Premier League fans tune in for Bundesliga's return as BT Sport boasts strong viewing figures

Premier League fans flocked to the Bundesliga for their football fix over the weekend as BT Sport's viewing figures showed a five-fold increase from their best performing match this season.

Without the usual competition of Premier League games to watch, Borussia Dortmund's 4-0 win over rivals Schalke in the Revierderby drew an audience of 1.4million viewers across television and digital coverage, matching viewing figures for some Premier League games BT had shown before football was halted.

BT Sport's coverage, which included commentary teams guiding viewers through games from home in England, peaked at an audience of 652,000 for Dortmund's win on linear - normal television - channels, with an average of 500,000, again similar to that of some Premier League games earlier this season.

Across five different games on three channels, that average was 597,000.

“It’s great to see strong viewing numbers across both digital and linear channels this weekend on BT Sport with the return of Bundesliga," a BT Sport spokesperson said.

In Pictures | Bundesliga football returns in Germany | 16/05/2020

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"While these are encouraging, there’s still much for us all to work through to ensure a successful return of the Premier League.”

The first round of Bundesliga matches, which also saw Bayern Munich beat Union Berlin on Sunday, concludes with Werder Bremen vs Bayer Leverkusen tonight.

During Monday's Premier League meeting, shareholders will discuss offering increased access to host broadcasters BT Sport and Sky Sports having been told that, even if all 92 remaining games are played, the pair expect a rebate of £330million.

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