Euro 2008 TV viewing figures bring relief to BBC and ITV

chris

Holland's unexpected 3-0 defeat of Italy was watched by a peak audience of 7.3million on ITV1 on Monday evening, demonstrating that the public's appetite for football is undimmed, despite the absence of a home nation at Euro 2008. A third of all television viewers, and nearly half of all men, tuned in as Holland established their lead - the kind of audience levels that will banish the lingering concerns held by the BBC and ITV about the wisdom of carrying the tournament.

Although Holland versus Italy was the match that caught the public's imagination, all the matches have been well supported. Switzerland versus the Czech Republic on Saturday, hardly top box-office material, drew 3.5million throughout, about 27 per cent of all viewers.

ITV said yesterday that the evening matches have been getting higher audiences than Champions League matches involving British teams, amounting to a vindication of the belief that the public is keen to watch high-quality football involving familiar names, whether they are Cristiano Ronaldo or Robin van Persie.

The only difference is that there are none of the ten million-plus audiences that an England match would bring. But the Euro 2008 ties have shown there is a bedrock of supporters ready to watch any top-class match. A spokesman for the BBC said: “There are 52 Premier League players in the tournament, people who the public watch week in, week out. We are a nation obsessed by football.”

The key for the broadcasters is the audience share. BBC One needs to attract a little more than 20 per cent and ITV1 a little below that to justify showing any programme. Every match has met that target, with signs that the audience is building as the tournament engages the imagination.

On Saturday, Portgual against Turkey was watched by 5.2million at peak on ITV1. On Sunday, the faster-paced Germany-Poland match was seen by 5.6million - both building nicely, from the broadcasters' point of view, into the week, when audiences are typically greater.

Three million even watched throughout Austria versus Croatia and 2.9million saw the turgid goalless draw played out by France and Romania early on Monday evening. Highlights packages on BBC One, starting at shortly before midnight, are being watched by one million on average, a similar audience to BBC Two's Newsnight. If there is a high watermark for football on television, it has yet to be reached.

Italian newspapers have lambasted the world champions after their woeful performance in the 3-0 defeat by Holland. “Ouch. What a blow!” the banner headline on the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport, the national sports daily, read. “Holland gives us a lesson.” Italy's defeat was their worst at a European Championship finals. “The Dutch deserve it because they played as if they were the world champions and not us,” one Gazzetta columnist wrote. “It is the beginning, but it already feels like the end.”

BBC One

Switzerland v Czech Republic

4.6m peak (30%)

3.5m average (27%)

Austria v Croatia

3.5m peak (30%)

3.0m average (23%)

Germany v Poland

5.6m peak (25%)

4.5m average (21%)

Romania v France

4.5m peak (27%)

2.9m average (23%)

ITV1

Portugal v Turkey

5.2m peak (25%)

4.0m average (21%)

Holland v Italy

7.3m peak (33%)

5.6m average (27%)

Source: timesonline