Eurovision 2017 averages 6.7m viewers on BBC One

Eurovision 2017 averages 6.7m viewers on BBC One

An average of 6.7 million viewers tuned in to BBC One's Eurovision coverage on Saturday night as Portugal won the contest for the first time in its history.

Singer Salvador Sobral won the 62nd edition of the event with Amar Pelos Dois (Love For Both Of Us), a ballad written by his sister, at the International Exhibition Centre in Kiev, Ukraine. 

"Music is not fireworks, music is feeling," Sobral said following the triumph. "Let's put emotion back into music."

The song attained 758 points, ahead of Bulgaria in second on 615 points and Moldova in third on 374 points, and way up from last year's winner Jamala for Ukraine, which received 534 points.

UK entrant Lucie Jones came 15th with I'll Never Give Up On You, claiming 111 points. It was the UK's highest placing since 2011, when Blue finished 11th with 100 points.

The BBC's Eurovision coverage, hosted by Graham Norton, saw an average audience of 6.7m across its three hours, reports Tellymix, down around 500,000 viewers on 2016 but up on 2015. Viewership peaked at 8.4m for the final results at around 11.30pm.

Earlier this month, Music Week spoke to Guy Freeman, editor, special events and formats at the BBC to find out why the UK music industry is missing a major opportunity by not embracing the annual pop extravaganza.



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