While Manchester United are lamenting what could have been last night, those in the corridors of Virgin Media will have been more than happy with their evening's work.
Virgin Media's coverage of the 2021 Europa League Final was fronted by Tommy Martin alongside Damien Delaney and Brian Kerr as Manchester United crashed out at the end of an epic penalty shootout. Spanish side Villarreal took home their first ever major trophy, leaving the large number of Manchester United supporters in Ireland disappointed and it has now been revealed just how many tuned in.
Virgin Media's Head of News and Sport Mick McCaffrey has shared some figures on social media, posting to say: '720,000 viewers tuned into last night’s UEFA Europa League Final on Virgin Media Two, with an average of 333,500 watching the full game. Yesterday Virgin Media Two was the No 1 channel in Ireland for 15-44s, followed closely by Virgin Media One.'
https://twitter.com/mccaffreymick/status/1397896996447469570
This figure of 720,000 would have placed the broadcast into the top 10 in Ireland, had it been shown in 2020, with last year's All-Ireland Hurling Final attracting 713,000 viewers in comparison.
The Red Devils are always going to attract large figures here in Ireland and the sheer drama of last night's finale no doubt contributed. It will be interesting to see how Saturday's Champions League Final between Manchester City and Chelsea fares in comparison when the broadcast gets underway at 7pm.
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