The Great British Bake Off final on Tuesday attracted an average audience of 6.9 million viewers, Channel 4 said.
The broadcaster said the final had a peak audience of eight million viewers and a 37.2% share of the total TV viewing audience.
Last year saw Bake Off enjoy its most watched final on Channel 4, attracting a record average audience of 9.2 million viewers, after viewing figures generally rose during lockdown.
However, the figures matched that of the 2019 final, which was also watched by an average of 6.9 million.
Viewers tuned in Giuseppe Dell'Anno, 45, triumph over fellow contestants Crystelle Pereira, 26, and Chigs Parmar, 40, in arguably the closest ever final of the show.
The chief engineer, who now lives in Bristol, became the first Italian winner after impressing judges Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith with his consistency and professionalism throughout the competition.
Speaking the morning after his win, Giuseppe said his performance on the show had prompted an emotional response from his usually stoic father.
Giuseppe Dell'Anno (pictured centre), 45, triumphed over fellow contestants Crystelle Pereira, 26, and Chigs Parmar, 40, in arguably the closest ever final of the Channel 4 show tonight
Giuseppe said he was speechless after being announced as this year's Great British Bake Off winner
The Bake Off winner impressed the judges with his Mad Hatter's Tea Party showstopper (pictured)
He told Times Radio: 'There is a message that some family friends collected without me knowing, that was shown to me while we were recording, that you have seen yesterday during the show, from my dad.
'That is not like him. My dad is very much the strong and silent (type), the archetypal Italian father. He doesn't speak much.
'So the fact itself that he got himself to say those lovely things for the camera means that it must have had an effect on him.
'He's always been talking in a way - in inverted commas - to my sister and myself through his bakes. And I've only realised later in life that that was his way of showing us his love and affection.'
Giuseppe impressed with his Mad Hatter's Tea Party showstopper - which used both sweet and savoury treats, while showcasing a minimum of four baking disciplines.
The amateur baker opted for a giant tear-and-share brioche mushroom, with mango and passion fruit 'drink me' panna cottas, heart-shaped orange and fig muffins, and an asparagus and pea filled choux caterpillar.
He faced a major setback after discovering his oven had not been closed properly and not preheated.
The chief engineer, who now lives in Bristol, became the first Italian winner after impressing judges Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith (pictured together) with his consistency and professionalism throughout the competition
But despite this and his complicated design, his efforts were well received, with the panna cotta described as 'stunning' by Paul, and 'bliss' by Prue.
'That is the most perfect texture for a panna cotta... I'm taking it away with me,' added Prue, who took an extra helping.
After being crowned the winner, Giuseppe, who is fluent in English, French and Italian, said: 'I feel it's been a great year for Italy.
'I truly can't believe it or
