TV Viewing Figures Are Outperforming The Three Lions

England’s defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 Final was the most viewed event in UK TV history with more than 42 million viewers, accounting for streamers too. Euro 2024 isn’t just a test for Southgate’s team to go one step further, but a litmus test for the state of UK TV viewing too; particularly if the Three Lions have a successful competition.

“TV viewing figures, on the other hand, have given Advertisers reasons to be cheerful.”

The longer Home Nations can stay in the competition, the higher the ceiling of viewing figures will be. England were pre-tournament favourites, so going deep into the tournament was on the cards. However, at the time of writing (26th June 2024), performances on the pitch have seriously dented the hopes of even the most optimistic England fan. TV viewing figures, on the other hand, have given Advertisers reasons to be cheerful.

England’s opening match against Serbia was watched by 14.9m at its peak and overnight figures of the Slovenia game estimate a peak of 13.4million viewers. By comparison, England’s final group game at Euro 2020 peaked at 14.4m, so our appetite for the Euros is as high as ever – no change there. The fact that VOD streams of the matches are up 25% vs predictions too means that, if anything, we’re hungrier than ever.

“Despite the naysayers claiming the end days of Linear TV, these are figures that few other channels can even dream of from a single event. ”

What is a little different is the landscape of Brands that have been advertising around the games so far. To encourage new-to-tournament-football-spenders, ITV allowed Brands to trade a fixed Adult CPT to access a wide array of matches. Unheard of for accessing the Television event of the year. No wonder so many Brands have jumped in. And what’s exciting is that it’s not just been the usual suspects (Food, Beer, Travel, Gambling etc.), there have been more than 30 Brands accessing football for the very first time: from Universities to Zoos, Cleaning Products to Financial Services.

The pricing isn’t the only factor getting new Brands on TV – it’s the unrivalled scale. England fixtures alone are estimated to deliver 57.6% 1+ reach to All Adults. Despite the naysayers claiming the end days of Linear TV, these are figures that few other channels can even dream of from a single event.

It’s also an audience that is more diverse than ever. The number of female viewers has been steadily increasing for Euros between 2016 -2021. There is a direct correlation between England making it to the latter stages of the competition and the number of female viewers. The Euros 2020 final gender split was 50/50, similar to the Women’s World Cup figures from 2023. The current split of the data for this tournament is still 64% male, but we only have consolidated data from the very first few days of the group stages. The Euros also brings in more casual fans through shared viewing occasions with the majority of viewers watching the match with family and friends.

“What hasn’t changed is Traditional TV’s unique ability to harness the power of cultural moments for Advertisers”

It is undeniable that the ways we consume AV content have diversified. What hasn’t changed is Traditional TV’s unique ability to harness the power of cultural moments for Advertisers, and tentpole events like the Euros continue to be an opportunity for TV to flex its muscles in this arena. Just how much of a flex it will be this year will ultimately be at the feet of the Three Lions. Southgate’s Team has sleep-walked into the knockout rounds of the Euros so far. Advertisers (and Fans!) will be praying they can make good on all their potential soon and make it past Slovakia on Sunday.