Murray’s victory claims over 17 million viewers

Andy Murray’s nail-biting victory yesterday at the 2013 Wimbledon men’s final saw audiences peak at just over 17 million (five minute peak) – the second biggest audience in Wimbledon history behind Borg vs McEnroe in 1980 (17.3 million), and the highest television rating of the year so far.

44.2% of the UK TV audience tuned in to see the match between Murray and number one seed Novac Djokovic, climbing steadily throughout the afternoon, where eventually 78.8% sat on the edge of their seats to watch Murray claim the first UK win for the men’s category since Fred Perry in 1936.

Three straight sets secured BBC One the biggest audience of the day by far, peaking at 5.25pm with 17.05 million Wimbledon fans celebrating across the country, before declining to just over 6.5 million by 6pm for more sport with Formula 1.

The Grand Prix gave the BBC the second biggest audience share of the day, followed by popular shows Countryfile and Top Gear, which both claimed 24.2% of the British audience at their peaks between 8 and 9pm.

The Wimbledon mixed double finals over on BBC 2 didn’t quite manage to out-rival Formula 1, nor ITV’s Tipping Point: Lucky Stars, which claimed a 17.6% share at 7.30pm, however still managed a respectable 2.8 million viewers towards the end of the match – giving the channel a 14.3% share.

At 10.30pm, the Wimbledon spirits were still high. 26% of the nation tuned in to BBC One once more to relive some of the highlights from Murray Mound with Today at Wimbledon.

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.