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UK broadcasters Sky and Channel 4 recorded a total peak audience of 8.3 million during combined coverage of the Cricket World Cup final, which headlined a stellar day of sport on 14th July.
The final, which saw England defeat New Zealand in a dramatic conclusion at Lord’s Cricket Ground, came on a day of major UK sporting events including the Wimbledon men’s final, which aired live on the public broadcaster the BBC, and Channel 4’s coverage of the Formula One British Grand Prix.
Channel 4 secured a carriage deal with Sky to broadcast the final once England had qualified. The free-to-air (FTA) network saw a 4.8 million peak audience for the final, which, combined with its coverage of the British Grand Prix, saw the broadcaster register an 11.5 per cent overnight share, its highest since the London 2012 Paralymipcs, based on minute-by-minute peaks.
The final marked the first time that live cricket has been available on FTA television in the UK since the 2005 Ashes, which was also broadcast by Channel 4. The finale of the five-game Test series between England and Australia saw 7.4 million viewers tune in for Channel 4’s coverage, which at the time represented the broadcaster’s highest ever audience share at 23.2 per cent.
Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon said: “I’m thrilled that a total peak audience of 8.3m watched England win the Cricket World Cup Final on Channel 4 and Sky and 3.7m viewers saw Lewis Hamilton win a record-breaking sixth British Grand Prix.
“It’s wonderful that the whole nation can come together to share these momentous British sporting events thanks to a fantastic partnership between Channel 4 and Sky.”
Sky’s UK and Ireland chief executive Stephen van Rooyen added: “Sunday saw a peak across Sky and Channel 4 of 8.3 million – a huge audience for a huge moment in British sport. On Sky’s channels, our peak was 3.5 million alone, a fitting way to cap a terrific tournament.”
According to the BBC, the broadcaster’s digital platforms also attracted up to 40 million page views relating to its Cricket World Cup online content, setting a record for the BBC Sport live feed, which recorded 3.9 million unique browsers overnight.
According to independent data from Overnights.tv, close to 4.5 million viewers watched the climax to the Cricket World Cup final coverage on Channel 4 at around 7.25pm as England overcame New Zealand in a Super Over.
Overnights.tv’s figures are based on five-minute peaks, so they vary from individual broadcaster data, while many viewers are thought to have watched multiple events simultaneously, across different platforms.
According to Overnights’ data, Sky’s pay-TV coverage of the Cricket World Cup final hit peak audiences in excess of 1 million and 1.3 million concurrent views on both its Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event channels.
The event took priority over the broadcaster’s cricket coverage, which moved onto More4 temporarily, before returning to Channel 4’s main channel.
The broadcast analyst also estimates that around 9 million tuned into the final moments of the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage at 7pm, as Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer to earn his fifth tournament title.
Meanwhile, Channel 4 recorded a peak audience of 2.8 million viewers for its Formula One coverage as Lewis Hamilton secured a record sixth British Grand Prix title.
Lucy Roberts-Hartley, head of marketing for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is speaking at the upcoming SportsPro Fan Conference. Register your interest in the event here.
UK broadcasters Sky and Channel 4 recorded a total peak audience of 8.3 million during combined coverage of the Cricket World Cup final, which headlined a stellar day of sport on 14th July.
The final, which saw England defeat New Zealand in a dramatic conclusion at Lord’s Cricket Ground, came on a day of major UK sporting events including the Wimbledon men’s final, which aired live on the public broadcaster the BBC, and Channel 4’s coverage of the Formula One British Grand Prix.
Channel 4 secured a carriage deal with Sky to broadcast the final once England had qualified. The free-to-air (FTA) network saw a 4.8 million peak audience for the final, which, combined with its coverage of the British Grand Prix, saw the broadcaster register an 11.5 per cent overnight share, its highest since the London 2012 Paralymipcs, based on minute-by-minute peaks.
The final marked the first time that live cricket has been available on FTA television in the UK since the 2005 Ashes, which was also broadcast by Channel 4. The finale of the five-game Test series between England and Australia saw 7.4 million viewers tune in for Channel 4’s coverage, which at the time represented the broadcaster’s highest ever audience share at 23.2 per cent.
Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon added: “I’m thrilled that a total peak audience of 8.3m watched England win the Cricket World Cup Final on Channel 4 and Sky and 3.7m viewers saw Lewis Hamilton win a record-breaking sixth British Grand Prix.
“It’s wonderful that the whole nation can come together to share these momentous British sporting events thanks to a fantastic partnership between Channel 4 and Sky.”
Sky’s UK and Ireland chief executive Stephen van Rooyen said: “Sunday saw a peak across Sky and Channel 4 of 8.3 million – a huge audience for a huge moment in British sport. On Sky’s channels, our peak was 3.5 million alone, a fitting way to cap a terrific tournament.”
According to the BBC, the broadcaster’s digital platforms also attracted up to 40 million page views relating to its Cricket World Cup online content, setting a record for the BBC Sport live feed, which recorded 3.9 million unique browsers overnight.
According to independent data from Overnights.tv, close to 4.5 million viewers watched the climax to the Cricket World Cup final coverage on Channel 4 at around 7.25pm as England overcame New Zealand in a Super Over.
Overnights.tv’s figures are based on five-minute peaks, so they vary from individual broadcaster data, while many viewers are thought to have watched multiple events simultaneously, across different platforms.
According to Overnights’ data, Sky’s pay-TV coverage of the Cricket World Cup final hit peak audiences in excess of 1 million and 1.3 million concurrent views on both its Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event channels.
The event took priority over the broadcaster’s cricket coverage, which moved onto More4 temporarily, before returning to Channel 4’s main channel.
The broadcast analyst also estimates that around 9 million tuned into the final moments of the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage at 7pm, as Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer to earn his fifth tournament title.
Meanwhile, Channel 4 recorded a peak audience of 2.8 million viewers for its Formula One coverage as Lewis Hamilton secured a record sixth British Grand Prix title.
