Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2014 TV Audience Past 68 Million Viewers

Nahayan Bin Mubarak hails Mohammed Bin Zayed contribution to success story as rally heads for 25th anniversary   

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 17 September, 2014: H.E. Sheikh NahayanBin Mubarak Al Nahayan, the UAE Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, has hailed H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, for hiscontinuous support and contribution to the success of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh HamdanBin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in the Western Region, the Desert Challenge is heading towards its 25th anniversary next year with a worldwide TV audience expected to rise well above 70 million viewers.

The Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, organisers of the spectacular world championship cross country rally, confirmed today that the 24th edition of the event staged in April was seen by a global TV audience of 68,225,000.

This was made up of 65,425,000 viewers who saw highlights distributed by Eurosport to TV stations worldwide, and another 2.8 million who watched the broadcaster’s own daily coverage, an increase of 71% on 2013.

“The figures are impressive, but we’re confident of growing the TV audience significantly in the years ahead,” said ATCUAE President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who founded the Desert Challenge in 1991.

“We expect next year’s 25th anniversary event to attract a bigger and better entry, based on stronger support from both teams in the Middle East and overseas, which will ensure media and public interest continues to grow.”

Sulayem has presented a detailed Eurosport analysis of TV coverage of the 2014 Desert Challenge to Sheikh Nahayan, Chairman of the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, who visited the rally’s desert base close to the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort to meet officials and watch some of the action in April.

“We’re very grateful to Sheikh Nahayan for his personal backing and encouragement, and for the overall support we receive from the government,” said Sulayem, the FIA Vice President. “This is vital to the continuing success and popularity of the event, and to ensure that it is used effectively to promote Abu Dhabi as a unique sporting and travel destination.”

The Desert Challenge is part of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies for cars and the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship for bikes. The 25th Desert Challenge will take place next year from 27 March – 2 April.