lackluster audiences for television channels

2023-05-07 12:12:00

In 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was broadcast on French television, when France had only 59,971 TV receivers. The curious had gathered in the streets or at their neighbors equipped to follow this event, the first of this scale to be broadcast live internationally.

70 years later, the coronation of his eldest son Charles III and Queen Camilla attracted some 9 million French viewers on Saturday on all the channels that broadcast it, according to data from Médiamétrie, published this Sunday.

A good score certainly, but the television channels did not beat records. Indeed, previous royal events, happy or darker, have already brought together more viewers.

The special edition of France 2 was the most followed

In detail, the special edition of France 2 was the most followed. It gathered nearly 3.7 million people on average between 11:50 a.m. and 3:50 p.m. for an audience share (PDA) of 30.2%. That of TF1 captured more than 3.5 million viewers (27.5% of PDA) between 11:50 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and 2.8 million (24.2% of PDA) between 2:00 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.

By way of comparison, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II brought together an average of 7.5 million viewers (66.7% of PDA) on Monday September 19, 2022 between noon and 1 p.m. on all the French channels broadcasting it, a little more than those of her husband Prince Philip (seven million on April 17, 2021).

The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011 was watched by nine million French viewers on average between 9:25 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. on TF1, France 2, BFM TV and CNews. And that of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle, May 19, 2018, by some eight million viewers.

A French audience below previous records

Still with regard to the British royal family, the funeral of Lady Diana, on September 6, 1997, had been watched by 10.1 million viewers on average between 8:50 a.m. and 1:20 p.m., and only on TF1 and France 2, the news channels n does not yet exist.

The record in France for this type of event remains the funeral of Johnny Hallyday, on December 9, 2017: they had attracted an average of 11.6 million viewers (76.1% audience share) between 9:40 a.m. and 3:25 p.m. on TF1 , France 2, BFM TV, CNews, Franceinfo and LCI.

Across the Channel also the audience results are mixed. Charles III’s coronation was watched by more than 14 million viewers on BBC channels, a figure suggesting a far lower overall audience than his mother Elizabeth II’s coronation or funeral.

Over 14 million viewers on the BBC

On average, 13.4 million viewers – out of a population of 67 million, comparable to France – watched the two main British public broadcasting channels for the event. That number soared to more than 14 million by the time the crown was laid on the 74-year-old king’s head, the BBC’s press service said. The other channels did not communicate their data but the BBC accounts for a large part of the audience for this type of event.

For the funeral of Elizabeth II last September, the average audience had been more than 26 million viewers with a peak of 28 million viewers, including 18.5 million on the BBC. Her coronation in 1953 – the first on TV – was watched by 27 million people in the UK, according to Buckingham Palace, and Princess Diana’s funeral by 32 million.

(With AFP)