A low point in the viewing figures: 3.8 million people saw on Tuesday how the Dutch national team beat host country Qatar at the World Cup. Never before in this century have so few people watched the group matches of Orange in a final tournament as now.
Long before national coach Louis van Gaal’s team had taken even one step on the field, calls were made for a boycott of this World Cup. The human rights violations in Qatar and the hundreds of deaths caused by the construction of the stadiums have sparked outrage worldwide. Media agency GroupM analyzed the viewing figures of Stichting KijkOnderzoek from 2000 and draws the conclusion: fewer people have been watching Oranje until now.
The question why only 3.8 million people watched the third group match of Orange is difficult to answer. “It seems to be a combination of the time (4 p.m., ed.) and the unattractiveness of the match. The tumult surrounding the World Cup and the fact that the Netherlands played against Qatar may also play a role,” says media specialist Jim Leeuw of GroupM.
When the Netherlands played afternoon matches during the 2010 World Cup, they were also watched less than average. For example, on Monday 14 June 2010 at 1.30 pm ‘only’ 4.2 million people watched the opening match against Denmark. The next game against Japan attracted more viewers at the same time: 5.7 million. But that game was played on Saturday.
De kijkcijfers van Oranjewedstrijden tijdens de WK’s sinds 2010
- WK 2010 Nederland-Denemarken: 4,2 miljoen kijkers
- WK 2010 Nederland-Japan: 5,7 miljoen kijkers
- WK 2010 Nederland-Kameroen: 7,2 miljoen kijkers
- WK 2014 Nederland-Spanje: 7,2 miljoen kijkers
- WK 2014 Nederland-Australië: 7,9 miljoen kijkers
- WK 2014 Nederland-Chili: 8.1 miljoen kijkers
- WK 2022 Nederland-Senegal: 4,3 miljoen kijkers
- WK 2022 Nederland-Ecuador: 4,4 miljoen kijkers
- WK 2022 Nederland-Qatar: 3,8 miljoen kijkers
As Orange progresses, more people watch
According to Leeuw, more people might start watching as the Orange advances in the tournament. “The viewing figures for 2010 also show that. The matches between the Netherlands and Slovakia and the Netherlands and Brazil were played on a weekday at 4 p.m. and were watched by six and seven million people respectively.”
A comparison between the various World Cups and European Championships shows that the number of viewers was fairly stable between 2000 and 2014. The tournaments in which the Netherlands advanced, attracted more viewers on average. “The European Championship of 2020 (in the summer of 2021, ed.) Was already viewed significantly less well, with an average of only 5.5 million viewers, while the time and days were favorable at the time. Corona and lockdowns may have played a role. And it was also seven years ago that the Netherlands participated in a final tournament.”
Leeuw sees the number of viewers this World Cup still attract. “I don’t expect much from next Saturday’s match against the United States. If there is a quarter-final against Argentina, it will also be good for six to seven million viewers,” he expects.
What is striking, according to GroupM, is that there are just as many over-60s watching this World Cup as previous editions. “It is the young people who fail. Especially people aged forty or younger watch this World Cup less. And football fans watch in increasingly smaller groups.”
The Orange squad will play against the United States in the eighth finals on Saturday at 4 p.m. That match can be seen live on NPO1. The big viewing event in the Johan Cruijff ArenA is cancelled: there were not enough people interested.
