The 2024 men’s EHF European Handball Championship national teams tournament secured the largest broadcast reach in the event’s history, with audience numbers up by more than a third from the previous edition.
Broadcast reach increased 33% from the 2022 tournament, while almost 40 million event impressions were recorded through nearly 6,000 hours of coverage.
This was an improvement of 12% on the 2022 event, whilst the cumulative audience also grew by 18% to 1.2 billion.
Notably, an audience of over five million watched the final on TF1, the French public-service broadcaster, as that country claimed its first title in a decade.
Overall, the 2024 edition of the biennial event, held in Germany, secured strong viewership numbers across several key European markets.
As the European Handball Federation’s exclusive media and marketing partner, international sports marketing agency Infront secured deals with over 30 broadcasters across more than 100 territories.
The German national team consistently drew a huge audience, with almost 9.7 million tuning in for its semi-final loss to Denmark. All the host's matches were broadcast on ZDF or ARD with the main round match against Hungary also boasting a live audience of 8.4 million.
Over seven million fans watched the host’s preliminary round matches, while an average audience of 7.6 million tuned in for the tournament in Germany, which peaked during the main round at 7.9 million. The final round delivered a market share of 32%.
Elsewhere, Denmark’s clash with Norway reached 1.47 million on TV2, almost 75% of the available market share.
Over a million fans also attended EHF Euro matches in person.
Sponsorship impressions and QI media value also increased, reaching 190 million (up 38%) and 538 million (up 32%), respectively. The main round reached a live audience of over 45 million in key markets ahead of its final weekend in Germany.
The reach across all digital platforms also increased to 764 million, marking a 114% increase over the previous tournament. On EHF channels, engagements almost tripled to 14 million, reflecting a 247% improvement.
Video views reached 210 million, a 65% rise from the last edition.
All of this resulted in an increase in the digital media value - which exceeded €5 million ($5.3 million), up by 93%.
Michael Wiederer, EHF president, has said: “The TV figures and digital numbers reached in Germany underline what the EHF Euro is, a top-class international sports product. In its overall development, the men’s EHF Euro 2024 marked a new milestone.
“Never did we witness more hours of European handball being broadcast, never did we engage more fans with the digital content produced. Together with our long-term partner Infront we can be proud of our efforts and believe that the approach we took can be a template for our work at future EHF Euro events.”
Julien Ternisien, Infront's senior vice president of summer sports and winter sports, added: “These metrics serve as a clear indicator of the burgeoning appeal of the men’s EHF Euro 2024 and the commercial opportunities it presents.
“These figures are a testament to handball's growing appeal and the effectiveness of our joint and long-term strategic approach with EHF to reach new fans.”
