Thanks to the lack of an overwhelming favorite, L'Équipe channel's viewership for the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday night set a record. Over 3 million people were tuned in when Kane was crowned.
The unprecedented suspense surrounding the 70th Ballon d'Or awards ceremony evidently kept viewers engaged throughout Monday night. Between 9:44 PM and 12:05 AM, an average of 2.2 million people watched L'Équipe channel's broadcast of the event held at the London Palladium Theatre, hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry. Peak viewership reached 3.1 million when Kane claimed the trophy ahead of Mbappé and Yamal.
When the terrestrial digital television channel released its Médiamétrie ratings on Tuesday, it hailed the event as a "historic night." The achievement garnered a 17% audience share among viewers aged 4 and above, making the sports channel the most-watched in France during that time slot.
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Higher than Dembélé's in 2025
Compared to last year and Dembélé's live coronation at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the broadcaster's viewership significantly increased. In 2025, an average of 1.6 million people watched the awards ceremony, with an audience share of 8.6%. When the Paris Saint-Germain forward was named the world's best player, peak viewership reached 2.5 million.
It is also worth noting that due to technical delays at the venue, Monday night's awards ceremony was postponed by more than half an hour. During the originally scheduled period of 9 PM to 11:10 PM, the audience share was lower at 11.4%, with an average of 1.95 million viewers.