More than 3 million viewers watched Jeremy Paxman’s grilling of David Cameron and Ed Miliband on Channel 4 and Sky News.
Cameron & Miliband, the Battle for Number 10, had 2.6 million viewers, an 11.7% share of the audience, on Channel 4 between 9pm and 10.30pm, around double the channel’s typical peak-time share.
It had another 322,000 viewers on Sky News, which also broadcast the 90-minute programme featuring Paxman and questions from a studio audience moderated by Sky News anchor Kay Burley.
Another 255,000 viewers watched its simulcast on the BBC News channel, giving it a total audience of 3.2 million viewers.
Channel 4’s coverage peaked with 3 million viewers, and Sky with 371,000, way up on the news channel’s typical audience.
The total audience will be even bigger, as the programme was also simulcast on the BBC News channel.
It gave Channel 4 a rare ratings win over ITV, which had 1.8 million viewers for its documentary, The Triplets are Coming!, and BBC2’s Jimmy McGovern drama Banished (2.1 million) and Channel 5’s Holiday Love Rats Exposed (800,00).
Channel 4 did not have a leaders’ debate in 2010, so straight comparisons with five years ago are not possible.
Plus, of course, this was not a debate, after Cameron accepted just one seven-way party leaders’ debate, to be broadcast on ITV next Thursday.
If Miliband’s decision to appear second in last night’s programme was an attempt to avoid exposure to a larger TV audience, as some people suggested, it didn’t work.
In fact, more people were watching - 2.8 million - when Miliband first appeared at 9.45pm, than then 2.5 million who were tuned in to Channel 4 when the programme kicked off with Paxman’s interrogation of Jeremy Paxman.
The programme had 2.3 million viewers on Channel 4 with another 300,000 viewers watching an hour later on timeshifted service, Channel 4+1.
The first election debate in 2010, broadcast on ITV, had 9.4 million viewers. Next week’s ITV debate, the only party leader pre-election TV debate, can expect to generate a similar number.
