The controversial 2024 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was watched by record numbers, the European Broadcasting Union said on Thursday.
An estimated 163 million people watched the three live shows in the southern Swedish city of Malmö - including two semi-finals and the grand final - across 37 broadcasters.
The figures represented a rise of 1 million since the 2023 edition in Liverpool and 2 million more than the 2022 contest in Turin.
The world's biggest music competition faced strong headwinds this year as Israel participated in the contest against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.
The Dutch act was also removed from the competition at short notice following accusations he threatened a female crew member.
Nevertheless, the contest proved a resounding success according to viewership figures.
In Germany, an average of 8.1 million people watched the final, with 7.7 million viewing in the UK, and the French audience totalling 5.4 million, a rise of 1.9 million since 2023.
An estimated 723,000 people watched Eurovision 2024 in the winning country of Switzerland, the highest level ever recorded and a 40% rise year-on-year.
The competition also marked a milestone by garnering 6.5 billion views on TikTok and reaching almost 500 million accounts on the social media platform.
The overall audience share for the grand final was 46.7%, the highest since 2006, while the corresponding figure for young viewers between the ages of 15 and 24 was a record 58.6%.
