Lifting Each Other Up: Rodtang Jitmuangnon (left) raises Demetrious Johnson’s hand after their encounter inside the Circle at ONE X on March 26 (ONE Championship)
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NE Championship's rapid growth continues in 2021 as it cements its place in the top five in viewership and engagement among all major global sports properties, according to a recent report by Nielsen titled, “Year in Review: Sports Consumption Evolution”.
[Download the Nielsen report here]
ONE ranked number two overall in 2021 digital viewership, rising from its number four ranking in a 2020 Nielsen report, with over 13.8 billion video views across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. It sits just behind the number-one-ranked NBA, which boasts over 14.5 billion views for 2021. The UFC fell two spots to number five with 6.6 billion.
In terms of digital fan engagement, ONE is fourth on Facebook at approximately 16,600 average engagements per post, trailing behind the UEFA Champions League (first), the English Premier League (second) and LaLiga (third), while coming in four spots ahead of UFC (eighth). ONE also ranked fourth on YouTube, 11th on TikTok and 17th on Instagram in average engagements per post.
ONE also continued its rapid digital follower growth, increasing its fanbase to approximately 42.7 million (up 24 percent) across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube from 2020-2021, trailing the Tokyo 2020 Olympics ( up 73 percent), UEFA EURO 2020 (up 35 percent) and Formula 1 (up 31 percent).
ONE also exhibited rapid growth on TikTok, increasing its followers by 146 percent in 2021, second only to F1 as the fastest-growing global sports property on the Gen Z-dominated platform.
In cumulative reach on global broadcast television in 2021, ONE ranked fourth behind the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (first), UEFA EURO 2020 (second) and UCL (third), but ahead of F1 (fifth), NFL (seventh), NBA (eighth) and UFC (nine). Cumulative reach measures the number of unique viewers who tune in to watch at least one minute of a TV broadcast.
According to Nielsen, ONE also ranked 11th in 2021 broadcast hours with 10,700 hours on metered TV channels, despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Group ONE Holdings (ONE) is Asia’s largest global sports media platform with a broadcast to over 150 countries around the world.
Last month, the Singapore-based company held ONE X, its 10-year anniversary extravaganza, which celebrated the beauty of martial arts. The event, which drew thousands of spectators inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, showcased various spectrums of martial arts, from mixed martial arts (MMA) and Muay Thai to kickboxing and submission grappling.
Amid its exponential growth, ONE has not shown any signs of slowing down as it continues to sign some of the world’s most prolific athletes today. Known as the “Home of Martial Arts”, the organization takes pride as the ultimate destination for some of the most well-known global fighters.
In recent months, ONE has signed BJJ icon Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida and submission grappling ace Gordon Ryan, who are known as the greatest-ever athletes in their respective disciplines.
Before them, ONE was already home to Muay Thai legend Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, MMA superstar Demetrious Johnson and kickboxing great Giorgio Petrosyan. The martial arts promotion also recently saw the emergence of new stars like Smilla Sundell and Victoria Lee.
This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship