This archive report was first published on 13 June 2020.
On June 13, 2020, Italian football made a triumphant return, captivating the attention of over 8 million television viewers in the country. The highly anticipated cup semi-final second leg between Juventus and AC Milan drew in a massive audience, making it the most-watched football match of the season.
The match, which took place on Friday, marked the first time football was played in Italy since the coronavirus pandemic brought the season to a halt on March 9. The 0-0 stalemate was enough to send Juventus to the final, and it drew the biggest TV audience for a football match that term, according to Italian media reports.
Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora welcomed the return of football, citing the fact that the first matches were in the Italian Cup, which are broadcast free-to-air on national network RAI and are thus accessible to everyone. The match attracted almost 8.3 million viewers on RAI 1, with a 34 per cent market share.
For comparison, the biggest audience before the lockdown was for the first leg of the semi-final, which ended 1-1 and attracted 8.09 million viewers. The national team, whose matches are also broadcast free-to-air on RAI, drew 7.4 million viewers for their Euro 2020 qualifier against Bosnia last June.
