Women's Champions League final watched by 3.6m viewers
By Ali Rampling
The 2021/22 Women's Champions League final was watched by a global audience of 3.6m- a 56% increase on last season's final.
Lyon beat Barcelona 3-1 to dethrone the reigning champions and lift their eighth European title.
The Women's Champions League was free to air in its entirety for the very first time during the 2021/22 campaign via DAZN's UWCL YouTube channel as part of a ground breaking broadcast partnership.
According to DAZN, 3.6m viewers tuned in for the competition's showpiece on the platform plus on an additional 11 free-to-air channels in Europe.
“DAZN’s involvement and work throughout this campaign has been invaluable," said Lyon striker and the Women's Champions League's all-time top scorer, Ada Hegerberg.
"On a personal level, this season has been unbelievable, but I can’t emphasise how much the quality of DAZN’s production helped in making the UEFA Women’s Champions League a product worthy of women’s football. Figures show that when made available, people tune in. It’s only the beginning. Bring it on!”
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The competition's 61 matches plus highlights, player interviews and other additional content attracted a grand total of 64m views on DAZN and DAZN’s UWCL YouTube channel.
The 2021/22 season was the first of a four-year deal that DAZN agreed with Uefa to broadcast the Champions League. A selection of the fixtures are planned to be put behind a paywall from the 2023/24 season.
"Together with DAZN and YouTube, we managed to give the women’s game the exposure it deserves," added Nadine Kessler, chief of women's football at Uefa. "Through this we keep changing perceptions.
"The mutual investment together with our broadcast and sponsorship partners and clubs is the basis for inspiring young girls and boys to follow the game and to dream of becoming professionals themselves.
"As a former player myself, I also know how motivating it is for the players of this generation to get this increased level of attention. The final in Turin was a very special occasion and we can’t wait for next season, when the road to Eindhoven begins.”