European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Members and broadcast partners have delivered substantial viewing figures for the IBU World Championships Biathlon 2025 (hosted in Lenzerheide, 12-23 February 2025) based on preliminary audience data.

In the host nation*, Swiss broadcasters SRF (German), RTS (French), and RSI (Italian) provided comprehensive live coverage throughout the competition. According to provisional figures, SRF recorded an increase of nearly 20 percentage points compared to the 2024 World Championships in Nove Mesto, reaching a live average market share of 43.6% for the same race comparison. Meanwhile, both RTS and RSI aired live coverage for the entirety of the Championships.

The legacy of the 2024 World Championships in Nove Mesto remains strong, with CT (Czechia) maintaining a high market share (up to 33%) during the event - a positive trend that signals strong potential for the future development of biathlon in Switzerland.

Additional highlights based on preliminary audience figures include**:

Germany: ZDF and ARD achieved significant viewership throughout the event, both reaching over 4.2 million viewers; ZDF on Sunday 16 February (30%+ market share for the Men’s Pursuit) and ARD on Sunday 23 February (34%+ market share for the Women’s Mass Start).

Additionally, ARD reached its highest market share of the World Championships (+41%) during the Women’s Relay on Saturday 22 February.

France: L’Equipe’s highest viewership in 2025 was for the Women’s Mass Start, mirroring 2024’s trend. The Lenzerheide event recorded an average audience of 1.9 million, marking a nearly 6% increase from the previous year.

Norway: TV2 and NRK saw exceptional market shares, with 82% during the Men’s Pursuit on February 16 and 87% for the Men’s Mass Start on 23 February - coinciding with the final World Championship races of the Boe brothers and a three-medal victory for Norway.

Sweden: The highest market share (81%) was recorded during the Women’s Relay on 22 February.

Finland: Yle achieved its highest market share (71%) during the Women’s Mass Start on 23 February, the final competition day.

Additionally, complementary global coverage was broadcast free via the EBU’s premier streaming platform, Eurovision Sport, providing fans with a comprehensive viewing experience, including dedicated feeds from Suspilne (Ukraine), ZDF (Germany), Ceska Televize (Czechia), LTV (Latvia) and ERR (Estonia) to connect expatriate audiences worldwide.

Robert Portman, Head of Winter Sports, EBU said: “The first ever IBU World Championships Biathlon in Switzerland, Lenzerheide, were a true success story for the EBU and our rights holders. We continue to see growing interest in biathlon across key markets, reflecting the efforts of our partners in developing the sport and their ongoing investment in its broadcasting.”

Max Cobb, Secretary General, IBU said: “With eight nations winning medals and 14 in the top six, the IBU World Championships Biathlon were a true highlight of the season. The outstanding performances from the athletes of so many nations shown by our broadcasters drove outstanding audience figures. Across all our major territories we saw increased market share compared with 2024 and in France and Finland all key metrics were up, setting post COVID records in both."

*Switzerland data (not yet consolidated) sourced by Mediapulse TV

**Sources: ATO - Nielsen Admosphere (Czechia); Finnpanel Oy (Finland); Médiamétrie - Médiamat (France); AGF / GfK (Germany); Kantar Media (Norway); MMS / Nielsen (Sweden)