The BBC’s Glastonbury 2017 coverage has achieved record-breaking viewing figures on TV and online for the second consecutive year.
This year, 20.9m watched Glastonbury TV coverage for at least 3 minutes, an increase of 12% on 2016, when 18.7m tuned in.
On Sunday evening, BBC Two’s programme featuring Ed Sheeran’s headline set achieved a record high average audience for a Glastonbury show of 2.9m and a record peak audience of 4.1m viewers. The previous record was set by Jeff Lynne’s ELO at last year’s festival (2.4m average).
BBC Two’s coverage of Barry Gibb’s ‘legends slot’ achieved a high average audience of 2.48m with a peak of 3.7m; a record for the the legends set.
BBC Two’s headline sets with Radiohead on Friday and the Foo Fighters on Saturday achieved average audiences of 811k (peak 1.32m) and 1.6m (peak 2.5m) respectively.
On BBC Four, a secret set from Elbow on Friday evening had the biggest figures for Glastonbury content on the channel with an average audience of 784,000, peaking at 1.03m. This equates to a share of 4.1% and exceeded the top performing Glastonbury BBC Four show of 2016, which was ZZ Top/The Lumineers (63100 and a share of 3.4%).
BBC Four achieved its highest reach ever for Glastonbury coverage with a record 5.7m viewers watching for 3 minutes or more, an increase of 8% year on year.
Online, fans could access Glastonbury performances via the BBC website and BBC iPlayer, with over 100 performances across six stages streamed live. The BBC saw 4.5m requests for live streams on BBC iPlayer and its website throughout the weekend. This marks an increase of 84% compared to 2016, with 3.5m unique browsers to the BBC's Glastonbury coverage online in the UK (up 23% on 2016).
BBC Two and BBC Four’s Glastonbury at the BBC television shows were produced by BBC Studios.
Bob Shennan, director BBC Radio & Music said: “We’re delighted that this year’s Glastonbury festival has been enjoyed by a record number of people. BBC Music was able to bring audiences such an incredible range of genres from grime, reggae, rock and pop to memorable sets including Ed Sheeran, who made his Glastonbury debut only six years ago on the BBC Music Introducing Stage, and legendary artists Radiohead, The Foo Fighters and Barry Gibb. And all under a shining sun for a change!”
Get the inside story on the BBC’s Glastonbury coverage by revisiting our recent feature, and click to catch up on Music Week’s reports from days one, two and three at the festival.
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