More than 133 million live hours of action from the IBU World Championships in Östersund were viewed on free-to-air television in Europe ©IBU

More than 133 million live hours of action from the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Championships in Östersund were viewed on free-to-air television across Europe, according to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The EBU announced the 133.55 million figure represented a 6.5 per cent increase compared with the 2017 edition in Hochfilzen.

The number was also a 23.1 per cent rise on the 2016 World Championships in Oslo, the EBU claimed.

A total of 17 European countries broadcasted action at the World Championships in Östersund, which took place March 6 until 17.

More than 57 million live hours of coverage were viewed on Germany's ARD and ZDF channels, while 9.7 million hours were watched on NRK in Norway.

The 2019 IBU World Championships took place in Östersund from March 6 to 17 ©Getty Images
The 2019 IBU World Championships took place in Östersund from March 6 to 17 ©Getty Images

Sweden’s SVT hit a record average audience for the World Championships since 2016 of 1.3 million.

The station reported an 80 per cent market share for the women's relay last Saturday (March 16), where Sweden claimed the silver medal behind Norway.

"The viewing figures are very impressive and show an unbroken strong upwards trend for biathlon," said IBU President Olle Dahlin. 

"It has been a spectacular World Championships and we are proud to have engaged fans far and wide in traditional territories and new markets."

Stefan Kuerten, executive director at Eurovision Sport, added: "The IBU World Championships is one of the biggest events in the winter sports calendar and we are proud to offer the excitement and action to such large audiences. 

"We greatly enjoy working with the IBU to grow interest in biathlon, across Europe and in new territories such as China, and the success is shown in the figures."