The Eurovision Song Contest, the world’s largest non-sporting TV event, was seen by almost 200 million viewers in its 60th anniversary year. The three live shows from Vienna, Austria on 19, 21 and 23 May reached 197 million people in 40 countries – two million more than in 2014.
The 2015 Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest achieved, on average, an audience share of 39.6 per cent across 40 markets – more than double the average prime-time viewing share for the same group of channels (16.4 per cent) and a six per cent increase in TV viewing share versus the 2014 Grand Final.
“We are immensely proud that in its 60th year the Eurovision Song Contest has, once again, proved essential viewing for nearly 200 million people around the world,” said the EBU’s director general Ingrid Deltenre.
“The ratings for this year’s excellent co-production with EBU member Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) show that public service broadcasters are delivering the top quality entertainment that their audiences want to see and that after 60 years the Eurovision Song Contest still has the power to unite viewers of all ages across the globe.”
The Eurovision Song Contest was a huge draw for hard-to-reach younger audiences. On average 44.8 per cent of 15-24 year olds watching TV in 40 countries saw the Grand Final, eight per cent up on 2014’s figures and more than four times the average prime-time viewing share of young adults for the same group of channels (11.1 per cent).
Host country Austria saw its largest TV audience of the last decade for the Grand Final. 1.7 million Austrians tuned in for the four-hour spectacular, accounting for 59.9 per cent of TV viewing on 23 May.
Iceland delivered the largest viewing share of all 40 countries. Despite not qualifying from their semi final, 95.5 per cent of those watching TV in the country saw the Grand Final.
Winner Sweden gained the second highest viewing share. An enormous 85.6 per cent of TV viewers tuned in to watch Måns Zelmerlöw bring his country its sixth Eurovision victory.
Australia’s debut in the Eurovision Song Contest delivered the country’s biggest ever Song Contest audience – reaching 5.7 million people across both live broadcasts and prime time repeats. The figures were up 27 per cent from 2014 when EBU associate member SBS provided an interval act for one of the semi finals. Australia was invited to send an entry for the first time in 2015 to mark the Song Contest’s 60th Anniversary.
The Eurovision Song Contest was awarded a Guinness World Record in 2015 for being the Longest Running Annual Television Music Competition. The event was also signed for the first time for the deaf and hard of hearing.
