The 2005/2006 Volvo Ocean Race reached more than 1.8 billion TV viewers worldwide, which is more than twice as many compared with the preceding race. This places the Volvo Ocean Race among the 20 largest sports events in terms of global media coverage. This list includes such events as the World Soccer Championships and the Olympic Games.
The measurements of the media coverage of the 2005/2006 Volvo Ocean Race were made between October 1, 2005 and July 31, 2006. The results confirm that the event was a huge success. The TV broadcasts were viewed in more than 190 countries and the total cumulative TV audience was measured at more than 1.8 billion. This corresponds to a full 121% increase compared with the 2001/2002 Volvo Ocean Race and is proof of the global reach the competition has today. The final figures are expected to exceed two billion in conjunction with the follow-up documentaries being broadcast worldwide in the months ahead.
The official website had more than 3.5 million unique visitors during the competition period and a total of 18,000 articles were published in the world’s press. In addition, a new feature for the 2005/2006 Volvo Ocean Race was the possibility to download results, news, images and much more to your mobile phone. This service, which is based on cooperation between AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation and Sony Ericsson, resulted in nearly four million downloads.
The port calls were used for various business activities by AB Volvo and Volvo Car Corporation as well as the companies that in various ways were linked to the event. The interest in following the boats at close range was very high and one approach to making the race more public friendly was the so-called in-port races between the long legs at sea. An estimated 2.5 million people visited the various ports and the cities to which the boats sailed became a meeting place for sailing fans and tourists as well as a place to develop and secure new business relations.
Media coverage will grow further in pace with the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race reaching new markets in Asia and the Middle East. More boats are already registered and the start will be in the autumn of 2008 from Alicante, Spain.
www.volvooceanrace.org
For further information please contact:
Christer Gustafsson, Corporate Spokesman, Volvo Car Corporation,
Tel: +46 31 596525 or +46 708 20 80 15
Sven Österberg, General Manager, Volvo Event Management Sweden, AB Volvo,
Tel: +46 31 66 91 00
