Senegal-Morocco: Historic audience for M6

According to figures released by Médiamétrie on Monday, January 19, the match attracted an average of 3.4 million viewers, or a 17.1% audience share. This score places the channel behind the film Maison de retraite aired on TF1, but ahead of the programming on France 3. This is the best television audience for this competition in France in 18 years.

The final, won by Senegal 1-0 after extra time, largely exceeded the scores of previous editions. In 2024, the final broadcast on W9 had only attracted 793,000 viewers. Although this result remains lower than the 7.7 million viewers recorded during the Euro 2024 final, it marks a significant progress for the African tournament.

This broadcast was the result of an agreement between the pay-TV channel beIN Sports, the initial rights holder, and the M6 group for a free-to-air broadcast. This event is part of M6’s strategy, which has recently acquired the broadcasting rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, thus succeeding the historical broadcaster.

On the field, captain Sadio Mané lifted the trophy at the end of a scenario described as farcical. The Atlas Lions conceded during extra time after missing decisive chances during regulation time. This audience success confirms the French public’s interest in the big matches of African football.