Rai, the Italian public service broadcaster, attracted an average audience of 6.2 million people for last week’s (June 1) Finalissima international soccer match between Argentina and Italy.
The match, arranged by European governing body UEFA and South American governing body CONMEBOL, pits the winners of the UEFA European Championship and South America’s equivalent Copa America against each other.
Go deeper with GlobalData
This year’s match marked the third edition of the Finalissima fixture, which ended with Argentina lifting the trophy after beating Italy 3-0 at England’s Wembley Stadium. The first took place in 1985 when France beat Uruguay, while the second was held eight years later, with Argentina beating Denmark.
Rai recorded a 33.5% market share (6.2 million), with 6.4 million tuning into the first half of the match on the network’s main channel Rai 1 and 6 million watching the second half when Italy was losing.
The next edition of the Finalissima is scheduled for 2024 when the European Championship and Copa America both take place.
The decision to resurrect the Finalissima match was made last December through a strategic partnership and alliance struck between UEFA and CONMEBOL, which also involved a joint office in the UK being created earlier this year and the extension of an existing memorandum of understanding.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataThe match was also shown on pay-TV broadcaster ESPN Brasil, which secured exclusive domestic rights to show it through an agreement struck with CAA Eleven, the agency that markets commercial rights to national teams’ competitions on behalf of UEFA.
Last month, Rai announced that it would retain exclusive rights to the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar despite Italy failing to qualify for the tournament after reports the broadcaster would sub-license or transfer its rights to another network.
Rai acquired multi-platform rights in Italy to this year’s World Cup in April 2021, in a package that will see the broadcaster air all 64 matches during the tournament on its main channel Rai 1.
Meanwhile, UEFA has announced the women’s Finalissima between the winners of this year’s Women’s European Championship and Copa America Femenina will be played in Europe.
The date and venue of the match will be announced soon.
The Women’s Euro 2022 will be played across England in July, while the Copa America Femenina is being held in Colombia in the same month.
