Turkey's surprise victory draws 4.6m for ITV

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 16-Jun-08, 11:20

LONDON - ITV's coverage of last night's thrilling Euro 2008 decider between Turkey and the Czech Republic attracted 4.6m viewers, matching the ratings for BBC One's Sunday night drama, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The surprise 3-2 win for Turkey earned ITV a 20.4% share between 7.30pm-10pm, while 'The Inspector Linley Mysteries' on BBC One between 8.30pm-10pm, also managed a 20.4% share and 4.8m viewers.

BBC One switched 'EastEnders' to 8pm-8.30pm on Sunday night due to its football commitments, but the soap still pulled in a sizeable following of 7.2m viewers, with a 32.8% share.

The pick of the weekend's Euro 2008 action in viewing terms fell to the BBC, as 5.6m viewers tuned in to watch The Netherlands beat France 4-1 on Friday night, giving BBC One a 26% share of viewing.

Friday brought the first eviction in this year's 'Big Brother'. The show attracted 3.5m viewers to the 9pm-10pm results show, giving Channel 4 a 15.8% share. Including the ratings for Channel 4+1, the show managed 3.7m viewers and a 16.6% share.

Scouse blonde Stephanie was the first to be booted out of the house after receiving 48% of votes cast. However, she could be set to return to the house after it was revealed there were problems with Friday night's phone vote.

ITV's Saturday night Euro 2008 match, a 1-0 win for Russia over Greece, drew 3.4m and a 17% share at 7.15pm-10pm. It started against BBC One's 'Doctor Who', which drew double the number of viewers, 7.3m and a 37.7% share.