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A Glance at sports TV globally during Covid2019
NEW DELHI: In a year mostly devoid of outdoors action, it came as no big surprise that when live sports resumed in the form of the IPL 2020, it set new viewership records. In a similar fashion, season seven of the ISL is also performing very well, further speaking to the love of football in India.
But how did sports television fare in other parts of the globe? How did sports buffs in other nations get by for months when live sport was a no-no?
The 2020 edition of the Yearly Sport Key Facts will give you a clue. Brought out by Glance, a specialist of international TV markets, the report states that months into the Coronavirus pandemic, sports fans are eagerly awaiting the return of sports on television and that the year will forever be an unprecedented season in the history of worldwide sports.
“The broadcast sports offer during the 2019-20 season has logically declined, but audience successes have also been recorded in many countries, particularly with the resumption of competitions after lockdown,” said Glance sport director Yassine Berhoun.
She should know: her agency provides official TV ratings for over 7,000 channels in more than 120 territories.
As all the sports competitions from March to June were cancelled, right holders and broadcasters were left with no option but to reinvent themselves to offer attractive content to sports enthusiasts during lockdown.
Some channels in European countries showed reruns of the greatest triumphs of their national teams. In France, the L’Equipe channel broadcast several matches from the 2018 World Cup, including France’s win in the final against Croatia, which attracted more than 600,000 viewers. Similar strategies were adopted in Germany and Spain.
Virtual events were also set up to make up for the absence of live sports. In northern Belgium, the broadcast of the virtual Tour of Flanders on EEN, where 13 riders were facing each other on a cycling simulation, was watched by more than 600,000 viewers with an audience share of 56 per cent.
In the United States, the ESPN channel aired The Last Dance documentary series about the final season (1997-98) of the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan’s basketball team. The eagerly awaited documentary created a buzz and was watched on average by more than 6.7 million TV viewers for an average audience share of 7.8 per cent, the biggest audience in history for an ESPN documentary.
The games have returned, but are still being played behind closed doors. One of the first football competitions to resume was the Bundesliga, the German league which was broadcast by the Sky Group in Germany. The first post-lockdown day broadcast thus achieved an audience of more than 2.5 million fans.
In Italy, the final of the Coppa Italia between Napoli and Juventus in June achieved the best audience of the season with 10.2 million viewers and a market share of 39.3 per cent on Rai 1, which is three million more viewers than the 2019 final.
Another highly anticipated competition, the Champions League, made its comeback in August in a new format. The final between Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich got the best sports audience of the season in France and Germany.
In the 2019/20 season, six of the top ten sports audiences of the season were for Coppa Italia games, according to Glance.
The winter sports narrowly escaped the lockdown, with only a few final events cancelled at the beginning of the health crisis. In Austria, Slovenia, Norway, Poland and Sweden, TV viewing of winter sports accounted for over 40 per cent of all sports viewed between September 2019 and August 2020.
LINK TO THE REPORT : https://www.glance-mediametrie.com/en/yearly-sport-key-facts-2020
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
