The BBC’s coverage of The Coronation and the Eurovision Song Contest and the finale of Happy Valley propel public broadcaster to the top of the list of most watched TV shows in 2023.
- Planet Earth III, Wild Isles and Death in Paradise are also ratings winners of the year.
- ITV appears twice in the top 10, Channel 4 just once.
The BBC wins seven out of ten of the most watched shows in 2023 so far across all broadcasters and streamers.
The figures for 2023 confirm how the broadcaster still attracts large viewers for major events, despite an overall decline in viewing across public service broadcasters, as commercial streaming services gain greater share.
The Coronation (12.8m*), Planet Earth III (8.9m**) and Wild Isles (8.2m) take the top three spots for Factual in 2023.
Happy Valley is the biggest drama of the year (11.9m) and Death in Paradise takes the second spot (8.3m) with eight of the top ten from BBC Drama.
Ghosts is the biggest comedy of the year (4.9m) with nine of the top 10 comedies all on the BBC.
The biggest entertainment show of the year so far goes to the Eurovision Song Contest (10.7m*).
And not forgetting another outstanding year of sport with the Women’s World Cup final delivering a peak of 12m viewers.
ITV scored twice in with I’m a Celebrity at 5 and Unforgotten in at 9. Despite a longer term decline in audiences for The Great British Bake Off, the show ensured Channel 4 was represented at number 4.
▶ TV Top 10 in 2023
| Top 10 in 2023 | Broadcaster | Average Audience |
|---|---|---|
| The Coronation of TM The King and Queen Camilla* | BBC | 12.8 |
| Happy Valley | BBC | 11.9 |
| Eurovision Song Contest | BBC | 10.7 |
| The Great British Bake Off** | Ch4 | 9.7 |
| I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!*** | ITV | 9.0 |
| Planet Earth III** | BBC | 8.9 |
| Strictly Come Dancing** | BBC | 8.5 |
| Death in Paradise | BBC | 8.3 |
| Unforgotten | ITV | 8.2 |
| Wild Isles | BBC | 8.2 |
*These events are the highest TX (not part of a series)
**28 Day data but missing later episodes (full series 28 Day not yet available)
***7 Day data only for part of series (28 Day not yet available)
Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer commented:
“Only the BBC can offer such scale, distinctiveness and ambition. Our range of world-class programmes is unrivalled, we’ve delivered value to audiences and they’ve chosen the BBC in every genre. We are facing tough financial challenges, and while we are not unique in this, what’s impressive is that despite all the millions being spent on global platforms, we’ve had an extraordinary year creatively.”
[Image: BBC]