England Rugby Win Peaks At 6m For ITV

According to unofficial overnight figures, ITV’s coverage of England’s surprise
win over Australia in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Saturday afternoon
pulled in a peak viewing audience of 6m and a 51% share of the total TV
audience.

The tense 12-10 victory broadcast on ITV1 was watched by an average audience
of 5.2m and a 49.3% share during the match itself, which kicked-off at 2pm.

ITV’s entire coverage of the event, including pre and post-match analysis,
attracted 3.7m and a 37% share, in between 1.10pm-4.30pm.

In Saturday’s other quarter-final, France’s surprise defeat of tournament
favourites New Zealand drew an average audience of 5.7m and a 25% share for
ITV1, between 8pm-9.30pm.

The entire coverage, which was scheduled in a 7.45pm-10pm slot, was watched
by an average of 5.3m and a 24% share.

The commercial broadcaster paid an estimated £40m for the exclusive UK TV
rights to the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cup tournaments.