England’s thrilling extra-time win over Italy in the UEFA Women’s Euro semi-final on July 22, not only propelled the Lionesses into their second consecutive final but also delivered commercial broadcaster ITV its biggest peak audience of the year across all platforms.
The match, which saw England secure a 2-1 victory over Italy, attracted an impressive peak viewership of 10.2 million across all devices on ITV. This figure represents the highest audience that ITV has drawn this year, both on its linear and digital platforms.
The game averaged eight million viewers from kick-off until the final whistle. This significant number has been claimed by ITV as their largest audience amongst all adults and those within the 16-34 demographic for overnight ratings so far this year.
Digital streaming success
In addition to traditional television viewing figures, digital streaming numbers were also substantial. The night of England's victory marked ITVX’s most successful day this year with a whopping 17.2 million streams.
While English fans celebrated their team's success, Italian supporters tuned in en masse to watch their national team compete in the semi-finals. Over four million viewers watched Italy's defeat on Rai 1 channel, securing an audience share of 27.4% for Italy's public service broadcaster.
This recent win continues England’s strong performance in major tournaments; it marks their third major final appearance in a row after reaching similar heights during the FIFA Women’s World Cup back in 2023 where they lost to Spain. A rematch with Spain is now potentially on cards as they face Germany in another semi-final match set to be broadcasted by BBC public service broadcaster.
Shared broadcasting rights
ITV and BBC are sharing broadcasting rights for this women's soccer tournament and will simultaneously broadcast the final on July 27. This follows England’s penalty shootout win over Sweden in the quarter-final, which attracted a peak audience of 7.4 million on BBC One and nearly three million online streams across various BBC platforms.
The record-breaking viewership numbers for England's semi-final victory highlight not only the growing popularity of women's football but also its increasing importance to broadcasters like ITV and BBC. As sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts eagerly await the final match, these figures are likely to rise even further, underscoring the significance of such events in today's sporting landscape.
