Record over 1.7 bn people watched FIFA WC related videos on YouTube: Sundar Pichai
New Delhi, July 22
Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on Wednesday that YouTube drew over 1.7 billion unique global viewers to watch World Cup‑related videos and lifted lifetime views of related content to over 200 billion.
"It was our most viewed World Cup ever on YouTube, bringing lifetime views of related content to over 200 billion!," Google CEO said on X.
CEO, YouTube Neal Mohan's post was shared by Pichai to mention additional audience figures.
Mohan said that the platform's first Creator Cup drew over 10 million live views. He also mentioned over 2.5 million views "from our creator cohort who brought iconic commentary and perspectives throughout the tournament," in his X post.
"Congrats on an incredible championship, Spain! And a huge thanks to our partners, creators and teams at YouTube who made the fan experience unlike any other," the post said.
US President Donald Trump said that over 6.5 million spectators had attended the tournament, exceeding the combined attendance of the previous two World Cups.
Trump called the tournament "the most successful sporting event, maybe in the history of the world", adding that fans from 200 countries attended 104 matches across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The FIFA World Cup disrupted US workplaces and may have shaved as much as $11.7 billion off the country's productivity as millions of workers adjusted their schedules to watch matches, according to a report.
The tournament's global impact was nearly $17 billion, due to higher absenteeism, late arrivals and early departures during the competition, the data from UKG showed.
In addition, the data from workplace platform Envoy showed highest work disruption coming the day after the United States men's team was eliminated from the tournament. Office attendance dropped 26 per cent on July 7, while employee entries dropped 11.5 per cent.
— IANS
Reader Comments
1.7 billion unique viewers? That's mind-boggling! And Trump's claim about $11.7 billion lost productivity is ironic—the World Cup brought so much joy and cultural exchange. India should take notes on organizing mega events like this. Imagine the tourism boost!
Incredible numbers! But let's not forget the real heroes—the creators who brought local commentary. In India, we love our native language coverage. Hope YouTube adds more regional languages for future events. That would truly connect the masses. 🎙️
Proud of Sundar Pichai's achievements! But the productivity loss concern is overblown. If workers are happy, they'll be more productive overall. India's work culture could learn from this—flexibility during major events can boost morale. Just saying! 😊
Great to see YouTube's growth, but can we talk about how the World Cup disrupted sleep schedules here? Many colleagues in India were waking up at 3 am to catch matches. Worth it for the passion, but next time, maybe time zones should favor Asia too! 😅
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