Reach record for ORF: Nearly one million watched Austria's World Cup drama against Algeria

The first half between Austria and Algeria, which began at four o'clock in the morning, was watched by an average of 695,000 people with a market share of 81 percent on ORF 1. This figure corrects downward the somewhat broader initial figure from the first report. During the second, significantly more dramatic half, the average rose considerably to 903,000 viewers.

The absolute peak value is given by ORF as 972,000 viewers. According to the broadcaster, this was reached at the exact moment when Saša Kalajdžić scored the equalizer to make it 3:3 at precisely 5:57 a.m. and ORF commentator Daniel Warmuth loudly exclaimed "deppert." At that time, 963,000 fans are said to have been watching live on the ORF program. „Laut ORF wurden für diese Zeitzone ‚alle Rekorde' gebrochen", heißt es in der Meldung des Senders.

Comparison with other World Cup broadcasts

Despite these figures, the Algeria match was not the most-watched Austria match of this World Cup so far: the second half of Austria vs. Jordan was watched by an average of 1.24 million people. ServusTV also recorded an average of 2.1 million viewers for the match – this figure refers to a different survey and a longer viewing period. In ORF's reach ranking, the two Austria matches broadcast by the public-service broadcaster take first and fifth place.

Comparison with other World Cup broadcasts

In the context of the World Cup matches so far, the Algeria match performed significantly worse than the other top figures. The opening match between Mexico and South Africa was watched by an average of 1.01 million, while France vs. Senegal remained just below the million-viewer mark with 982,000 viewers. These comparative figures make clear that the Algeria reach for the late-night slot in the early hours of Sunday can nevertheless be regarded as exceptional.

Why the time slot matters

The streaming balance is also noteworthy: in ORF streaming, where according to the broadcaster there were no technical problems this time, 145,000 people watched the second half of Austria vs. Algeria. The average reach for the live stream of the second half is also described as the „bisher stärkster Stream der Gruppenphase und damit gleichzeitig auch Rekord seit Einführung der Online-Bewegtbild-Messung im Jahr 2017". According to ORF, the current World Cup is already ahead of the one in Qatar 2022, which reached 5.4 million viewers on average overall.

Outlook: Round of 16 against Spain

Why the time slot matters

The 4 a.m. Central European Time kickoff was about as unfavorable as possible for a European audience. Accordingly, despite its dramatic outcome, the match was the lowest-rated of Austria's three matches so far. By comparison: the blockbuster against Argentina took place at a pleasant time for a European audience, starting at 7 p.m. The strong second half nevertheless shows that the audience could be mobilized in the early morning hours – not least because the match remained open for a long time on the pitch.

Outlook: Round of 16 against Spain

Following the 3:3 against Algeria, the Austrian national football team faces the round of 16 against Spain. Kickoff is on Thursday at 9 p.m. – a significantly more viewer-friendly time than the group match against Algeria. This means noticeably higher reach figures can be expected on ORF for the upcoming match, especially since the broadcaster says it is already recording an overall above-average World Cup performance.