Rowing Proves Popular

TV cameras capture the winners
© FISA

Recently a research company, IFM, analysed the World Championships media coverage of four comparable sports. As reported in May’s edition of SporTVision magazine, rowing, fencing, gymnastics and cyclo-cross were analysed by the size of the television audience and the value of sponsorship. The study compared coverage in five European countries ? France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. 

Last years World Rowing Championships, held in Lucerne, Switzerland, achieved the highest ranking across the five markets. This ranking was based on the size of the television audience and duration of the sports broadcast. Germany had highest evaluation followed by Italy and France.

The study also calculated a hypothetical ?sponsor value for money? based on the cost to the sponsor in order to reach 1000 television watchers. Again rowing had the top ranking with the sponsor gaining the best value for money.

Photographers at the World Champs, Lucerne 2001
© Sybrand Treffers

An impressive 48 million people in Europe, from 12 countries, viewed the World Rowing Championships in 2001. Of those viewers almost half were from Germany with an audience of 20 million. This was an astounding 75 percent increase on the number of Germans who watched the World Champs in 1999.

The Netherlands and Great Britain also had large television audiences with 8.5 and 5.5 million respectively. Another large increase in viewers came from Slovenia with 70 percent more people watching than in 1999.

With this growing popularity it bodes well for rowing’s future.