6.8m see France fall in Euro 2008

Euro 2008: France v Italy

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A sizeable 6.8m viewers (30.3%) on BBC1 saw the French national side kicked out of Euro 2008 last night as it lost 2-0 against Italy.

Initially 6.5m (30.5%) tuned in to the first half which began at 7.45pm with this rising to 7m (30.2%) for the second. The match hit a high of 7.4m (31.7%) between 9pm and 9.15pm.

Overall, BBC1's entire audience for the coverage between 7.30pm and 10pm averaged 6.3m (28.4%), making it the most popular game of the football tournament so far.

BBC1 has averaged 6m (25.4%) in that slot so far this year while for all of 2007 it averaged 6.1m (27.3%).

For most of the time that the football was on air, ITV1 effectively rolled over and played dead as it aired a repeat of Midsomer Murders for two hours from 8pm. The detective drama starring John Nettles averaged just 3.8m (16.5%). The commercial network had been in a much stronger position earlier in peaktime as the hour-long edition of Emmerdale grabbed 5.9m (31.7%).

Gordon Ramsay's F Word continued to stay comfortably above the three million mark at 9pm as the sixth edition of the food programme on Channel 4 drew 3.2m (13.6%) featuring the former deputy prime minister John Prescott cooking fish cakes. A further 286,000 preferred to watch the show on C4+1.

C4 stayed above the three million mark at 10pm as its reality show Big Brother interested 3.3m (18.6%) with an extra 150,000 watching on C4+1.

BBC2 maintained a steady, if rather unspectacular, pace throughout peaktime. Springwatch Gardens, the second in the channel's spin-off series from the wildlife show, gained 2.1m (9.5%) which was followed by The Supersizers Go… Elizabethan on 1.8m (7.8%). The Culture Show at 10pm interested 729,000 (3.6%).

Five's historical strand Revealed returned for a new run with Last of the Dambusters at 8pm with 1.1m (4.8%). A repeat of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation at 9pm did slightly better with 1.2m (5.4%) while CSI: Miami at 10pm gained 1.4m (8%).

The big event for multichannel viewers was BBC3's live coverage of the Netherlands who took on Romania in the group C match in Euro 2008. The entire coverage between 7.30pm and 10pm interested 612,000 (3.2%). The game peaked with 859,000 (4.2%) at 9pm.

E4's Big Brother's Little Brother at 7.30pm had 351,000 (2.1%) and an extra 120,000 watching on E4+1.

BBC4 continued its What Happened Next? series at 9pm with Kingswood: a Comprehensive School on 192,000 (1%).

Later on More 4 continued its season of Peter Kosminsky documentaries. Afghantsi, from 1988, interested 58,000 (0.4%) and an extra 24,000 watching on More 4+1. The director's Murder in Ostankino Precinct, from 1989, at 11.10pm got 24,000 (0.4%). The programme didn't register on More 4+1.

All hours shares for Tuesday 17 June 2008: BBC1 – 23.3%, ITV1 – 17.6%, C4 – 10% (C4+1 – 0.7%), BBC2 – 7.7%, Five – 5.7%, multichannel – 35.1%.

Peaktime (6pm to 10.30pm) shares: BBC1 – 27.4%, ITV1 – 19.3%, C4 – 10.8% (C4+1 – 0.6%), BBC2 – 7.7%, Five – 4.7%, multichannel – 29.5%.