France-Morocco World Cup quarterfinal draws 16.1m viewers on M6, a 72.8% audience share and the year's biggest TV audience

The numbers

M6 attracted 16.1 million average viewers for the France-Morocco quarterfinal on Thursday evening, a match that kicked off at 10 p.m. and ran until midnight. The audience share reached 72.8% among viewers aged four and older, meaning more than seven out of every ten people watching television at that hour were tuned to the match. The figure climbed to 85.8% among women under 50 responsible for purchases (FRDA-50) and 87.4% in the 25-to-49 age bracket. A peak of 18.1 million was measured at 10:47 p.m.

It is the highest audience recorded on any French channel since the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and the best ever for M6 this year, surpassing the 14 million who watched France-Senegal in the group stage and the 13.68 million for France-Norway.

The match

France defeated Morocco 2-0, the same scoreline as when the sides met in the 2022 World Cup semifinal. Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock early in the second half and Ousmane Dembélé added the second. The French team now enters the semifinal undefeated.

Advertising windfall

The audience allowed M6 to sell advertising spots during the broadcast for up to 345,000 euros per 20-second slot. The channel acquired rights to 54 of the 104 World Cup matches for a reported, though unconfirmed, sum of 120 million euros. M6 group president David Larramendy said in early May that the network would "lose money on this event" despite the advertising revenue, but called it an "absolutely exceptional showcase."

We will lose money on this event, but it is an absolutely exceptional showcase.

What it means for M6

Guillaume Charles, director of channels and content for the M6 group, told Le Monde the week of 29 June to 5 July marked a historic high for the network.

It is historic in the fullest sense. Never, in thirty-nine years, has M6 had a week as high, beating even the "Loft Story" period in 2001.

M6 is the only French free-to-air channel broadcasting the tournament, sharing coverage with pay-TV operator BeIN Sport.

The semifinal

France's semifinal will be played on 14 July against Spain or Belgium, who faced each other in their own quarterfinal on Thursday. The match will kick off at 9 p.m., a significantly more favorable slot for audience numbers.

The last France outing in the round of 16, a 1-0 win against Paraguay on 4 July, had already drawn 12.2 million average viewers and a 76% audience share despite an 11 p.m. start. M6 described that as a "historic audience record" for the timeslot. With the semifinal airing in prime time, the figures are expected to climb further.