More than 31 million watch Euro final as England suffer heartbreaking defeat

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More than 31 million viewers tuned in to see England’s heartbreaking defeat by Italy, making it one of the most watched programmes in UK broadcasting history.

The game was shown on both BBC and ITV, with the combined total revealing at least 31 million people were watching at the peak.

The BBC recorded a high of 25 million, with ITV expected to confirm six million.

The huge figures were slightly less than the 32.3 million estimated to have watched the 1966 World Cup Final between England and West Germany.

Euro 2020 Final: England team leave Grove Hotel after their defeat by Italy

Italy v England - UEFA Euro 2020 Final - Wembley Stadium
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But the initial figures do not include viewers on catch-up or streaming services, which sometimes take weeks to calculate, meaning Sunday’s final could surpass the 1966 figure.

The most watched event of recent years had been the Prime Minister’s May 2020 coronavirus announcement, which was seen by 27.7 million viewers across six different channels.

The Italy total surpassed the 25.8 million who watched England’s 2-1 victory over Denmark in the semi-final, which had been the biggest audience of the year.

It also beat the peak of 26.5 million who saw Croatia knock England out of the 2018 World Cup. The 31 million figure was also on a par with some of the most momentous events in history, including the funeral of Princess Diana that was seen by 32.1 million.

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