Queen Elizabeth's Funeral Watched by Over 40% of UK Population...Estimated Billions Worldwide

Atlanta Olympics Fall Short of Princess Diana's Funeral Record
Over 10 Million Viewers in the U.S.

On the 19th (local time), the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom was carried from Westminster Abbey toward Wellington Arch after the funeral. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] It has been revealed that over 40% of the entire population of the United Kingdom watched the live broadcast of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

On the 20th (local time), the BBC reported, citing figures from the UK's official audience measurement organization BARB, that the average number of viewers for the live broadcast of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral reached 26.2 million.

The BBC stated that the average number of viewers in the UK for the live broadcast of the funeral held at Westminster Abbey from 11 a.m. on the 19th was 26.2 million, and especially around 12:25 p.m., when the coffin was carried out of the abbey building, the viewership peaked at 28 million. This corresponds to 41% of the entire UK population.

The BBC also noted that this figure does not surpass the 32 million viewers recorded during the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana, which remains the highest viewership in UK broadcasting history. However, this number does not include viewers watching via streaming apps, and many people watched the funeral on large screens set up in public squares, cinemas, churches, and pubs at the time, so the actual number of viewers is estimated to be higher.

The funeral of Queen Elizabeth also attracted significant attention in the United States. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing data from TV ratings company Nielsen, reported that over 10 million people watched the funeral through major broadcasters such as ABC, NBC, and CNN. WSJ explained that including data from other broadcasters like PBS, the number of viewers in the U.S. is expected to be even higher.

The global viewership for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral has not yet been officially tallied. However, UK media have predicted that approximately 4 billion people worldwide will watch. The highest record to date was the 1996 Atlanta Olympic opening ceremony, viewed by 3.6 billion people, followed by Princess Diana's funeral (2.5 billion) and the Live 8 concert held in 2005 to call for the eradication of poverty in Africa (2 billion).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.