BBC Scores 12 Million With England Game

Nearly 12 million people tuned in to the BBC’s coverage of England’s World Cup qualifier against Greece in what was the largest Saturday afternoon audience for any TV channel in four years.

At its peak the match, which saw England qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals in Korea and Japan, attracted 11.8 million viewers and a 71.1% share. The average audience for the whole game was 9.8 million and the average share was 67%.

BBC director of sport, Peter Salmon said: “We’re delighted that so many people tuned in to watch the game. It shows how important it is that the World Cup is on terrestrial television.”

The last time the BBC saw such a large Saturday afternoon audience was with the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Middlesborough in 1997.

England’s 5-1 victory over Germany kicked off slightly later at 6.30pm and attracted an audience of nearly 13 million, with 14.6 million tuning in for the last half an hour of the game (see Football Nets 14.6m Viewers).

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk

Subscribers can access further information on the BBC and other TV stations by selecting “Television” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.