Champions League fans are used to a wait between competition stages, but thanks to the new format, only 2 weeks since Chelsea were knocked out of the ‘Round of 16′ by Internazionale, the Quarter-Finals are here and get under way tonight.
It is, as they say, crunch time.
Back in February, the Mindshare team predicted that the extended last 16 format (games spread over 4 weeks rather than 2) would significantly boost audiences, and we weren’t wrong! TV audiences were up 61% in the European Big 5 markets vs the same period of the competition last season*.
*Based on UEFA Audience over-night figures. Note: Fixtures & local broadcaster changes will account for some of this uplift.
With an all French clash tonight between Lyon & Bordeaux (the first ever in the history of the competition) we expect to see French audiences breaking the 7 million barrier for the first time this season.
Whoever you will be supporting…enjoy!
Ford are the sole remaining founder partners of the UEFA Champions League, supported by Mindshare Invention. If you have any sponsorship queries regarding the UEFA Champions League or any other sporting events, get in touch with Emily Turner in the Mindshare Invention team.
