The inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker attracted the second highest live average audience of the season so far in the UK on Eurosport.
Only the Masters garnered a higher average viewership this season, with the showpiece Riyadh invitational achieving bigger numbers in that field than the UK Championship.
Viewers were gripped by the action, as world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan was in electrifying form to claim the title. Ther Rocket defeated Luca Brecel 5-2 in the final.
The tournament also received huge interest across WST’s social media platforms, reaching a total of 10.5 million people at an average of 3.5 million per day. This outperformed January’s Masters, which reached 2.5 million per day.
“It’s been incredible to take the World Snooker Tour to Saudi Arabia for the first time. The players produced a phenomenal standard on the baize and that was reflected in the scale of the event. Boulevard City in Riyadh provided a stunning backdrop for the action, which generated a unique atmosphere and added to the excitement of the already star-studded Riyadh Season."
Tom Rowell
WST's Chief Marketing And Communications Officer
Rowell added: “The viewing figures we achieved over the three-day tournament show interest in snooker is continuing to accelerate and emphasises the excitement generated by snooker’s debut in Riyadh. We cannot wait to return later this year for the full ranking event, the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.”