Nearly 4.6m viewers tuned into the BBC for exit ballot outcomes

The BBC was the most watched TV broadcaster for its election coverage, dwarfing the audience numbers of its rivals ITV, Sky and Channel 4. 

Around 4.6 million viewers tuned to the broadcaster’s coverage, which was fronted by Clive Myrie and Laura Kuenssberg, when the exit poll was announced at 10pm, according to industry publication Broadcast. 

However, the highest number of viewers recorded on BBC1, until 2am, dropped by about a third from the 2019 vote, down from 4.3 million to 2.9 million. 

And the figures risk being diminished even by England’s quarter-finals Euros clash against Switzerland tomorrow, which is expected to attract 20 million viewers. 

Despite this, the corporation’s coverage on its flagship channel still easily outstripped its nearest rivals getting more than three times ITV’s 840,000. 

But Channel 4, which this year brought in Emily Maitlis as a co-presenter alongside Krishnan Guru-Murthy, saw a large boost in its election night audience, jumping from 240,000 in the previous election to more than 650,000 across the night.

According to industry publication Broadcast about 7.3 million tuned in for the results of the exit poll between 10pm and 11pm across BBC1, ITV, Channel 4, BBC News channel, Sky News and GB News.

But the publication said this was down by almost three million on the total that watched the Johnson versus Corbyn showdown.

The figures may be explained by the sense of a foregone conclusion given the gap between the Tories and Labour in all the polling data leading up to the vote and the fact the exit poll was so comprehensively in favour of Sir Keir Starmer’s party.

But some critics said the BBC’s new line-up had suffered from losing Huw Edwards. He quit the BBC on medical advice in the wake of claims he paid a young person for explicit images.

Across the exit poll hour, BBC1’s Election 2024 pulled in 4.2 million according to Broadcast, down by two million on 2019’s 6.1 million, while ITV’s show dropped from 2.3 million to 1.3 million. Channel 4 was up from 466,000 in 2019 to 930,000 in the exit poll hour.

Sky News coverage, fronted by Kay Burley, was slightly up for the exit poll, rising from the 512,000 in 2019 to 530,000 this time round. Its coverage averaged 372,000 between 10pm and 2am.

The BBC said its peak of 4.6 million on Thursday night came at 10pm when the exit poll was announced.

It added that 11.9 million watched its TV coverage for at least three minutes up until 2am when all its services were considered.

Channel 4’s head of news, current affairs, specialist factual and sport Louisa Compton claimed its programme had ‘shook up TV coverage’ of the vote and created a ‘noisy’ alternative.

The commercially funded broadcaster claimed to have attracted the biggest young audience outside BBC1, with 15.5 per cent of 16 to 34-year-olds tuning in through the night and into the morning. 

Overall, Channel 4 reached 3.3 million viewers, peaking at 1.1 million across its main channel as well as 4seven which was showing a signed version of the same election coverage. 

Despite their impressive viewing figures, each of the broadcasters were still subject to a number of major gaffes throughout the night. 

At one point the BBC’s wing-o-meter appearing to break as Jeremy Vine presented from Cardiff. A later green screen failure made it look like Sophie Raworth and Jon Kay were floating heads.

Yet the strangest moment by far came from the Sky News studio, when Kay Burley and guests could be heard making scoffing noises as they unveiled the exit poll results for the first time.

Viewers were left bewildered as the veteran presenter and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham let out a series of ‘groans’ after being stunned into silence by Labour’s projected landslide.

Over on Channel 4 viewers said they were ‘really impressed’ with the teams’ work, many calling it ‘the best coverage all day’.

Despite this, they still had a few run ins with Nadine Dories who accused fellow commentator Alastair Campbell of sexism before upstaging presenters to reveal Boris Johnson had been texting her.

Viewers watching Channel 4 coverage earlier on in the night were left entertained when former culture secretary Ms Dorries clashed with former Labour spokesperson Mr Campbell just after the polls closed.

She also caused hilarity for those watching after Ms Maitlis appeared to struggle not to roll her eyes at one of her answers.

The staunch Boris Johnson loyalist said the projected results were a ‘disaster’ for the party, after an exit poll predicted the party would return just 131 seats.

Pressed on the meteoric rise of Reform, which is projected to get 13 seats, Ms Dorriess pointed out that the far-right party was polling in the low single digits while Mr Johnson was Prime Minister.

Mr Campbell then interrupted her and said: ‘You really need to get over Boris.’

Ms Dorries hit back: ‘I think that’s quite a sexist comment.’

Mr Campbell retorted: ‘It’s really not’.

The couple continued to trade blows throughout the programme with the presenters having to intervene at times.

Just a few minutes later there was another clash, this time between Labour’s Harriet Harman and the Conservatives’ Kwasi Kwarteng.

Ms Harman accused Mr Kwarteng of being ‘patronising’ in his response to her.

Ms Dorries cut in and said: ‘It’s up to me and Harriet to hold the men on this stage to account it seems.’

Earlier on in the night after the exit poll was announced, many viewers said they were switching off the BBC’s main coverage – bemoaning that Clive Myrie and Laura Kuenssberg were a ‘pointless double act’.

Several have taken to X to slam the tax-funded broadcaster for their ‘endless wittering’ and a lack of reporting from polling stations as the results roll in.

Others have described the BBC’s reportage as ‘misjudged’ , ‘dull’ with one comparing it to ‘one of their interminable and tedious podcasts’.