 2008 (4,133,000), and the Italy-England quarterfinal match from EURO 2012 (3,103,000).

The top five EURO 2020 Round of 16 matches delivered more viewers than any match in this round in 2016. Additionally, all Round of 16 matches delivered an average audience of at least 1.2 million viewers.

Here are the viewing numbers for ABC/ESPN’s Round of 16 Matches for EURO 2020:

1. Belgium vs. Portugal, 2.653 million
2. Italy vs. Austria, 2.077 million
3. France vs. Switzerland, 1.958 million
4. England vs. Germany, 1.861 million
5. Netherlands vs. Czech Republic, 1.696 million
6. Sweden vs. Ukraine, 1.655 million
7. Wales vs. Denmark, 1.464 million
8. Croatia vs. Spain, 1.236 million