The long-awaited start of Euro 2020 was a ratings hit for BBC One last night, with a peak of almost 7 million tuning in, according to early figures.
The tournament - delayed from last summer by coronavirus - began in Rome with Italy sweeping aside Turkey 3-0 as Roberto Mancini's side claimed the early advantage in Group A.
Overall, BBC One's coverage of the opening game averaged 5.17m (31.1%) between 7pm and 10.10pm, with figures of over 6m for most of the game itself, which kicked off at 8pm.
The peak audience of 6.91m (40.2%) came at 8.43pm, just before the whistle blew for the end of the first half.
Interest in the Euros had only a minor knock-on effect for rival channels, with Channel 4's Celebrity Gogglebox down from 3.42m (21.1%) last week to 3.08m (16.8%) in the 9pm hour.
ITV managed a decent 3.99m (24.3%) for an hour-long episode of Coronation Street from 7.30pm, meanwhile, and on BBC Two, Gardeners' World interested 1.96m (10.7%) at 9pm.
Media Mole's ratings data is supplied by overnights.tv
Note: Figures include VOSDAL figures and viewing on +1 channels where available
Neil Wilkes
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