ITV's decision to screen Champions League games on ITV2 and its dedicated news channel are paying off.

Wednesday's match between Newcastle and Juventus averaged 1.3m viewers and an 11% share in multichannel homes on ITV2 from 7.30pm, reaching a high of 1.65m (14%) just after 8.30pm.

Meanwhile, on the ITV News Channel, coverage of Roma vs Arsenal averaged 0.7m and a 6% share, the highest ratings for a programme on the channel since launch. The game peaked at 1.04m (9%) at 21.35.

Champions League coverage has boosted the profile of both stations over successive weeks.

At the end of October, ITV2 recorded its highest ever weekly share, 2.35%, spearheaded by a 1.8m audience (15% share) for the Manchester Utd - Olympiakos tie on Wednesday, which peaked at over 2m.

Support programming such as Popstars: The Rivals Extra, Blind Date: Kiss and Tell and new daytime show Trisha Extra have also pulled in big audiences for the channel, as digital viewers switch over from ITV1 to watch additional footage.