LOS ANGELES, Calif., USA (Friday, September 9, 2022) - The second-annual Rip Curl WSL Finals, which ran on September 8 at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Calif., broke the record of the most watched day of professional surfing in World Surf League (WSL) history, outperforming the unprecedented numbers of the 2021 Rip Curl WSL Finals. The largest, single-day live digital audience witnessed Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and Filipe Toledo (BRA) win the undisputed World Titles during the one-day finale to the 2022 WSL Championship Tour (CT) season.
(From left): WSL SVP Tours and Competition Jessi Miley-Dyer, Filipe Toledo (BRA), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), WSL CEO Erik Logan - WSL / Diz
The title-deciding 2022 Rip Curl WSL Finals surpassed 2021's total livestream video views by 22%, bringing total livestream views to 8.3 million across WSL digital channels. The viewership number is expected to increase at a rapid pace as additional viewership data is aggregated from the WSL's linear and digital streaming partners. Already, partners in Australia (7plus and Fox) and Brazil (Globo/SporTV) have added linear reach of over one million viewers. As livestreams and all Finals-related content, including video-on-demand through our global partners, are accounted for- this already record-setting day will only continue to grow.
"We are celebrating the biggest day in professional surfing with the 2022 Rip Curl WSL Finals," said WSL CEO, Erik Logan. "When we set out to crown our undisputed World Champions on one-day, we understood the opportunity to make this the most impactful day in our sport, and we've achieved that for our competitors, for our partners, and for our fans, with the largest live viewership in the history of the WSL. The milestone we've hit today is just the beginning, as we have significantly grown and invested in this competition format and will continue to build on the success year after year. Yesterday was an unforgettable experience, and we were so proud to bring that to fans around the world."
The crowd cheers for 2022 World Champion Filipe Toledo (BRA) as he is chaired up the beach. - WSL / Ryder
As part of WSL's ongoing purpose to drive the growth of the sport, industry, and collective businesses, the league is committed to refining and expanding cutting-edge content that celebrates the massive moments and athletes on the CT. In the lead up to the event, the Rip Curl WSL Finals content generated 16.7 million video views, an increase of 48% from last year, reaching more fans pre-event than any other event in WSL history.
With a 13.4% increase in average live digital audience for regular-season CT events (excluding the Rip Curl WSL Finals) since 2021, the CT is reaching more fans than ever before. Overall, this year marked the highest WSL content consumption, seeing consistent growth year-over-year, including pre-pandemic comparisons.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.