BBC Smash ITV in Euro 2012 Final Viewers

In yesterday’s broadcasting stakes BBC overwhelmingly beat out ITV with a resounding share of the UK viewers.

An average of 10.2m people (41% share) watched Vincente del Bosque’s boys administering a thrashing on BBC1 and its HD counterpart, compared to the depleted squad of 1.7m (7%) viewers who tuned in to see their 4-0 victory over on ITV1 and ITV1 HD. 

The pre-match coverage watched by an average of 5.5m viewers between 7-7:40pm, while Adrian Chiles’s superfan act on ITV only attracted 1.2. people to the channel.

During the game itself (7:45-10:15pm), ITV averaged 1.8m viewers while the BBC scored almost 10m more with an mean audience of 11.6m. The channels’ respective peaks came within five minutes of each other too, with ITV pulling in 2.3m (8%) at 8:55pm, while Auntie’s apogee came at 9:00pm when the Beeb entertained a high of 13.4m (49%) people.

But while last night’s figures are impressive, they’re distinctly first division compared to the premier 23m-strong audience who got behind Roy Hodgson and the England team for their heartbreaking encounter with Italy, which went out on BBC1 on Sunday 24 June and saw our boys crash out of the tournament.