BBC's top live Games audience for Beijing closing ceremony

The BBC's television coverage of the 2008 Games peaked with a record audience of 6.8 million viewers in the quarter-hour from 2pm on Sunday, a 47% share of the audience, according to unofficial overnight figures.Sunday's entire closing ceremony programme - which also featured London Mayor Boris Johnson hoisting the Olympic flag in China - averaged 5.5 million viewers between 12pm and 3.15pm on BBC1, a 42% share of the audience.The Olympics easily had the better of ITV1's live coverage of the Formula 1 European Grand Prix, which averaged 2.6 million viewers, 20% of the audience, between 12pm and 3.10pm.BBC1's highest 15-minute Olympic ratings peak, including highlights programmes, was recorded during BBC1's Olympics 2008: Games Today on Thursday last week, including the men's triple jump and 400m final, with 7 million viewers.