ITV enjoyed a fantastic start to Euro 2024 as 10million viewers tuned in to watch Germany’s demolition of Scotland.
The hosts ran riot in Munich, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes before going on to win 5-1 against the ten man Scots.
And while Germany celebrated, ITV also had plenty to cheer after achieving stunning ratings.
A peak of 10.4m tuned in to watch the Euros opener – the highest peak audience of any opening to a major football tournament in a decade, with an average of 9.1m viewers across 90 minutes.
That is a considerable increase from the average of 5.2m viewers who watched the opening game of Euro 2020 on the BBC, which had a peak audience of just 6.9m.
ITV and BBC are sharing coverage of Euro 2024, with England’s opener against Serbia on Sunday to be shown on BBC One.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Scotland fans have supported their team well, either from home or in Germany.
It is estimated 100,000 Scots travelled to Germany to cheer on the Tartan Army, with thousands getting trapped outside the stadium ahead of their opening match.
Supporters even drank Glasgow Airport dry before 9am as they flew out to Munich.
Meanwhile the BBC will hope to eclipse the average audience of 7.4m that watch England’s first game of the 2022 World Cup against Iran.
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
EURO 2024 LIVE: LATEST UPDATES FROM THE TOURNAMENT
BBC and ITV’s Euro 2024 line up in full
Here’s how each channel will line-up:
BBC presenters:
Gary Lineker, Alex Scott, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman
ITV presenters:
Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods
BBC pundits:
Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Rio Ferdinand, Ellen White, Frank Lampard, Ashley Williams, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Frank, David Moyes, Rachel Corsie and James McFadden
ITV pundits:
Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Karen Carney, Graeme Souness, Eni Aluko, Ange Postecoglou, Danny Rohl and Christina Unkel
BBC commentators:
Guy Mowbray, Robyn Cowen, Vicki Sparks, Steve Wilson, Steve Bower and Jonathan Pearce
ITV commentators:
Sam Matterface, Clive Tyldesley, Seb Hutchinson, Pien Meulensteen and Joe Speight
BBC co-commentators:
Danny Murphy, Martin Keown, Jermaine Jenas and James McFadden
ITV co-commentators:
Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist and Andros Townsend
England almost pulled in a record number of viewers for their Euro 2020 final against Italy.
Around 31m watched that clash – just 1.3m short of the audience who tuned in for the 1966 World Cup final.
Ultimate sports presenters rich list
TV sports presenters make a mint.
The biggest and best are signed up on yearly deals with the likes of the BBC, ITV and Sky for your viewing pleasure.
Laura Woods is dominating the media landscape at the moment, leading TNT Sports’ coverage and ITV’s.
Alex Scott and Jermaine Jenas are two of the fresher faces for the BBC’s sporting output.
Then, it’s the old guard of Gary Lineker and Mark Chapman who also command hefty fees for their Match of the Day programmes.
SunSport has taken a look at how those big names rank and compiled a list of the top 10 highest earning stars that grace our TV screens.
With number one worth a whopping £29.4million more than number 10!
Read the story and see the full list here.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
