The PSG’s Champions League victory falls short of last year’s record audience

The Paris Saint-Germain’s historic back-to-back in the Champions League drew fewer viewers than their first-ever triumph a year ago. While the PSG defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the final, the television audience did not match the 11.5 million who tuned in for last season’s 5-0 win over Inter Milan.

On Saturday evening, 6.2 million viewers watched the match on M6, with a peak of 13.5 million during the closing minutes. An additional 2.9 million followed the game on Canal+. This represents a decline of over 2 million viewers on the free-to-air channel compared to last year’s final.

Tennis vs. football: a clash of schedules

The drop in viewership can be attributed to scheduling conflicts with Roland-Garros. The third-round match of Moïse Kouamé, a rising French tennis talent, began at 4:15 PM—just as the PSG final kicked off at 6 PM. Despite the overlap, Kouamé still managed to attract 3 million viewers to his match.

In a lighthearted moment after his four-set loss to Chilean player Alejandro Tabilo, Kouamé joked, “I caught the penalties, I saw the worst moment, I think!” Wearing a PSG jersey, he added, “It’s a small consolation for my lost match.” The young player maintained his good spirits despite the defeat.

For Luis Enrique‘s team, the victory was a milestone, but the television figures failed to match the hype of their first Champions League title. The competition between sports events highlighted the challenges of scheduling major fixtures without overlapping.