Snooker Final Draws Massive Audience

LAST Night's World Championship Snooker final drew a massive average audience of 2.5 million over the marathon five hours of coverage on the BBC.

The final is always a popular event on the BBC and last night's figures were in fact fewer than last year’s 3 million average, although the final session was only an hour long. John Higgins won last year’s final with an 18-9 frames victory over Shaun Murphy.

The Australian Neil Robertson won the title last night against former champion Graeme Dott in an 18-13 frames victory. The highlight of the session was an incredible 48 minute frame, which was eventually won by the Australian, giving him a 15 frames to 12 lead and an advantage from which Dott never recovered. Victory saw the Australian become World Champion for the first time at the age of just 28.

The snooker drew a massive audience for a Monday night, with the network doubling the average share achieved over the last three months on a Monday. The World Championships has been televised on the BBC since 1976 and has continued to draw vast audiences, especially with the final. The BBC will continue to televise the championships until at least 2011.