This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has proven to be a hit with audiences, with 183 million viewers turning in across 36 markets.
The audience for the 2021 Grand Final was four per cent higher than the previous show in 2019, according to figures from the European Broadcasting Union.
The show broke its own viewing records in a number of European countries.
In Italy, Eurovision delivered its largest audience for broadcaster Rai since they re-joined the competition after a 13-year absence in 2011. An average of 4.3 million viewers watched the Grand Final, accounting for 24.4 per cent of TV viewing in the country.
Host country the Netherlands saw their biggest audience for the Grand Final since records began in 2003, up 21 per cent on 2019. 5.4 million viewers watched on NPO, who staged the event with NOS and AVROTROS. The huge audience made up 78.5 per cent of TV viewing in the Netherlands.
France, who came second this year, saw its best audience of the past decade, with 5.5 million viewers, up 15 per cent on 2019.
In the UK, 7.4 million viewers tuned in – the highest number since 2014 and up 6 per cent on 2019; while Iceland had the largest viewing share of any market at 99.9 per cent.
“We’re thrilled to see that audiences welcomed back the Eurovision Song Contest in such huge numbers and very proud to have brought millions together at a time when so many are still apart,” said executive supervisor Martin Osterdahl.
“The overwhelmingly positive response to this year’s incredible shows from NPO, NOS and AVROTROS, and the huge success of Måneskin and so many of this year’s songs demonstrates that, even in its 65th year, the Eurovision Song Contest’s impact is bigger than ever.”
