The Eurovision Song Contest final drew the biggest British TV audience in the event’s history, with a peak of 11 million viewers, the BBC said in a statement on Sunday.
Swedish singer Lorraine won Eurovision 2023 on Saturday (13). The event was held in Liverpool, in the north of England, on behalf of last year’s champion, Ukraine, which was unable to host this year due to the invasion of Russia.
The BBC said the final drew 11 million viewers, an average of 9.9 million viewers and a 63% audience share.
“The fact that millions of people tuned in reflects just how important Eurovision has become,” BBC executive Kate Phillips said in a statement.
“Liverpool welcomed the world’s biggest singing competition with open arms and took it beyond our expectations.”
Contest organizers, the European Broadcasting Union, estimated that more than 160 million people watched worldwide, according to 2022 figures.
British viewers saw May Muller take 25th place.