TV Ratings show the following:-
BBC One was the most watched channel for the whole of Saturday, The evening coverage averaged 3.06m (19.5%)

ITVs most watched programme had 2.72m (18%) Star Wars got 1.5m (9.4%).

Overall BBC One got 21.6% share on Saturday, ITV 6.1%, C4 6.1% C5 3.5%.

The first evening of the Commonwealth Games got an average of 3.63m (20.5%) on BBC One from 7pm.

The opening ceremony peaked at 9.42m (43.6%. The whole programme averaged 7.59m (41.1%).


The Open Golf Championship final had a peak audience of 5.5m (33.9%) at 6.30 pm.


Source: TV RatingsUK

The irony is that it's the games which are the minority!  Much as any sport totally bores me, the World Cup quarter and final got far more viewers.  And normal Saturday night programmes get more.

Even "New Tricks" repeats get more viewers!

Like many, I'm not a 'Sport fanatic'. I do watch a bit of several sports, and even enjoy much of it - except football, that is.
For instance ITV4's coverage of Le Tour was really super - not just for the cycling but for the display of the countryside around the route. So much better than what the Beeb seems to serve up.
Indeed, I've even enjoyed some of the coverage of the Rugby Sevens up in Glasgow this weekend (even if the "directing" of the coverage has been of a very low standard!) as well as the Squash coverage. [I do hope this doesn't turn out to be what the 6 Nations coverage will become!] But sad that Wales weren't  ..... enough!

However none of this can assist me in understanding why - for example when the BBC was showing Tennis from Wimbledon - it was "necessary" to switch a match from BBC 2 to BBC 1. And that's just an example of what the schedulers can(and do) do.
Can anyone show me an area (or 'platform') where BBC 2 is not available and BBC 1 is? Even in terms of coverage ...?

And how come, with BBC 3 under threat of becoming a web-only service, it can "magically" be broadcasting from morning to night for the Commonwealth Games, when it can't do the same for Glastonbury or any of the other music festivals? [I counted BBC 1, BBC 3, RB 301 and RB 302 all broadcasting the CG sport on Sunday afternoon - and that was without what was available online!]

It seems as if I'm getting to sound more like Victor Meldrew every day (as Margaret keeps telling me).

Yes-it's Micro who has the fundamental point here. Whilst BBC1 programme planners in their wildest dreams would never hope for 60 million viewers(100%), that surely MUST be the base line for any analytical audience calculation, rather than bARB conjured proportions and percentages.

Here, Here, thank goodness for the radio and the Proms  

To John W.
Not talking about your saturation coverage, but it is necessary to switch the Games from BBC1 to BBC 2 at various times as for news and regional programmes, only BBC 1 has the regional opt-out facilities needed. BBC2 is only available as a regional feed to Scotland/Wales and Nortern Ireland.
I guess they want the Games on BBC1 as it is considered the mainstay of BBC programming.

Mike is right about opts on BBC2.  Back in the early days of digital TV, when regional feeds went through the regions, BBC engineers (as always) did make provision for opts on BBC1 or BBC2.  But when digital rolled out to the sub regions (Hull, Cambridge, etc) management made the decision to save money and avoid new kit by utilising the BBC1/BBC2 switch to provide the sub region.  We did ask at a minuted meeting whether opts on BBC2 were required or not, pointing out the problems.

Now that Coding and Mux has been pulled back from the regions and centralised, opting on BBC2 would be relatively easier and much cheaper.

I've lost the link but a BBC1 "mission" statement says it's the BBC's prime channel and big events would be on it.  So sad.  Everyone can get all channels and most are intelligent enough to know how to!