ITV1 benefits from Euro upset
- Published: 10 June 2008 10:51
- Author: Jon Rogers
- More by this Author
- Last Updated: 10 June 2008 10:55
Viewers seem to have finally woken up to the Euro 2008 tournament as 6.2m viewers (30.1%) saw the Italian world champions suffer a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Dutch.
The group C match, which kicked off at 7.45pm with 5.2m (28.5%), saw its audience steadily rise with a 15 minute peak audience of 7.1m (32.4%) at 9.15pm. In the final five minutes of the game 7.3m (33%) were watching.
The first half was seen by 5.5m (27.9%) while the second was seen by 6.9m (30.1%).
Overall, ITV1's entire coverage between 7.30pm and 10pm was watched by 5.6m (27.2%).
Although it is only the early stages of the tournament it is the most watched game so far after Euro 2008 – which includes no home nation – got off to a mute start last Saturday (7 June).
The game though fell somewhat short of the ITV1's slot average for last year of 7.1m (30.7%). So far this year the commercial network has averaged 6.6m (27.5%) in that time slot.
The ITV1 coverage didn't really have any particularly stiff competition from any of the other terrestrial channels.
ITV1's football impacted heavily on BBC1's soap EastEnders which managed a relatively poor 6.4m (31.3%) over half an hour at 8pm. In the same slot last week the soap averaged 8.5m (39%).
The corporation's Panorama at 8.30pm interested just 2.3m (11.1%), a drop of 700,000 week-on-week. BBC1's factual Britain Under Water at 9pm didn't do that much better with 2.8m (13.1%) over an hour.
BBC2 proved to be much more resilient to the charms of the football as the channel actually increased its peaktime performance from last week, rising from 10.6% to 11.6%.
Springwatch continues to be largely impervious to all comers with the wildlife show at 8pm picking up 3.3m (16%) over an hour.
Getting a leg up off the back of Springwatch was the return of BBC2's Mary, Queen of Shops which picked up a strong 2.8m (13.1%), effectively just 4,000 viewers lower than BBC1's Britain's Under Water.
The hour-long show, which marked the start of the second series was the show's highest ever audience. Last year's four-part run averaged 1.8m (8.2%) with the most watched show on 7 June interesting 2.2m (9.8%).
Neither Channel 4 nor Five could make much of an impression at 8pm. C4's Dispatches investigation Gordon Brown: Where Did It All Go Wrong? Interested just 745,000 (3.6%) with an additional 45,000 watching on C4+1.
Five didn't fare much better either with The Gadget Show kicking off yet another series with 845,000 (4.1%).
C4's The Victorian Sex Explorer proved to be much more appealing with 1.5m (7.1%) for an hour at 9pm. A further 93,000 watched an hour later on C4+1. Five's Warship recruited 1.2m (5.4%).
Big Brother at 10pm was comfortably the channel's big draw of the day with 3.2m (17.9%) with an additional 143,000 preferring to watch the show on C4+1.
The latest events from the Big Brother contestants was down by 500,000 on the first Monday edition of the show last year when 3.7m (19.9%) watched in a similar 10pm slot on 4 June.
All hours shares for Monday 9 June 2008: ITV1 – 20.9%, BBC1 – 20.8%, BBC2 – 8.7%, C4 – 20.9% (C4+1 – 0.6%), Five – 4.5%, multichannel – 36.1%.
Peaktime (6pm to 10.30pm) shares: ITV1 – 26%, BBC1 – 20.6%, BBC2 – 11.6%, C4 – 7% (C4+1 – 0.5%), Five – 3.9%, multichannel – 30.3%.
