Elton John’s Glastonbury performance among the most watched TV of the year
Elton John brought this year’s Glastonbury Festival to a close on Sunday night, with a three-hour-long performance that was reportedly watched by over 7 million viewers on the BBC.
The numbers suggest the 76-year-old music icon’s set, possibly his “last show ever in England and Great Britain,” is now one of the most-watched TV gigs of the year. In the UK, the most watched live TV episode of the year so far is the series finale of Happy Valley, with 7.5 million viewers.
In the U.S., after football broadcasts, CBS’ NCIS is the most watched broadcast TV this year, hitting 9.86 million viewers in Nielsen’s ratings. For perspective, on airing HBO’s The Last of Us finale garnered 8.2 million viewers in January; in comparison, the Succession finale grabbed 2.9 million viewers in May. Streaming, of course, is a whole other game.
At Glastonbury itself, Guns ‘N’ Roses’ performance surpassed 1 million views on the BBC’s broadcast while the Arctic Monkeys’ set saw over 1.5 million. Lewis Capaldi had 2.2 million viewers tune in, but the singer’s set was cut short as he experienced tics as a result of Tourette’s syndrome.
John described his Glastonbury appearance as a “very special and emotional” night. The performance spanned several decades of his career, with distinctive costumes, special guests, and fireworks adding to the magic.