Canal+ records season-high audience for PSG's Champions League win over Liverpool
Canal+ recorded its best audience of the football season on Wednesday night, drawing an average of 2.43 million viewers for Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League quarter-final first leg victory over Liverpool. According to figures from Médiamétrie, the encrypted channel secured a 13.5% market share for the match, which PSG won 2-0 at the Parc des Princes.
The audience performance underscores the enduring drawing power of the Champions League's latter stages, particularly when featuring heavyweight clashes. Only the national broadcaster France 2 attracted more viewers during the same Wednesday evening slot, with its telefilm 'Sœurs et demie' drawing 3.28 million people. The football broadcast comfortably surpassed the previous season high for Canal+, which was the 2.01 million average viewers for Olympique de Marseille's group stage match against Real Madrid on September 16.
The figures highlight a significant media victory for PSG over their domestic rivals Marseille this season, at least in terms of television appeal. The context of a knockout round against a historic European giant like Liverpool, managed by Arne Slot, proved a more potent attraction than a group stage fixture, even one involving the record fourteen-time champions Real Madrid. The data suggests that had the match been broadcast on free-to-air television, such as TF1, the audience likely would have been substantially larger, recalling the era when the competition was more widely accessible.
The strong viewership comes amid a mixed season for PSG, who are navigating a transitional phase under coach Luis Enrique but remain France's primary club attraction on the continental stage. The result on the pitch, a clean-sheet victory, provided an ideal narrative to complement the broadcast success. For Canal+, the numbers offer positive momentum as it continues to hold the exclusive rights to the Champions League in France, a valuable asset in a competitive sports broadcasting landscape.
The audience peak and specific match details were not provided in the initial data release. The return leg at Anfield next week is now set up as a decisive encounter, with Liverpool needing to overturn the two-goal deficit. That match is also expected to draw a major audience, potentially challenging the season's records once more as the drama of the quarter-finals reaches its conclusion.
