Wimbledon epic nets 12.7m viewers

Rafael Nadal's moment of victory gained a 45% audience share

The Wimbledon men's singles final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal attracted a peak audience of 12.7 million on BBC One.

The rain-interrupted match gained an average of 7.4m viewers during its eight-hour transmission on the channel.

Many scheduled programmes, including the news, were shifted to BBC Two as the sporting drama unfolded, eventually resulting in Nadal's win at 2130 BST.

The match was the longest men's final in the championships' history.

ITV's coverage of the Champions League final attracted a peak of 14.6m in May.

Manchester United's win over Chelsea remains the most-watched TV moment of the year so far.

Audience slide

Coverage of Sunday's Wimbledon men's final started modestly with around two million viewers in the afternoon.

By the evening, more than 10 million people were tuned into action as the match extended to five sets.

But around 2000 BST the audience slid to around seven million as another heavy shower forced a break in the action.

At various points during the broadcast, the BBC played a documentary about beaten champion Roger Federer to cover the breaks in the action.

When the match concluded at 2130 BST, BBC One broadcast a repeat of sitcom The Vicar of Dibley before the BBC News.

New BBC One drama George Gently, starring Martin Shaw, was due to be screened but has been postponed until next Sunday.