Advanced Television

Olympics 2012 closing most watched TV in 30 years

October 25, 2012

BARB data from Kantar Media has revealed that, with 24.5 million viewers, the Olympics Closing Ceremony was the most watched Olympic programme. Featuring performances from The Who, Liam Gallagher and The Spice Girls as well as athletes from 204 countries, the Closing Ceremony has become the most watched single programme on British television since 1981 (excludes simulcast programmes). Its audience was more than that for Princess Diana’s Panorama Special in 1995 and Torvill and Dean’s Olympic Ice Dance Championship in 1994.

Top 10 Most Watched Programmes since 1981 are
1 Olympics 2012 Closing Ceremony (BBC1, 12/8/2012) – 24.465 million
2. Only Fools and Horses (BBC1, 29/12/1996) – 24.35 million
3 Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony (BBC1, 27/7/2012) – 24.245 million
4 Torvill and Dean Olympic Ice Dance Championship (BBC1, 21/2/1994) – 23.95 million
5. World Cup 98: England v Argentina (ITV, 30/6/1998) – 23.78 million
6. Film: Jaws (ITV, 8/10/1981) – 23.3 million
7 Film: The Spy Who Loved Me (ITV1, 28/2/1982) – 22.9 million
8. Panorama Special: Princess Diana (BBC1, 20/11/1995) – 22.78 million
9. Film: Diamonds are Forever (ITV1, 15/3/1981) – 22.2 million
10.  Film: Crocodile Dundee (BBC1, 25/12/1989) – 21.77 million.

More than twice the number of people who watched the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona (11 million) watched the Olympics 2012 Closing Ceremony. The audience was 28 times the 859,000 people who watched the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta USA.  More than 1.4 million people watching either the opening or closing ceremonies did not watch any other sporting coverage.

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