Olympics Closing Ceremony scores 26.2 million peak in UK

[dutchman]

London 2012 made its final bow with an enormous peak audience of 26.2 million for last night's Closing Ceremony.



Some 22.94m - a share of 80.7% - were tuned in to BBC One alone between 9pm and 12.15am. An average of 202k (0.7%) watched on BBC Olympics 1.

Figures - that don't account for those watching in pubs and on outdoor big screens - didn't once drop below the 20m mark during the live event.

The 'Symphony of British Music' - which featured appearances from the likes of the Spice Girls, The Who, One Direction and Ray Davies - was nearly as popular as the 27m-scoring opening ceremony just over two weeks ago.

However, a closer look at Sunday's ratings also indicate that around a million viewers switched off during George Michael's set between 10.15pm and 10.30pm - denting the overall average.

Gary Lineker and Sue Barker's Closing Ceremony build-up attracted 12.3m (49.7%) from 7.30pm, meaning BBC One claimed a huge primetime win with 65.8% - the same share it garnered on the night of the Opening Ceremony.

But as the BBC celebrated, ITV suffered the worst ever day in its 57-year history - averaging just 673k (2.1%) for a two-hour repeat of A Touch of Frost from 9pm. Overall, ITV1 averaged a 3.9% (+1: 0.3%) share in primetime.

Setting a new all-time low for the third time in the series, the penultimate episode of Channel 5's Big Brother took 483k (1.5%), eclipsed by BBC Two's The Dark: Nature's Nighttime World (521k1/6%).

Once Upon a Time was 5's most-watched programme, impressively climbing to 1.01m (3.9%) for its latest episode - 'The Stranger' - in the 8pm hour.

Elsewhere, Thelma's Gypsy Girls held 722k (2.2%) and 150k (0.5%), as Channel 4 took a very low 2.2% (+1: 0.3%) peak time share.

Meanwhile on the multichannels, Ricky Gervais's appearance on Family Guy amused 518k (1.6%) at 10pm, and The Only Way Is Essex logged just 416k (1.3%) for ITV2 at 10pm (+1: 100k/0.4%).

[dutchman]

However, a closer look at Sunday's ratings also indicate that around a million viewers switched off during George Michael's set between 10.15pm and 10.30pm - denting the overall average.

It was a disgraceful display of self promotion from a total has-been.

The entire ceremony can be viewed again online at BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... _Ceremony/

I skipped the George Michael set!

[rebbonk]

He looks like Adam Savage from Mythbusters



Can I claim a prize?

[dutchman]

George Michael defends Olympics closing ceremony song



George Michael has declared he has no regrets about performing his new single at the London 2012 closing ceremony.

His performance of White Light led some to accuse him of using Sunday night's event to promote his new material.

"I hope you are not bothered by the press reports of my scandalous 'promotion'!!!" the former Wham! star told his fans via Twitter on Tuesday.

The performance at the Olympic Stadium was the 49-year-old's first since his life-threatening battle with pneumonia.

The Careless Whisper singer spent a month in hospital in Vienna after contracting the illness last year.

Sunday's extravaganza also included musical performances from Annie Lennox, Take That, the Spice Girls and The Who. Each sang one or more of their best-known songs.

Michael, wearing sunglasses and dressed in black leather, came on stage in front of 80,000 people to sing his 1990 hit Freedom.

He followed it with White Light, a slower number inspired by his near-death experience.

Some viewers felt this was inappropriate and expressed their objections via Twitter.

"Not the time for new single promo," said Steve Anderson, a musical director for Kylie Minogue and Westlife.

"I'm genuinely surprised he was allowed to do this."

In his own Twitter postings, Michael said: "It was my one chance on tv to thank you all for your loyalty and prayers, and I took it.

"And I don't regret it," he added.

Several artists have enjoyed a sales boost since the show, with Elbow's One Day Like This and Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill both entering the iTunes Top 10.

Michael's White Light reached number two on Sunday and was ranked in 22nd place in the iTunes countdown on Tuesday afternoon.

The closing ceremony, described by organisers as "A Symphony of British Music", was watched at its peak by 26.3 million viewers in the UK.