TV Overnights: ITV1’s UEFA Champions League coverage scores a high of 7.3m viewers

ITV1’s live UEFA Champions League coverage of the Inter Milan v Chelsea match scored a high of 7.3 million viewers during prime time last night.

The last-16 first-leg encounter at the San Siro, which ended 2-1 to Inter Milan, pulled in over 5.6 million average viewers and a 22.5% share between 7.30pm and 10pm, helping ITV1 to dominate most of the peak-time ratings.

Emmerdale also secured the top spot before the football with 7.6 million peak viewers and a 31.5% average audience share, while FA Cup highlights stole the show later on in the evening with 2.2 million peak viewers and a 14.2% share.

However, BBC One managed to bank the highest ratings intermittently throughout the Wednesday evening line-up.  Eastenders attracted more than 9.4 million peak viewers and a 38.1% average share between 7.30pm and 8pm.

The end of BBC One’s new documentary The Day the Immigrants Left with Evan Davies also claimed the top spot with 6.1 million peak viewers during the last fifteen minutes.  The hour-long programme pulled in 5.2 million average viewers and a 20.8% share overall during the 9pm to 10pm peak-slot.

At the same time, Five’s ever-popular NCIS picked up 2.1 million average viewers and a 8.5% share, while BBC Two’s Winter Olympics 2010 coverage continued with 1.7 million average viewers and a 7.3% share.

The third episode of Channel 4’s Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA, meanwhile, pulled in a lower 1.5 million average viewers and a 6.2% share.

Overnight data is available each morning in mediatel.co.uk’s TV Database, with all BARB registered subscribers able to view reports for terrestrial networks and key multi-channel stations.