Millions of viewers across Europe tune in as Birmingham 2026 reaches the halfway point.
by 14th August 2026
Millions of viewers across the UK and Europe are tuning in to free-to-air coverage of the European Athletics Championships Birmingham 2026, with strong audience figures recorded across major public service broadcasters during the first three days of competition.
In the host nation, BBC coverage surpassed two million viewers and reached a 20% market share by Day 2, reflecting growing public interest in the championships following British sprinter Amy Hunt’s 100m gold medal triumph on the opening night at Alexander Stadium.
Strong audiences have also been recorded across Europe, with several broadcasters reporting their highest viewing figures of the championships so far and exceptionally high market shares in key athletics nations.
Strong audiences across Europe:
- United Kingdom - BBC: Peak audiences exceeded 2 million viewers, with a 20% market share during the prime-time evening session on Day 2.
- Germany – ARD/ZDF: Evening coverage has averaged 3.71 million viewers, with peak audiences exceeding 4.3 million, the highest figures of the championships so far.
- Finland - YLE: Coverage reached a peak of 860,000 viewers, representing a market share of more than 75%, with the broadcaster recording its highest audience for three consecutive days.
- Norway - NRK: Prime-time market shares have consistently exceeded 65%, while Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s 5000m victory attracted more than 500,000 viewers, equivalent to a 10% national rating.
- France - France Télévisions: Prime-time coverage across France 2 and France 3 has consistently attracted around 1.6 million viewers each evening.
- Italy - RAI: Coverage has attracted more than 1.1 million viewers, with market share exceeding 10%.
- The Netherlands - NOS: Coverage has maintained a market share of more than 10%, with audiences recording approximately 5% day-on-day growth.
- Poland – TVP: The opening Monday evening session attracted 836,000 viewers on TVP1, followed by dedicated sports audiences of more than 550,000 viewers on TVP Sport.
European Athletics President welcomes strong response
European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov said:
“These fantastic viewing figures across Europe demonstrate the huge appetite for European athletics on free-to-air public television.
“To see more than two million people watching in the UK, market shares above 20% in major markets such as the UK and Germany, and shares exceeding 65% in Norway and 75% in Finland, shows how strongly the drama and quality of competition in Birmingham are connecting with fans.
“We are only halfway through the championships and, with some of the biggest medal events still to come this weekend, we expect the excitement and audiences to continue to grow.”
Birmingham 2026 at a glance
The European Athletics Championships Birmingham 2026 are taking place from 10–16 August 2026 at Alexander Stadium, marking the first time the full European outdoor championships have been staged in the United Kingdom.
Comprehensive live coverage is available free-to-air across Europe through the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) network of public service broadcasters, alongside digital coverage on Eurovision Sport.
Final consolidated television viewing figures, digital consumption data and total European broadcast reach will be published following the conclusion of the championships.