Record breaking viewership for Malta Premier final between Ħamrun Spartans and Birkirkara

360Sports Malta Premier revealed on Tuesday that 76,000 TV box sets tuned in to watch the match on Saturday 10 May for the final between Ħamrun Spartans and Birkirkara.

The final, played at the end of the 360Sports Malta Premier campaign, was the most-watched programme during 6pm to 8pm, claiming a 36% audience share, according to 360Sports statistics.

TVM Sport+ was accessed by 76,000 viewers with TVM having 65,000 viewers, NET had 24,000 viewers, and ONE TV had 21,000 viewers.

On Saturday, Ħamrun Spartans were crowned as Malta champions for the 11th time in their club history after they beat Birkirkara 1-0 in the final at the National Stadium.

This season saw the first time the new format was used for Malta’s top football league. The format saw the traditional league split into two rounds: an opening and closing rounds. During phase one of the opening round, all 12 teams played each other once. In the second phase, the 12 teams split into the top and bottom six. The teams each played five matches, and a ranking was set at the end of the opening round.

After the opening round was completed, all team’s points are reset to zero.

In phase three of the season, the league entered the closing round, with all 12 teams once again playing each other once. Teams once again were then split into the bottom six and bottom six for a second time, or the fourth phase of the new league.

With an average of two viewers per household, the number of TV viewers is estimated to have beem 150,000 according to the league’s press release. On top of this, another 12,000 people watched the match online, pushing the total viewership to approximately 162,000.

"Viewer numbers had been rising steadily in the final weeks of the season and reached their peak during Saturday’s final," they said in a press release on Tuesday.

Recent changes introduced by the Malta Premier and PBS included more structured pre-match coverage, a better-quality live broadcast, and a temporary studio setup in the North Stand.