The record dates back to 2006. In other words, antiquity for television, which then only had six channels. That year, on the evening of July 5, 22.2 million people watched live on TF1 Lilian Thuram, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane and their teammates eliminated Portugal from Luis Figo, Pauleta and a young talent named Cristiano Ronaldo. Five days later, in the final against Italy, the Blues did not repeat the feat, both sportingly – they lost on penalties – and in the media.
This semi-final of the 2006 World Cup is to date the largest audience ever recorded by a French channel since the creation of the measure by Médiamétrie in 1989. During the confinement, the solemn speeches of Emmanuel Macron certainly brought together up to to 36.7 million viewers, but scattered over the ten channels that broadcast the speeches.
Griezmann stronger than Christmas shopping
In 2018, the triumph of the French team never allowed the front page to exceed the 20 million mark. The final against Croatia gathered 19.4 million supporters (82% of PDA) on TF1, to which must be added the additional 1.6 million who had chosen to follow the match on BeIN Sports. The Blues also panic the counters during the final of 1998 or those of Euros 2000 and 2016. Never at the level of July 5, 2006.
After being encouraged by 20.7 million fans to qualify against Morocco, can the band of Mbappé, Giroud and Griezmann break this seemingly unbeatable record? In addition to writing one of the most beautiful pages in the history of French football, they would mark that of television. Officially, TF1 does not risk any prognosis. “It’s the start of the school holidays, many French people will be on their way to their families or doing their last Christmas shopping”, we temper in the corridors of the chain, where we fear not to improve Wednesday night’s score.
Many employees of the One have noticed for several days that the calls for a boycott had not survived the epic of the men of Didier Deschamps. As a result, some people start dreaming. “Pass the 22 million, why not? The poster is perfect. This is the fourth final for Les Bleus since 1998. The players have enormous sympathy and the French know them capable of exploits. The match promises to be disputed against Argentinians carried by Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players in the world, and who officiates in France, at PSG, ”blows a connoisseur.
Competition from BeIN Sports, which will also broadcast the meeting, is not a hindrance. According to L’Équipe, at the end of the World Cup, the sports channel has 2.7 million subscribers. But on the matches it co-broadcasts with TF1, it only very slightly exceeds one million viewers (1.02 million last Saturday for France – England).
This World Cup in winter time also plays in favor of the front page: the lower the temperatures, the more time the French spend in front of their TV. The meeting is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. It’ll be cold. Everything is in place so that the supporters stay warm, as a family, in front of the post. TF1 believes in it, it has set up XXL advertising rates for this match: up to 330,000 euros for a thirty-second spot at halftime, against 315,000 euros during the semi-final against Morocco. What make a little more profitable a World Cup, already won for TF1.