Audience for Leaders

The second leaders' debate had a live audience of 4.1 million viewers across Sky News, BBC News Channel and Sky3 last night, Thursday 22 April – a huge audience for digital television. Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg's second televised encounter attracted 2.125 million viewers, an 8.7% audience share, between 8pm and 9.30pm on Sky News, which hosted the debate in Bristol with Adam Boulton.

Simulcasts on BBC News Channel (1.362 million/5.6%) and Sky3 (586,000/2.4%) took the total live audience to 4.073 million (16.7%).

A further 310,000 (6.6%) watched BBC2's repeat of the debate between 11.30pm and 1am.

Last Thursday's first leaders' debate attracted a live audience of 9.4 million viewers (37%) on ITV1 between 8.30pm and 10pm.

The second leaders' debate was the most watched programme ever on Sky News, which launched in 1989.

Overall reach – viewers who tuned in for at least three consecutive minutes – across the three channels was 6.5 million. Sky News' daily three-minute reach, 5.4 million, was its best since the 2003 Iraq war.

John Ryley, Head of Sky News, said: "It is clear that the Leaders' Debates have struck a chord with the British public and energised the election campaign, just as we hoped they would when we called on the three main party leaders to join in a televised debate. I am delighted that so many people chose to watch Sky News' coverage on all of the platforms where it was available."