Boost in reach and engagement celebrated both online and through broadcast
Zug, Switzerland – The Women's EHF EURO 2018 reached broad handball audiences thanks to an enhanced digital strategy and huge domestic interest when it took place in France from 29 November – 16 December.
The 2018 edition included a number of digital activations designed in collaboration with Infront – EHF's exclusive media and marketing partner for EHF EURO events – to increase awareness of the tournament and bringing handball fans closer to the action.
Outstanding fan engagement
There were over 20 million video views on EHF's social channels, marking an increase of 43 per cent on the 2016 edition and highlighting just one factor in the growth of EHF's social footprint.
EHF accounts saw an increase of 24,500 new followers throughout the event, with the EHF EURO 2018 app celebrating over 30,000 downloads.
The content produced resonated with fans, with almost 941,000 engagements, an increase of 80% from 2016. The result was a total reach of 77.4 million.
Julien Ternisien, Infront Vice President Summer Sports said: "We strongly believe in the importance of pursuing a digital strategy alongside the traditional mediums and the data analysis of the EHF EUROs 2018 is clear evidence that we are correct in doing so. We are delighted that by adding our expertise we have achieved extraordinary reach for the 2018 edition. These results add further value to the tournament in terms of sponsorship and branding."
New in-venue final attendance and broadcasting records
There was also substantial growth in attendance figures with over 14,000 fans watching hosts France claim a maiden title with victory over Russia. This broke the previous tournament record of 11,000 from the 2016 edition. Overall, more than 200,000 fans were on-site at matches throughout the whole event.
A record 4.7m French also tuned into the final with the whole tournament reaching a cumulative audience of 696 million worldwide, the second highest in Women's EHF EURO history, through a total broadcast time of 2,749 hours, the highest in the history of the women's event.
Michael Wiederer, EHF President, said: “The hosting of the first EHF EURO in France – one of the strongest handball nations in Europe – was an important development for the EHF. The outstanding TV, digital and spectator numbers confirm not only the success of this event but also the quality and attractiveness of the women’s game at the top level.”
About Infront
Infront is a leading sports marketing company managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events, including the distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 1,000 staff working from 39 offices across more than 14 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group.
