Record Viewers For Wimbledon Final
Andy Murray’s first Wimbledon final against Roger Federer was watched by a peak audience of nearly 17 million home viewers on Sunday afternoon, with Federer extending his own Grand Slam record to 17 – a record for a ‘home’ player at Wimbledon.
The figures represent a new record for a British player at Wimbledon, surpassing the previous mark of 13.1 million set by Tim Henman when he played Swiss player Michel Kratochvil in the fourth round in 2002.
The match, shown on BBC One, drew an average of 11.4 million viewers between 1pm and 6.40pm, hitting its peak at approximately 6pm – close the conclusion of the match in the fourth set.
The match also had a 58.2% average share of viewers across all channels, overnight Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board figures reveal.
British hope Murray eventually lost in four sets: 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
Although it is a record for a British player at Wimbledon, the highest average figure for a Wimbledon final is still 17.3 million – when Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe in 1980.
The most watched television programme of 2012 so far was England against Italy at Euro 2012, which attracted an average of 20.3m viewers to BBC One in June, and a peak of 23.2 million.
The 1966 World Cup final, where England defeated West Germany, remains the most watched programme of all time in the UK, racking up 32.3 million viewers.
