Channel 4 extends Paralympics coverage across schedule

2 September 2012

• 3.3 million peak audience for Superhuman Saturday Paralympics coverage

• Channel 4 most watched channel in early evening as 2.9 million viewers watch Ellie Simmonds win gold medal

• Paralympics coverage helps Channel 4 achieve its biggest Saturday all-day share in seven years

 

Channel 4's coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games continued to draw record audiences, as last night's live Paralympic Games 2012 Tonight show peaked with 3.3 million viewers at both 8.05pm and 9.25pm with swimming and athletics coverage respectively. Including the Paralympics Extra live streams, coverage peaked with 3.5 million.

At 9.25pm, Channel 4 was the second most popular television channel in the UK with live Paralympics coverage out-rating ITV1's Red or Black show (3.3m peak for Channel 4 versus 3.0m peak for ITV1).

In the early evening at 6.00pm, Ellie Simmonds' world-record-breaking gold medal win in the 400m freestyle S6 drew a huge peak audience of 2.9 million viewers - with Channel 4 the most watched channel on UK television from 5.50pm to 6.30pm.

The Last Leg with Adam Hills attracted its biggest audience of the run so far with an average of 1.0 million viewers from 10.30pm.

The Superhuman Saturday Paralympics coverage helped Channel 4 average an 11.7 percent share across the day on Saturday - up +113 percent on the previous 12 month average for Saturdays.  The all day share figure is the highest achieved by Channel 4 on a Saturday in seven years (since 27/08/05).

On the equivalent day three of live sport at Beijing 2008, the BBC's highlights programme averaged 2.1 million and peaked with 2.5 million.

 

 

Extended hours on Channel 4

From this Monday September 3rd, Channel 4 will extend its hours of main channel coverage from the London 2012 Paralympic Games across the entire daytime schedule - with coverage that was planned to be shown on More4 in the late afternoon schedule, moved to Channel 4 for the duration of the Games.

From Monday 3rd through to Friday 7th, Hollyoaks will be broadcast on E4 at its usual time.

As a result Channel 4 will broadcast daily Paralympics coverage of almost 16 hours on Channel 4 from 7.00am in the morning through to 11.15pm at night - breaking for just half an hour for the Channel 4 News from 7.00pm.

Channel 4's Chief Creative Officer, Jay Hunt said: "The coverage of the Paralympics has completely captured the public's imagination. We are clearing our schedule to bring viewers even more of this fantastic sport."

The extended schedule on Channel 4 follows the incredible demand by viewers to watch coverage from the Paralympic Games - with Channel 4's broadcast of the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening attracting a peak audience of 11.2 million viewers; and the first three days of live sport all peaking with audiences in excess of 3.3 million viewers.
Channel 4 is broadcasting around 500 hours of coverage across the London 2012 Paralympic Games - across its main channel and three Paralympics Extra live streams.