ITV is poised to surge ahead of the BBC in the European Championship ratings battle, with an audience of more than 8 million people expected to watch England’s semi-final against Italy on Tuesday night.
The commercial broadcaster took a gamble by choosing to have first pick of the semi-finals in pre-tournament negotiations with the BBC, which in return got live coverage of three of the four quarter-finals, including England’s thrilling penalty shootout win against Sweden. The broadcasters will share live coverage of the final on Sunday.