China’s World Cup frenzy: 70 billion views, 83.3 billion yuan in lottery football sales
Figures from CCTV and China Sports Lottery reveal tournament’s reach while sponsors and retailers also benefit from huge interest
The Fifa World Cup grabbed the attention of not just football fans but also punters in China, according to data from the state broadcaster and sports lottery.
CCTV, the state broadcaster, shared that its tournament broadcasts, special programming and news coverage reached a cumulative cross-media audience of more than 70 billion individual views by the eve of the World Cup final.
During the final between Argentina and Spain, the broadcaster revealed that live cross-media broadcasts reached a cumulative audience of 282 million, peaking with a real-time viewership of 41.23 million.
Punters watched amid heightened tension as China’s sports lottery market experienced a surge in sales during the tournament.
Official China Sports Lottery data showed weekly sales for single-match punts across the six weeks of the tournament were 6.87 billion yuan (US$1.014 billion), 15.15 billion yuan, 16.27 billion yuan, 17.20 billion yuan, 16.84 billion yuan and 10.98 billion yuan.
The total amount spent on lotteries was 83.3 billion yuan. Sales peaked between June 29 and July 5 at more than 17 billion yuan, coinciding with the first week of the knockout stage.