The BBC has announced record-breaking viewing figures for England's dramatic 3-2 World Cup win over Mexico, prompting fans to question what the remaining 14% of the audience were watching at 2am on a Monday morning.
Record-Breaking Viewership Despite Early Kick-Off
The last-16 tie, which kicked off an hour later than scheduled due to thunderstorms in Mexico City, attracted a peak live audience of 9.1 million on BBC One, with an average audience of 7.8 million. This more than tripled the previous record for a BBC event screened between 2am and 4am, set during the Rio Olympics in 2016. The match also secured a huge 86% share of the audience at that time, according to the BBC.
England fans packed out pubs in the early hours to watch the match, which ended 3-2 in England's favour. Despite the late kick-off, the game drew an impressive audience, though it did not match the numbers of a prime-time evening kick-off.
Fans React to 14% Audience Share
Fans took to social media to express their bewilderment at the 14% of viewers who chose to watch something else. One fan asked: "What were the 14 per cent watching?" Another said: "Who the heck was watching anything else at that time? Surely it must have been left on TVs by mistake. I watched the match, well worth staying up."
A third quipped: "The other 14 per cent were scanning through the mucky channels… ahem, so I've heard." Another asked: "What on earth are 1.1m people doing watching TV in the early hours of the morning if not staying up to watch the footie?"
A fifth said: "It's 2am, England are on and 14 per cent of the people awake and with a TV on found something else to watch!"
Alternative Programming During the Match
At the time of the match, terrestrial TV offered a variety of alternative programming. BBC Two showed a biopic about soul singer Teddy Pendergrass, followed by an interview with Madonna by Graham Norton. ITV1 was broadcasting Shop on TV and the Motorsport UK magazine programme. Channel 4 showed a Gogglebox repeat, followed by back-to-back episodes of The Goldbergs, while Channel 5 aired Build Your Dream Home in the Country, followed by a couple of episodes of Friends.
Record Digital and Replay Figures
The BBC also reported strong digital figures. The rerun of the match on BBC Two at 7am on Monday attracted a peak audience of 1.1 million, averaging at 900,000. Match highlights have been streamed a record 5.9 million times on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app, and the BBC Football YouTube channel.
Footage of Harry Kane's post-match interview with Kelly Somers, where his voice cracked after joining teammates in singing Wonderwall with England fans, was viewed 65 million times, the BBC said.
Upcoming Quarter-Final Against Norway
England's quarter-final against Norway, who knocked out Brazil, will kick off at the more sociable time of 10pm UK time. ITV will show the match, which is expected to attract another huge audience.
