KING Charles’ Coronation was watched live by 20 million people — making it the most-viewed TV event of the year.

Viewing peaked at 20.4 million at the moment the St Edward’s Crown was placed on the head of the King, according to ratings board BARB.

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The BBC’s coverage of the event – hosted by Kirsty Young and Huw Edwards – pulled in the overwhelming majority of viewers.

An average of 18.8 million people tuned into watch the Coronation across 11 channels – including BBC One, ITV and TalkTV.

BBC coverage peaked at 15.5 million viewers whilst ITV said an average of 3.3 million viewers watched the ceremony on ITV1.

It’s despite the Beeb being forced to apologise after viewers were hit with a string of serious audio issues.

The dodgy live broadcast caused fury on Twitter, as many spectators bemoaned their issues with low volume and patchy sound.

One user tweeted: “The sound on BBC keeps cutting out! Sort it!”

And another raged: “Congrats BBC One . . . What a brilliant time to get it wrong!”

In a grovelling apology a BBC spokesperson blamed the glitches on an “audio conversion issue”.

The elaborate crowning more than tripled 2023’s existing viewing record – last month’s season premiere of Britain’s Got Talent.

But Channel 4’s “alternative schedule” was a ratings flop, with a repeat of a Johnny English film pulling in just 138,000 viewers.

The publicly-owned station had previously pledged not to show the Coronation.

Overnight viewing figures do not include Brits who watched the Westminster Abbey event at viewing parties and on big screens, or those who streamed the service online.

The total audience is smaller than the 26.5 million viewers who tuned in for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last September.

It is also fewer viewers than the 27 million Brit viewers believed to have watched the late monarch’s 1953 Coronation on vintage television sets.

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