TV viewing round-up: July 2016
The summer of sport continued to dominate the ratings in July, with the football and tennis really pulling in the viewers.
BBC One’s broadcast of the Wimbledon Men’s final saw home favourite Andy Murray win the event for the second time.
Murray’s straight-sets win over Canadian Milos Raonic, bringing his grand slam title tally up to three, pulled in an average audience of 9.3 million across the three hour final.
Two other Wimbledon matches made the top programme list as well – both also featuring Andy Murray – with the quarter final against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and the fourth round tie versus Nick Kyrgios pulling in 5.4 million and 4.9 million viewers, respectively.
This month also concluded the Euro 2016 football championship with the final Portugal vs France attracting July’s biggest rating.
Just under 12.3 million watched BBC One’s coverage of the the match, which resulted in a 1-0 victory to the Portuguese side thanks to a goal from substitute Éder.
Not to be completely outdone – ITV’s broadcast of Wales vs PortugalBrief Encounters gave ITV further ratings success this month.
Centred around a group of Ann Summers party planners from Sheffield, the second episode grabbed the biggest audience with just under 5.6 million viewers.
Also on the comedy front, BBC One’s live broadcast of Mrs Brown’s Boys showed that the great British public haven’t tired of Brendan O’Carroll’s titular character.
Featuring the usual fluffed lines, double entendres and off script deviations, the one-off show kept 8.8 million entertained.
July also saw Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent become the latest literary classic to get the BBC adaptation treatment.
Headed by Toby Jones and featuring a cast including Vicky McClure and Stephen Graham, the three-part mini series launched with 5.2 million viewers.
Other programmes that did well this month include: Celebrity MasterChef which was watched by 5.7 million people; Long Lost Family, attracting an audience of 4.9 million; and Eat Well For Less, which pulled in 4.9 million viewers.
Top Programmes (excluding soaps):
| Sorting | Programme | On Air Date | Genre | Station | Start / End | Viewers (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EURO 2016 FINAL: PORTUGAL V FRANCE | Sunday 10 July 2016 | Sport | BBC1 | 20:01-22:32 | 12.27 |
| 2 | EURO 2016: WALES V BELGIUM | Friday 1 July 2016 | Sport | BBC1 | 20:01-21:49 | 10.88 |
| 3 | EURO 2016: WALES V PORTUGAL | Wednesday 6 July 2016 | Sport | ITV | 19:14-22:27 | 10.07 |
| 4 | EURO 2016: GERMANY V FRANCE | Thursday 7 July 2016 | Sport | BBC1 | 20:00-21:53 | 9.88 |
| 5 | EURO 2016: GERMANY V ITALY | Saturday 2 July 2016 | Sport | BBC1 | 20:03-22:49 | 9.30 |
| 6 | WIMBLEDON 2016: MEN’S SINGLES FINAL | Sunday 10 July 2016 | Sport | BBC1 | 13:50-17:33 | 9.26 |
| 7 | MRS BROWN’S BOYS LIVE | Saturday 23 July 2016 | Comedy | BBC1 | 21:45-22:22 | 8.82 |
| 8 | BBC NEWS | Sunday 10 July 2016 | News | BBC1 | 17:35-17:50 | 6.95 |
| 9 | TEN O’CLOCK NEWS | Friday 1 July 2016 | News | BBC1 | 22:09-22:41 | 6.74 |
| 10 | EURO 2016: FRANCE V ICELAND | Sunday 3 July 2016 | Sport | ITV | 19:14-22:15 | 6.73 |
| 11 | COUNTRYFILE | Sunday 10 July 2016 | Factual | BBC1 | 17:59-18:58 | 5.78 |
| 12 | CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF | Friday 29 July 2016 | Factual | BBC1 | 20:31-21:58 | 5.69 |
| 13 | BRIEF ENCOUNTERS | Monday 11 July 2016 | Drama | ITV | 21:00-21:58 | 5.57 |
| 14 | WIMBLEDON 2016: TSONGA V MURRAY | Wednesday 6 July 2016 | Sport | BBC1 | 18:58-20:59 | 5.41 |
| 15 | SIX O’CLOCK NEWS | Wednesday 13 July 2016 | News | BBC1 | 18:14-18:59 | 5.41 |
| 16 | THE SECRET AGENT | Sunday 17 July 2016 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:02-21:59 | 5.18 |
| 17 | WIMBLEDON 2016: KYRGIOS V MURRAY | Monday 4 July 2016 | Sport | BBC1 | 18:45-19:27 | 4.91 |
| 18 | LONG LOST FAMILY | Wednesday 13 July 2016 | Factual | ITV | 21:02-21:59 | 4.88 |
| 19 | EAT WELL FOR LESS? | Wednesday 13 July 2016 | Factual | BBC1 | 20:00-20:58 | 4.87 |
| 20 | CASUALTY | Saturday 9 July 2016 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:27-22:16 | 4.84 |
Sky vs Freeview (share):
| Sky | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 21.43 | 25.65 | 4.23 |
| BBC2 | 4.60 | 6.70 | 2.10 |
| ITV | 11.70 | 13.93 | 2.23 |
| Channel 4 | 5.10 | 5.85 | 0.75 |
| Channel 5 | 6.23 | 4.48 | -1.75 |
| Others | 50.98 | 43.45 | -7.53 |
Sky vs Cable Digital (share):
| Sky | Cable Digital | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 21.43 | 24.13 | 2.70 |
| BBC2 | 4.60 | 4.95 | 0.35 |
| ITV | 11.70 | 12.58 | 0.88 |
| Channel 4 | 5.10 | 6.48 | 1.38 |
| Channel 5 | 6.23 | 4.60 | -1.63 |
| Others | 50.98 | 47.30 | -3.68 |
Cable Digital vs Freeview (share):
| Cable Digital | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 24.13 | 25.65 | 1.53 |
| BBC2 | 4.95 | 6.70 | 1.75 |
| ITV | 12.58 | 13.93 | 1.35 |
| Channel 4 | 6.48 | 5.85 | -0.63 |
| Channel 5 | 4.60 | 4.48 | -0.13 |
| Others | 47.30 | 43.45 | -3.85 |