Pokal

Top-class sport in front of an inspiring backdrop: With the Liebherr Cup Final Four, the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) not only got off to a brilliant start in 2024, but also once again set new standards in terms of media coverage. The coverage on free TV on ARD and the third channels as well as on the TTBL's social media channels once again reached an audience of millions.

Viewers were treated to top-class table tennis sport at the Liebherr Cup Final Four on January 7. In the showdown for the German Table Tennis Cup, Borussia Düsseldorf beat 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 3:0 to be crowned German Cup winners for the 28th time in the club's history. The entire event was shown live on Dyn and the public broadcasters reported extensively on the first decision of the 2023/24 table tennis season on ARD's main program as well as on SWR and Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR). A one-hour summary of the thrilling Cup Final Four on Sport1 the following day rounded off the coverage.

Millions of sports fans watch the Cup Final Four on their screens

The Liebherr Cup Final Four 2024 was not only enthusiastically received by 5,000 euphoric fans in the sold-out ratiopharm arena Ulm/Neu-Ulm, but also by numerous viewers in front of the screens.

In addition to the live broadcast of all three matches (semi-finals and final) on Dyn, the summaries on public TV channels achieved great coverage. Among others, ARD Sportschau reported on the Liebherr Cup Final Four, in addition to further highlight summaries in various SWR news formats, a half-hour special broadcast on Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR) and a comprehensive summary of all matches on sports channel Sport1. In total, almost 3 million viewers watched the Liebherr Cup Final Four.

Great response on social media too

The TTBL also recorded strong access figures on social media. The video clips from the Liebherr Cup Final Four on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook reached an international audience of millions and have now been viewed around 4 million times. The TTBL social media channels as a whole are continuing to grow: the number of followers is currently approaching the 650,000 mark.

"We are delighted with the great response and would like to thank everyone who visited us in the ratiopharm arena or followed the matches digitally, on TV and via social media," said Nico Stehle, Managing Director of Tischtennis Bundesliga GmbH (TTBL). "We have once again experienced a great event at world-class level and the impressive spectator and access figures clearly show how great the enthusiasm for table tennis and interest in the Liebherr Cup Final Four is. With Dyn, we also have a very competent and highly professional media partner at our side, who brings our sport to all end devices with high-quality production and thus raises it to a new media level."

"The Liebherr Cup Final Four was an eventful final both for the table tennis fans in the ratiopharm arena and for our subscribers in front of the screens," says Andreas Heyden, CEO of Dyn Media GmbH. "Anett Sattler and Dennis Heinemann led us through two exciting semi-finals and a spectacular final finish by Timo Boll. With our extensive highlight coverage on social media, we were also able to inspire table tennis fans," Heyden continued about the Liebherr Cup Final Four.

The streaming platform Dyn is the media home of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) and uses high-quality production standards, creative editorial formats and intensive marketing support to increase the perception and appreciation of table tennis, among other things. Since this season, all TTBL matches can be seen live and exclusively on Dyn.

Feature picture above: Borussia Düsseldorf at the award ceremony (Photo: Hansruedi Lüthi)