BBC Lands 7.2m For Spain Penalty Win
Despite the lack of excitement during the bulk of Spain’s 0-0 draw with Italy in their Euro 2008 quarter-final – a game the Spanish eventually won in a penalty shoot-out – the BBC attracted 7.2m viewers to its coverage according to unofficial overnight figures.
The match, in which Arsenal player Cesc Fabregas scored the decisive penalty to end Spain’s 88-year run of failing to beat Italy in a competitive football match, was watched by a 29.6% share of the audience between 7.30pm and 10pm.
Coverage ran beyond 10pm until around 10.30pm because the game went into extra time and penalties, though the unofficial figures were not adjusted to reflect this.
Earlier in the day, ITV1’s live coverage of the Formula 1 French Grand Prix, in which British driver Lewis Hamilton finished a disappointing 10th in the race, attracted 3.2m viewers and a 31.7% share between 12pm and 3pm.
BBC and ITV share coverage of the Euro 2008 tournament with the first semi-final featuring Germany against Turkey to be screened by the latter on Wednesday night with the BBC broadcasting Russia v Spain on Thursday night.
