WTCC SET FOR NEW AUDIENCE RECORD
313 million viewers followed the first seven events
The 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) is set to establish a new record in TV ratings, according to the recent intermediary study released by the German Independent Institute IFM *.
The study showed that after 7 out of the 12 race meetings, a global audience of 313 million viewers watched the races of the series‘ fifth season.
These figures, compared to the total audience of 350 millions for the entire 2008 season, are testament to the growing worldwide popularity of the championship, which also resulted in an increase in worldwide press, web and TV coverage and event attendance.
The WTCC is now covered by 75 TV networks over more than 160 countries and the contribution of Eurosport, the n°1 pan-European TV channel & official media partner of the series, represents 10% of this intermediary cumulative audience, showing that the TV coverage of WTCC is growing all over the world.
The high-quality and innovative Live TV production has been further enhanced this year, as the WTCC has become the first FIA World Championship produced in native High Definition.
These mid-season figures also show that the WTCC has delivered so far great visibility to the car manufacturers, with an advertising equivalent value already higher than for the full 2008 season.
All WTCC Series Partners also benefit from the outstanding audience growth with as much media value as over last year’s 12 events.
* IFM is an independent German company, appointed by Eurosport Events to track WTCC international feed on a global basis and deliver media ROI studies to WTCC stakeholders.
