Spain-Portugal  nail-biter lures record TV audience

A stunning 83.3% of Spain's TV audience watched the penalty shootout against Portugal

Spain's nail-biting penalty shoot-out win over Portugal in the Euro 2012 semi-final attracted a record audience of more than 18 million television viewers in Spain, industry figures showed Thursday.

A stunning 83.3 percent of the audience watched the penalties that put Spain into Sunday's final, said Kantar Media figures, released by television audience consultancy Barlovento Comunicacion.

"The nearly 13 minutes of penalties averaged 18.141 million viewers and 83.3 percent of the share, the most viewed programme in (Spanish) history," Barlovento said in a statement.

The peak was at 11:26 pm (2126 GMT), roughly when Cesc Fabregas's penalty delivered the Spanish victory, with a total 19.086 million people glued to the screens, equal to 87.3 percent of the audience.

That made it "the most viewed minute in the history of (Spanish) television", the agency said.

The Euro tournament is being broadcast in Spain by Telecinco, controlled by Italian media group Mediaset.

Spain reached their third consecutive major tournament final after overcoming Portugal 4-2 on penalties in the first Euro 2012 semi-final in Donetsk on Wednesday.

After an attritional game finished 0-0 following extra time at Donbass Arena, Fabregas swept home the winning spot-kick.

Viewership varied through the match, the agency said, with 14.182 million or 75.6 percent of the audience watching the 90 minutes of normal time, rising to 16.485 million or 77.1 percent for extra time.