It wasn’t to be for the Lionesses on the pitch but the England v Spain 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final was a massive win for the BBC drawing a TV audience of 12 million on BBC One, alongside an additional 3.9 million streams on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online.
With a peak audience of 12 million, the culmination of the hugely exciting football tournament was the second most-watched BBC TV event of 2023, after the Coronation. The tournament in general drew huge audiences for the BBC, seeing a total TV reach of 21.2 million (15mins or more) and was streamed 25.7 million times across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app, a 75% increase on the 14.7 million streams for the 2019 World Cup.
Massive audiences for the Lionesses grew throughout the Women’s World Cup. The Lionesses’ Round of 16 fixture against Nigeria had a peak TV audience of 5.2 million on BBC One and was also streamed 2.6 million times on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online even though it started at 8:30 UK time. In addition to the TV and digital streaming figures, there were over 2 million requests on the BBC’s digital platforms for match highlights and clips.
England’s Semi-Final match against World Cup co-hosts Australia had a peak TV audience of 7.3 million on BBC One while match highlights and clips were streamed 2.7 million times on the BBC’s digital platforms. The game was also streamed 3.8 million times on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online.
“We're proud to be long-term partners for women's football which continues its fantastic upward trajectory. The Lionesses came so close but they should be incredibly proud of reaching a World Cup final,” said director of BBC Sport, Barbara Slater. “It was a brilliant tournament for audiences and these figures prove once again that no one can bring the nation together for the big moments quite like the BBC across TV, iPlayer, Sounds and the Sport website."
Massive audiences for the Lionesses grew throughout the Women’s World Cup. The Lionesses’ Round of 16 fixture against Nigeria had a peak TV audience of 5.2 million on BBC One and was also streamed 2.6 million times on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online even though it started at 8:30 UK time. In addition to the TV and digital streaming figures, there were over 2 million requests on the BBC’s digital platforms for match highlights and clips.
England’s Semi-Final match against World Cup co-hosts Australia had a peak TV audience of 7.3 million on BBC One while match highlights and clips were streamed 2.7 million times on the BBC’s digital platforms. The game was also streamed 3.8 million times on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online.
“We're proud to be long-term partners for women's football which continues its fantastic upward trajectory. The Lionesses came so close but they should be incredibly proud of reaching a World Cup final,” said director of BBC Sport, Barbara Slater. “It was a brilliant tournament for audiences and these figures prove once again that no one can bring the nation together for the big moments quite like the BBC across TV, iPlayer, Sounds and the Sport website."
