World Snooker Championship obliterates BBC record as fans lap up drama

The BBC have announced that the 2025 World Snooker Championship broke records after another sensational tournament. The event was streamed a record-breaking 29 million times across BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.

There was plenty of drama at the Crucible over the past few weeks, with last year’s winner Kyren Wilson suffering a shock first-round exit, Ronnie O’Sullivan returning from his three-month hiatus and 50-year-old Mark Williams enjoying a stellar run through as he sought to become the oldest world champion ever.

Zhao Xintong ultimately emerged victorious, becoming the first Chinese player to be crowned world champion. The 28-year-old became the first amateur to triumph at the Crucible too, with his achievement made all the more impressive given that he was returning from a 20-month ban after being caught up in a match-fixing scandal.

With so many incredible storylines unravelling in Sheffield, snooker fans around the country made sure not to miss any of the action – with the BBC announcing that streaming figures were up 25 per cent from last year’s World Championship.

On TV, the Championship was viewed a total of 12.6million times across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four – with three million tuning in to watch the final on BBC Two.

Speaking about the success of the tournament, World Snooker chairman Steve Dawson said: “This has been one of the best World Championships in memory, packed with thrilling moments, fabulous matches and a remarkable standard of play. So we’re delighted to see that reflected in the BBC viewing figures.

“To set a new record for iPlayer streams shows that we have a growing audience of new fans who are tuning in to snooker’s unique capacity for drama. The quality of production this year on BBC was outstanding, and we look forward to working with their team on more world class events next season.”

Director of BBC Sport Alex Kay-Jelski added: “This year’s World Championship has been gripping, with a phenomenal response from fans. The matches have had drama, legends clashing, and rising stars showcasing the brilliance of the sport’s next generation of players.

“This tremendous championship culminated as ‘The Cyclone’ Zhao Xintong won the title of World Champion against an icon of the sport, Mark Williams. It’s been an unforgettable final weekend at the Crucible with BBC Sport bringing audiences every moment across TV, Radio and online.”