United Champions League win nets 5.1m on ITV1

by Darren Davidson, Brand Republic 05-Mar-08, 11:05

LONDON - ITV1's live coverage of Manchester United's Champions League match against Lyon netted 5.1m viewers yesterday, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The game, in which United secured their passage to the quarter finals of the competition with a 1-0 home win over French team Lyon, was watched by a 21.2% share of the audience between 7.30pm-10pm.

ITV4 also scored a ratings hit with its live coverage of Arsenal's historic victory over Milan, which saw the Londoners become the first team to prevail against Milan at San Siro.

The match drew 1.4m viewers and a 6.8% share of multi-channel viewing, giving ITV4 the biggest multi-channel audience of the day.

The programme peaked during the closing stages of the match at 9.30pm, with 2.2m viewers and a 10.7% share tuning in as Arsenal scored a second goal.

Channel 4 had a strong night, with 'Supersize vs Superskinny', the series about weight, food and body image, earning 2.3m viewers and a 9.2% share at 8pm. Including Channel 4+1, the programme drew 2.5m viewers and a 9.9% share.

'Shameless', Channel 4's critically acclaimed gritty comedy drama, brought 2.1m viewers and a 13.2% share at 10pm. The audience rose to 2.2m viewers and a 13.9% share on Channel 4+1.

BBC One's 'Hotel Babylon' was hit by the football as it slumped to its lowest audience of its new series, with last night's third episode netting 4.6m and a 19.7% share. Last week's instalment pulled in 5.2m viewers.