The past season of the Chance League confirmed the growing interest in Czech league football on television. Viewership of matches broadcast on Oneplay Sport rose by more than 23 per cent year-on-year, and the Prague ‘S’ derby became the most-watched broadcast in the channel’s history.
Viewership of Chance League football broadcasts on Oneplay Sport rose again last season. It rose by more than 23 per cent year-on-year, and the March derby between Slavia and Sparta became the channel’s most-watched broadcast ever, with 724,445 viewers tuning in, according to O2 data.
According to the League Football Association (LFA), the growing interest in Czech league football is thus being confirmed not only in stadiums but also in front of television screens. This year’s result followed on from the previous season, when viewership of broadcasts rose by a further nine per cent. Over the last two seasons, the Chance League’s television audience has thus increased by roughly a third.
“We view such a significant year-on-year increase in viewership as an exceptionally strong result and confirmation of the long-term trend we have seen surrounding the Chance League in recent seasons. Interest in Czech league football is growing in stadiums, in the media and on television screens,” said LFA Sales and Marketing Director Daniel Hajný.
The most-watched match of the season was the March Prague ‘S’ derby, which was watched by 724,445 viewers on Oneplay Sport. The match between Slavia and Sparta also set a new record for the channel, becoming the most-watched broadcast in its history.
Whilst the 2024/25 season saw the Prague rivals’ derby as the most-watched match in history with 532,000 viewers, last season saw three matches surpass this figure, with others coming very close.
According to Marek Kindernay, CEO of Oneplay Sport, the growth in viewership is also due to the development of the service itself and its accompanying content. “At Oneplay Sport, we have long been improving not only the quality of the broadcasts themselves, but also the entire viewing experience surrounding the Chance League. Fans have access to live broadcasts, highlights, key moments in the player and statistical data all in one place, anytime and on any device. An important part of this are also related formats, such as the Tiki-Taka show, which also recorded record viewership in May,” said Kindernay.
The LFA expects that the potential of the domestic competition has not yet been exhausted. According to Daniel Hajný, the most-watched league matches could approach the one-million-viewer mark in the coming years.
“The record figures are the best proof of just how strong an impact the Chance Liga can have at present. Our ambition is for the most-watched league matches to approach the one-million-viewer mark in the future,” said Hajný.
“The Chance Liga is establishing a stable position among the most-watched sporting products on the market whilst also reaching new audience groups. This confirms to us that investment in league football makes long-term sense and has a significant impact across the Czech population,” added Martin Ptáčník, head of sponsorship at the competition’s title partner, Chance.
Source: mediaguru.cz
