The BBC's decision to clear the schedules of BBC2 and BBC4 for coverage of the Olympics has paid off, with both channels recording their highest peak audiences of the year so far.

Some 7.5 million tuned into BBC2 to see cyclist Mark Cavendish win silver in the velodrome on August 15, while BBC4's nightly broadcasts from Rio peaked at 3.4 million.

The Olympics were also responsible for every single one of the top 10 most-watched programmes on BBC2 and BBC4 during the first week of the Games.

Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater said she was "delighted" with the figures.

"We are incredibly proud to bring moments of national significance such as these magnificent Games to the widest possible audience," she added.

"In the build-up and during the Olympics themselves we have seen every platform play to its unique strength to deliver a true 24/7 experience.

"As the audience figures show there has been an incredibly strong appetite for the Games and we're delighted that we were able to bring all of the thrilling action to our audiences."

The BBC's online coverage was accessed by over 68 million unique browsers during the Olympics, far exceeding the 39 million recorded during London 2012.

Separate figures from the ratings research body Barb show that BBC4 enjoyed its largest average audience of 2016 so far on August 11, when it covered Andy Murray's third-round tennis match against Fabio Fognini.

Nearly 1.5 million people watched the three-hour broadcast from Rio - the highest ratings for any programme on BBC4 since an episode of The Bridge on December 19 2015.

The BBC said the 68 million unique users figure was for the UK only - with 102.3 million globally.