The World Cup opening game of the German national soccer team has brought in relatively weak odds. On average, 9.23 million people watched the first, from 2 p.m. market shares of 59.7 percent overall and 62.7 percent among the younger target group were achieved, reports the industry magazine “DWDL”. For comparison: German appearances at earlier world championships brought in significantly better values.
At the World Cup in Russia four years ago, 25.96 million people watched the 0-1 defeat against Mexico, the rate was 81.3 percent. In general, none of the three Germany games in 2018 had fewer than 25 million viewers.
The kick-off in the early afternoon of a working day is inconvenient for many. But even at comparable times, games with DFB participation in past World Cups achieved better numbers. In 2002, the group game between Germany and Cameroon began on a Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.: Around 15.7 million fans watched, which corresponded to around 77 percent of the market at the time. On a Friday in 2010, there were even 22 million viewers against Serbia from 1:30 p.m. (87 percent market share). However, it should be noted that the statistics do not include the streaming access figures in the media center and the Magenta TV viewers. Nevertheless, the suspicion arises that the debate about human rights in the host country Qatar, the postponement of the competition to the winter and the cancellation of public viewings in some large cities have had a negative impact on interest in the World Cup.
Germany meets Spain in the second group game at 8 p.m. on Sunday. In the event of a defeat or a draw, there is a risk of premature end.
