MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Network’s (SPN) recent broadcast of the FIFA U-17 World Cup seems to have made a mark. 47 million viewers tuned in across India for the 22-day long event, as per data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) for 2+ All India urban+rural, pay sports channels.

The Hindi and Bengali feeds were instrumental in adding 40 percent of the overall viewership. Regions like West Bengal, Northeast India and Kerala contributed a large chunk of viewers. 45 per cent of the audience was also female.

Games played by team India saw an average 2.6 million impressions per game. The full house finals between England and Spain in Kolkata’s Salt Lake stadium on 28 October generated an average of 2.2 million impressions. SPN claims that its coverage of the World Cup got better ratings than other international football events like FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, English Premier League 2016-17, La Liga 2016-2017 etc.

SPN India president, sports and distribution business, Rajesh Kaul said, “It was a great privilege for India as a nation to host the FIFA U-17 World Cup and an incredible opportunity for us at Sony Pictures Networks India to broadcast the tournament and bring football to the forefront in India. Our efforts towards leveraging and enhancing the popularity of the FIFA U-17 World Cup have yielded excellent results and we hope that this will be a pivotal point for the rise of football in India.”