I think we have ourselves a new ratings thread catchphrase!

Awful few days for ITV this week. What they could really do with is something to provide them with a ratings boost this weekend...

Key graph to be looking at tonight and tomorrow between say 21:00 and 22:00: http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Elect...d/Demand60.htm

If there's a spike say of over 1000MW/1250MW at about 21:30, that will tell us if any chance of big ratings come a reality.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8409781.stm


They're predicting 20 million for tonight?! There'll be some disappointed people in ITV HQ in the morning that's for sure then!

More like the BBC doing a Robbie and purposely over predicting. If it gets 20 million at all this weekend I will eat my hat.

LOL. ITV thought probably making more cash out of the prospect of a 15m+ X Factor weekend along with with their 9pm shows remaining firmly stuck beneath 4m than if they'd consistently been getting around 5m each night this week, but only 10-12m for the X Factor final shows.

I doubt it's that, it's probably what they've gauged from various forecasts. The 20m prediction has been doing the rounds in the press all week.

I don't think it will peak at 20m either but it should still do well.

The bookies have 20m+ as favourite for the Sat/Sun peak rating at 2/1. I think 18-18.99m seems more likely.

For anyone who might want to bet, they're using Media Guardian's figures who usually report a 15-minute peak, so 17-17.99m at 4/1 might be worth a punt.

I can see the X Factor having a 16 - 17 million peak tonight, with the highest peak being 18m tomorrow. I expect around 14 - 15m viewers to tune in over the course of the final and 16m for the results. I can't see it peaking at 20 million at all - I'll be extremely surprised if it did.

Looking at some of the top shows of the decade, it's really shocking to see how Heartbeat and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? were top performing shows once and are now no longer able to achieve anything above 5m regularly. The decline of Corrie and EastEnders is all too clear as well..

It's great to see Only Fools and Horses at the very top.

ITV took both for granted and scheduled them terribly. It has echoes with how Coronation Street is being treated now.

Predictions

Saturday

6.00pm Harry Hill's TV Burp ; 7.0million
6.30pm Cheryl Cole's Night In ; 8.2million
7.30pm The X Factor Final ; 14.8million
9.30pm The British Comedy Awards 8million

Sunday

6.45pm All Star Family Fortunes 7.5million
7.30pm The X Factor Final: Part 2 16.7m peak of 18.5m
9.30pm I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story 10million

I'll have some of what you're on!

TV Burp will not get 7m at that time in my view. Cole I don't think will get 8.2m, maybe ~6m. Comedy Awards definitely won't get 8m. Just wait until 9:35am tomorrow and then we'll see if it comes true.

I wonder if we'll get any reports from Britain's supermarkets and such like tonight....

Comedy awards will be lucky to scrape 5m. They only got 4m last year so I'm not expecting much more than that tonight.

ETA: I should say it does have a bigger lead-in tonight and Ross is at the helm for the first time since 2006 so it could do a little bit better than I'm expecting, although 8m still seems too high.

Predictions:

TV Burp: 4.5m
Cheryl's Night In: 5.6m
X Factor: 14.3m
Comedy Awards: 5.5m

Merlin: 5.3m
Strictly: 8.5m
Casualty: 4.1m
Impressions: 3.2m
Strictly: 7.9m

14.3m seems about right for X Factor, as it would be a ~2m increase on recent Saturday performances, and I think it'll peak at about 16m. The Comedy Awards should see something of a rise thanks to the better lead in and the return of Jonathan Ross, as the whole thing just fell flat last year without him (and I normally like Angus Deayton). TV Burp will be dented by the earlier slot but it's only a 'best of'.

Cheryl Cole's Night In is going to finish about 5/6 minutes early here I think.

Wonder if Cheryl Cole's Night In might have put off fewer people if more accurately titled as Holly Willoughby's Night In.

Also must say how brilliant Merlin was tonight - a penultimate episode of finale proportions really. I do wish though the BBC would consolidate the fan base by giving if a repeat run perhaps over the summer - surely in the long term more sense in reshowing the last series over the summer around 5.30pm rather than just filling the schedule with The Weakest Link all the time.

Well will be more value in putting the ads in the 3 and a half minutes immediately before The X Factor final than earlier in the show (no break has been the full 4 minutes).

Indeed with 6 breaks, plus before and after the show, The X Factor will use 28 minutes of the 40 minutes allowed between 6-11pm tonight, so in theory The Comedy Awards could go out pretty much uninterrupted if they wanted, but they'll probably be breaks just with trailers so the sponsor bumpers get played.

Meanwhile....

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/...y-footage.html

An ITV Studios production for BBC1.

ITV attempting to sabotage BBC1's Christmas schedule?

Exactly what I thought when I read it. BBC1's big Christmas Day comedy is ruined at ITV studios. Seems like ITV are making an effort at Christmas after all.

yeah right! ITV pulled out all the stops to reshoot so whats the problem? They have even given the show a bit of pre Christmas publicity which it needs as its getting a bit long in the tooth. Anyway tonight feels like Christmas on ITV

What! Have you not been watching the exciting semi-final of Strictly George?
Shame on you!

I certainly agree with you there-stunning and with some real emotion. The BBC dont always showcase it well though-next weeks finale starts at 5.45.

is that still on air? Is the daytime sports presenter or the guy with the driving problems going to win?

Well, more accurately morning time presenter we would have to say-maybe even very early morning time presenter. He has a chance but he is bottom of the leader board so he may just need you to vote for him.
However a word of caution-ratings may be higher if he gets through!
Everyone must tune in at 9.30 to find out

Even Terry Wogan today was talking about The X Factor which amazed me. He said that his listeners watch The X Factor and I'm A Celebrity! because they have wide age range appeal, but he never gets emails from listeners about Big Brother. That says it all really. And not a word about SCD too which says a lot!

Sadly the xfactor is going to get some massive ratings
with all these adverts and simon cowell all over the papers with the usual'I'll axe the xfactor from ITV'