Paralympics on Channel 4 hits record high as ratings confirmed
The broadcaster has seen major success in its Paralympics coverage.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games has reached an all-new high for Channel 4, as its coverage of the sporting event has reached 17 million viewers in its first week of broadcasting across linear and streaming, RadioTimes.com can exclusively reveal.
Based on data from the opening ceremony and the first six days of competitive action, Channel 4 has attained a total audience share of 9.1 per cent, which is up by 25 per cent on the same number of days as Tokyo 2020.
So far, there has already been a total of 4.3 billion viewer minutes across linear and streaming, up from 2.9 billion by the same stage in 2020.
The Paralympics has also proven to be popular among younger audiences, with Channel 4 recording its biggest ever share of young viewers for a Paralympic Games at this stage.
Channel 4's linear share of the 16-34 audience has surpassed its overage of London 2012, and is up by more than 56 per cent in comparison to Tokyo 2020.
Just some of the major moments that viewers have tuned in for in the opening six days have included Tully Kearney landing gold in the Women's 200m Freestyle S5 final (1.6m viewers), David Weir's unsuccessful bid for a third Paralympics gold medal in the Men's T54 1500m (1.5m viewers) and Great Britain's victory over France in the preliminary stage of the men's wheelchair basketball (1.5m viewers).
And it isn't just linear television proving to be a hit either, with Channel 4 Sport's YouTube channel achieving 1.7 million live streams, as it offers up to 18 concurrent streams and more than 1,300 hours of coverage from all the events.
The Last Leg has also found itself at the heart of Channel 4's prime time schedule, with episodes every night live from Paris, with Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe chatting about the day's events, with their usual comedic offering.
According to the ratings, The Last Leg has achieved over 0.9 million viewers to post-coverage episode to date, which is up by 21 per cent on the Tokyo 2020 equivalent.
Pete Andrews, Channel 4's head of sport, said: "We are so excited that the Paralympics have captured the public’s imagination, and in particular how the amazing performances of ParalympicsGB have struck a chord with younger viewers.
"We have tried to make these games as accessible as possible for everyone and showcase the fun and drama of this brilliant event.
"Hosting the streams on YouTube has been a big hit with the viewers, and it’s fantastic to see audiences flock to our coverage across linear, streaming and social. Bring on the next few days."
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
