News

9% increase on the previous year / Around 7,000 reports across all channels / Report on national evening news as one of the highlights

DATEV Challenge Roth has confirmed its outstanding position in international triathlon in the media. As an external evaluation shows, the race reached a total of around 374 million people across all media in 2025. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 9 per cent.

In 2025, DATEV Challenge Roth was shown live, as a repeat or as highlights on a total of 285 channels and portals. A total of 6,974 editorial articles were recorded. Germany remained by far the most important market. The media value of the event amounted to approximately 38 million euros.

Bayerischer Rundfunk, ARD and international broadcasters with extensive coverage
Public television once again played a central role. Bayerischer Rundfunk provided extensive live coverage on television, via stream and on its digital channels from the Home of Triathlon. In addition, DATEV Challenge Roth was broadcast live for a full hour on Das Erste (ARD). Another special milestone was a 40-second report on the national 8pm news on race day.

DATEV Challenge Roth was also present on numerous well-known platforms internationally. The race was broadcast worldwide via various streaming and TV services, including WOF Fast Channel, Sportdigital EDGE and DAZN. In addition, international television stations such as CCTV in China reported on the event. Extensive online coverage appeared on high-reach platforms such as msn.com, focus.de, bild.de and kicker.de, among others.

In total, more than 1,700 hours of airtime were recorded in the TV and streaming sector. Traditional television once again proved to be the strongest reach driver, particularly through live broadcasts and accompanying coverage in news and magazine formats.

High reach and strong engagement on social media
In addition to traditional reporting, social media also played a central role in the overall media performance. A total of 3,597 posts were recorded on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X and TikTok in connection with the event.

These achieved a reach of around 158 million contacts and more than 2.1 million engagements, 35% more than in 2024. Instagram in particular once again proved to be the most important platform in terms of reach and engagement. The official channels of DATEV Challenge Roth, as well as posts from athletes, media and partners, contributed significantly to the international visibility of the race.

Thanks to everyone involved
"These figures impressively demonstrate the appeal that DATEV Challenge Roth has now developed both nationally and internationally. We would like to express our special thanks to all our media partners, platforms and the many people behind the scenes who made this result possible and contribute to the success of the event year after year, from the volunteers to our own media team, the athletes and our partners," said Heiko Wörrlein, Media Manager of DATEV Challenge Roth.

In 2024, the total cross-media reach was 342 million, compared to 324 million in the previous year. This continuous development underlines the growing national and international importance of DATEV Challenge Roth for the district of Roth and endurance sports in general.

External evaluation by renowned media research institute IRIS
As in previous years, the data was collected and evaluated externally by Germany-based market and media research institute ‘Intelligent Research in Sponsoring’ (IRIS), which specialises in the sports sector. Its clients include many international sports associations, various clubs and leagues such as Borussia Mönchengladbach, VfL Wolfsburg and SC Freiburg, as well as international brands such as Audi and Tissot.