French Open 2022 viewership breaches the 42-million mark in France
Last Sunday marked the end of a magnificent edition of the French Open, the second Grand Slam event of the year. While Spain's Rafael Nadal continued to make history by winning his 22nd Major, Poland's Iga Swiatek lifted her second Roland Garros trophy.
In the host country, the tournament was telecast by France TV on its second and third channels: France 2 and France 3. Reports have shown extraordinary viewership numbers, making the event an out-and-out success for broadcasters.
According to Mediametrie, a France-based company that specializes in audience measurement, the two-week long tournament was watched by over 42 million people in France.
France Television ratings for French Open singles finals
Nadal-Ruud 4.6 million (39.4% audience share), peak at 6.4 million. Biggest viewership since 2012 for men's final
Swiatek-Gauff, 2.1 million (25.2%), peak at 3.2 milllion, Biggest since 2014 for women's final
#getty https://t.co/jxVarDd0ut
It's a new record for the French Open since its 2012 edition, with an incredible increase of 3.3 million viewers. This year's men's final between Nadal and Casper Ruud averaged 4.6 million views (39.4% audience share) at a peak of 6.4 million. On the other hand, the women's final between Swiatek and Coco Gauff averaged 2.1 million people (25.2% audience share) at a peak of 3.2 million.
Noticing a trend 😄
#RolandGarros https://t.co/QZyS26qfw9
Amazon Prime Video was also the broadcast partner for the French Open this season. Alex Green, the CEO of Prime Video Sport Europe, expressed his satisfaction after receiving positive customer feedback for the tournament coverage.
“We are very satisfied with the feedback from our subscribers on our coverage of Roland Garros in 2022 in France. Viewership on Prime Video has grown strongly this year, with Prime members doubling down on watching the tournament on the platform. In addition, millions of spectators watched the quarterfinal between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, which was accessible to everyone for free," Green said.
Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic quarterfinal broke Eurosport's French Open viewership record
In the highly anticipated quarterfinal clash between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Nadal defeated the defending champion 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) in a little over four hours and advanced to the semifinals.
Breaking previous records, it became the most-watched French Open match in the history of Eurosport, a French television sports network. The match registered more than a million views with an average of 833,000 viewers. It was also just the second match on Eurosport's list of highest-viewership tennis matches, the first being the 2022 Australian Open final between Nadal and Daniil Medvedev.
What was turning out to be a one-sided contest with the Russian about to win his first title Down Under, became an edge-of-the-seat match as Nadal returned from two sets to love down and won the match. The match lasted five hours and 24 minutes.