The total reach of viewers for last month’s BetVictor Welsh Open across BBC Wales, Eurosport and DMAX was up 7% compared to last year.
Mark Selby won the tournament in Llandudno, beating Stephen Maguire 9-6 in the final after seven days of exciting action on the baize in North Wales.
Viewing figures on DMAX jumped by a huge 53% against last year, contributing to the channel’s best ever week for audience share.
And the event had 1.9 million viewing requests on BBC iPlayer, the highest ever for this tournament.
World Snooker Tour’s rapid rise on TikTok was supercharged during this event, generating a remarkable 41 million views in just one week. To put that into perspective, WST recorded 51 million TikTok views across the entire 2023/24 snooker season.
There was significant growth on other platforms compared to last year’s event. Instagram reach soared by 139%, Facebook interactions rose by 55% and YouTube views increased by 87%.
This was also the first Welsh Open broadcast on WST Play, with four tables streamed live to snooker fans in regions where there was no alternative broadcast.
"We are seeing fantastic viewing figures this season and we’re delighted that the Welsh Open has followed this trend, with an increased reach compared to last year across the UK and Europe. The production from both BBC Wales and Eurosport was outstanding and clearly the tournament was enjoyed by many millions of fans. We also saw the arena in Llandudno packed for most sessions. We have four huge events still to come this season and we will continue to deliver a fabulous show for ticket holders as well as the linear and digital audience.”
Tom Rowell, WST's Chief Marketing and Communications Officer