World Cup final watched by 1.12bn
ZURICH: A combined global audience of 1.12 billion watched the World Cup final between France and Croatia in July, FIFA, the governing body of world football, said on Friday.
In total, FIFA said, a “combined 3.572 billion viewers - more than half of the global population aged four and over - tuned in to world football’s ultimate competition” for at least a minute, over the course of the World Cup from June 14 to July 15.
A survey it had commissioned by FIFA found that 3.04 billion viewers caught at least three minutes, a 10.9 per cent increase on Brazil 2014, and 2.49 billion watched at least 30 minutes, or one third of one match, up on 2014’s 1.95 billion.
FIFA calculated that the average live audience for each of the 64 matches was 191 million.
The survey estimated that 9.5 per cent of that audience, or 309.7 million people, watched no coverage at home but “caught the action on digital platforms, in public viewing areas or in bars and restaurants.”
That proportion was higher for the final between France and Croatia. FIFA said 884.37 million viewers tuning in to traditional TV coverage and a further 231.82 million watching outside the home or digitally.
‘FRANCE UNEXCITING’
BARCELONA: Former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Xavi has said France’s World Cup triumph left him feeling “unenthusiastic” due to their style of play.
Didier Deschamps’ side, containing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba, beat Croatia 4-2 in an action-packed final in Moscow after beating Argentina 4-3 in the tournament’s stand-out game in the last 16.
Yet their performances left Xavi, one of the heroes of Spain’s 2010 World Cup win and a fourtimes Champions League winner with Barca, unimpressed.
ROMA SEEK CHEER
Milan:embattled Roma travel to Turin on Saturday desperate to bring some Christmas cheer back to their beleaguered fans in the capital by pulling off an upset against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus.
Unbeaten Italian champions Juventus have had a recordbreaking start to the season since their blockbuster signing of Ronaldo in the close-season for 100 million euros ($117 million).