As the UK calms down from its hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, ratings from the BBC have confirmed the shows were the most watched editions of the Contest ever in the country.
Ratings success for the BBC
Throughout the show, an average of nearly 10 million people watched the Grand Final of the Contest in Liverpool, equating to a 63% share of the viewership. The number of people watching the show peaked for around 5 minutes, when up to 11 million people tuned into BBC One. It has not been specified which part of the show helped the audience figures to peak. However, these figures show that Eurovision 2023 is the most watched Contest ever to be broadcast in the UK.
In a statement, BBC’s Director Kate Phillips said:
What an incredible Contest! It was unforgettable, unmissable event television on a scale never seen before delivered by the BBC to viewers across the UK and millions more watching around the world.
Sweden took home the trophy in spectacular style and 2022 winners Ukraine were at the heart of the show.
Liverpool welcomed the world’s biggest singing competition with open arms and embraced it beyond all of our expectations.
The fact that so many millions of people tuned in and truly underlines the theme behind this year’s Contest, United by Music. We really hope we did Ukraine proud.
Kate Phillips, BBC Director of Unscripted
United Kingdom’s Eurovision journey
The UK is one of the most successful countries at the Eurovision Song Contest. Debuting at the second edition ever of the Contest in 1957, the United Kingdom won the competition on five separate occasions. The most recent win for the UK was in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves, singing “Love Shine A Light”. The UK also holds the record for the number of second place finishes – currently at 16.
In 2023, Mae Muller represented the UK on home soil in Liverpool with her song “I Wrote A Song”. At the close of voting, the UK finished 25th in a field of 26, earning a total of 24 points. Of these, 15 points came from the jury, whilst the remaining 9 came from the televote.
What do you think of the UK’s ratings for Eurovision this year? Do you think this will continue in future years? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok as we look back at Eurovision 2023!
News Source: BBC
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
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