The 50% rise can be attributed to the favourable time zones, according to a report by Initiative Futures. The time difference between the UK and Greece is only two hours compared with a 10 hour difference between Britain and Australia.
Public interest in the games was by bolstered by the 2000 Sydney games, when the UK won a record 11 golds. This past success has encouraged more Britons to tune in this year to follow stars such as Matthew Pinsent, who won his fourth consecutive gold in the coxless four rowing this year.
The BBC's interactive audience figures reveal that 7.8m digital satellite viewers have used the red button technology to switch between up to five Olympic events. With the addition of cable and Freeview audiences, this figure rises to about 10m.
The Olympic coverage on BBC One and Two regularly commands more than 5m viewers and is proving to be a major success for the corporation.
Paula Radcliffe's dramatic exit from the marathon on Sunday was seen by 10.7m viewers, the highest figure so far for the BBC's Olympic coverage. It beat the 10.2m audience that tuned in to the opening ceremony on August 13.
The coverage of Pinsent's fourth gold medal was screened at 8.30am last Saturday but it still pulled in 4.7m viewers, jumping to 5.1m for the medal ceremony. Later the same day, 8.4m people watched Kelly Sotherton complete her heptathlon and take the bronze medal.
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