I'm expecting 3m for Amanda Holden's show, I expect with such weak competition, Life and Bad Santa will probably do really well.

I do wonderhow much tyhe 'traditon' of watching ITV1 on a Monday'll help though. It's the kind of show that'd get less than 3m on a Teusday, but the night may just carry it.

The Susan Boyle Story aired on a fairly small US cable network (TV Guide Network) but it became the #1 television special in its history and reached 4.8 million viewers over the age of 18.

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/12/14...-history/36205

The press release isn't entirely clear. But I think to summarise... it did very well!

The NFL football did very well last night for NBC, over 20 million. But the big 4 had messed up schedules last night apart from that.

Apart from SuBo on Tv Guide, 2 other channels set records.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians had 4.1m on E! network. It doubled its previous season premiere, was 700% above E!'s primetime average and was the channels most watched show ever in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and women 18-34.

Showtime (a premium channel) also had an audience record with the finale of Dexter drawing 2.6m, up 54% on 2008. Californication followed with 1.1m for its finale.

Shhh, don't mention that on here. We only celebrate big audiences for ITV on this thread...

Even Peter Fincham was quoted today as saying "only ITV can deliver audiences of this magnitude". Tit.


I'm delighted SPOTY held up well, and there's no doubt that these numbers between 8.45-9.05 stopped TXF winning a bigger average, and probably stopped its peak-building momentum as well.

I commented when ITV's decision was confirmed that running TXF against SPOTY might bite them on the bum because it would prove more resilient than they expected, and those on here who confidently predicted 3m or less for SPOTY, and certainly more resilient than Casualty and The Impressions Show. And I was right.

So this is something of a moral victory for the BBC, and ITV bosses must be kicking themselves for their stupidity now.

When you think that SPOTY sank to 4.9m when ITV ran Royal Variety against it, which was going to air in that slot last night anyway until ITV's decision to milk TXF dry instead. So SPOTY probably did no worse than it would have done anyway, TXF failed to hit the 20m audience that was constantly over-predicted for it, or even beat its summer carbon-copy Cowell show. Instead, the TXF final averages "only" 14m across its bloated, grossly padded 4 hour syrupfest and the advertisers don't really get what they paid for.

Does ITV offer refunds, George?



Well, when you confidently predict to everyone and his dog (and have them report it en masse) that "we expect 20m to tune in to watch tonight's final" - and the audience is 15.6m, well, that's got to be disappointing.

I doubt the advertisers will be conned again next year...


I would imagine it was England v Portugal, BBC1, July 2006? Average I recall was over 16m for 2h50m and peaked well over 19m.

On a baking hot July day, with millions more watching in pubs and clubs...


I'm astonished at the air of triumphalism on BBC News about TXF's ratings and the arse-licking of Cowell and how magnificent ITV is. They do realise it's not their show? The only TV show I watched live yesterday due to other commitments was the 10.30pm BBC News last night when we got in, I sat there open-mouthed as they ran a good 2-3 min report on TXF as if it was actually a news story not a frigging TV talent show, going on about the 20m audience (sic) and the staggering success it's been for ITV, 16m have been tuning in every Sunday, blah blah. WTF???

And then today, the BBC News website has gone off the scale - reporting it firstly as a 17m audience (no, 15.6m, get it right), then actually correcting it to 19m (no, 19m did NOT tune in for the final ) and putting an apology at the bottom of the page saying that they'd earlier run a story saying it got 17m but that was just how we measured it differently and yes it did actually get 19m, so sorry about that. Jesus Christ, this is ON THE BB flupping C's OWN WEBSITE!

And after all the efforts the BBC has made this week (well, all autumn really) to promote ITV's show across all forms of BBC output whilst doing everything it possibly could to cock up its own flagship entertainment show at every opportunity.

What the hell is going on? Have BBC staff got no corporate pride in their own organisation any more?

A thoroughly unedifying spectacle all round, thank Christ it's all over and we can concentrate on the normality of totting up BBC1's victories for the coming fortnight, and seeing how well ITV's prized turkeys do...

Peak ratings are always used by the press for events like this because it sounds more impressive. It's nothing new and I really don't see why you are surprised at that. I think it was always quite plain that the 20m was a peak figure prediction but never really based on any science. More about getting some press coverage.

If a collection of internet forum members can see that a 20m average was never going to happen (as seen in the predictions game) then I'm sure the media buyers worked it out for themselves rather than taking the press headlines.

Also, it was a 19.1m audience, whether you like it or not. It was the peak audience, but 19.1m still watched The X Factor.

The BBC reporting the X Factor and quoting the highest peaks etc just shows that its broadcasting is unbiased. A broadcaster reporting the news fairly and equally when it comes to the success of a main rival is a rarity so you have to praise the Beeb for this.

Perhaps they're trying to persuade Simon Cowell to become their new head of Light Entertainmnet.

No, I disagree. Those behind the show, including the man himself, made it plain that they expected the final to get 20m viewers, both nights as well. An absolute peak of 19.1m for a moment in time does not mean "19m watched the X Factor final", hence we qualify the statement as "a peak audience of...etc".

If ITV wanted to get an official audience close to that magnitude, like BGT managed, they should have kept the show to a reasonable length and not moved it to run opposite another traditional event of the year.

Several million of them were channel-hopping. They saw a tiny fraction of it.

If I read the last page of The Da Vinci Code, I cannot claim to have read the novel. If I see the last five minutes of The Godfather, I cannot claim to have seen the film.

Anyway its official rating will be what it gets in the, er... official ratings - about 17 -17.5m probably.

I predicted 18.9m for last night so wasn't far off.
It's a brilliant figure but i can help thinking Simon cowell is making a mess of music and Tv.

Yes Music sales are high but most of the top 40 seems rubbish and xfactor related.

Not to mention Joe's first ever single features 3 cover songs

Tv he's getting some massive figures but these shows are getting beyond the joke now
soon ITV will be all talent shows(with only corrie and Emmerdale that are not)

Still i think both BGT and xfactor will fade out in a few years.

It's obvious that BGT and xfactor take the top 2 for Most watched of 2009 but i think EastEnders and Dr who will take 3rd/4th place.

Good night for the BBC i think they held up well.

Well exactly, it is the BBC's job to report on the outcome of the most popular entertainment hit on TV right now, just as all other media outlets have been. Lets not forget, 19m people tuned in to see the result - a lot of licence fee payers in that.

They have to separate their responsibilities as a 'rival' broadcaster from their editorial independence. They at least should be above all of this petty business of ignoring events if they take place on another network.

In reality the ratings war between the BBC & ITV isn't anywhere near as petty and embittered as it is in RobbieSykes head.

If you managed more than one page of the Da Vinci Code then a Knighthood should be on the way

BBC NE & Cumbria has been promoting XF nearly all week, ITV must have been loving it, they've got a special planned tommorrow too. God help they report the actual news

New thread!

Lots to read through today! I'm off to the RPG thread because I can't remember what I predicted for The X Factor...

When exactly did they make it clear that they expected a 20m average for both shows?

The 20m figure going around in the media was clearly referring to the peak figure. Last year, they were talking about 15m tuning in to the X Factor final (once again in reference to the peak figure). The final was never going to average 20m as that would have made it about 6m higher than the previous most watched show .

Considering it got 19.1m or 19.7m if you take DS's peak figure, then it rated about as well as expected .

It's true though? Since when has the BBC pulled 11m AT LEAST every Saturday and like 14 million every Sunday for 10 weeks? And um, 19 million at a peak for a non-sporting event?

It hardly did brilliantly, about 1-2 million down from usual. I'd hardly say it knocked The X Factor, 19 million versus - what was the peak for SPOTY, 6?

Somehow I highly doubt that. 15.5 million over 2 whole hours? They must be utterly distraught. But if you want them to kick themselves over 50%+ average share for 120 minutes and a 19.7 million peak then go ahead. Whatever helps you sleep I suppose.

Failed to meet it by 0.3m, how dreadful!

Talking of failing to hit audiences, let's look no further than Strictly, failing to reach 10 million nowadays. Bless it. Every dog has its day I suppose, shame it's dying now in the face of a mighty X Factor. 1 in 3 people saw Joe crowned winner - amazing.

I should think the advertisers will be very happy what with the demos XF can hit like few other shows, and as I said previously 15.5m over 120 minutes, 17m+ for the last hour. And again, when do we see audiences above 10 million these days, let alone 15? Nope, never haha

And while we're on the topic of padding out, let's look no further (again) than Strictly's tremendously dire marathon dances+results fails earlier on. All one show. Failure. Aggressive scheduling. Failure. Splitting shows up. Failure.

Series = failure.

Franchise = failure.

Future = dwindling.

They're only ever talking about peaks anyway, duh. And 20m did tune in (19.7m for the one minute peak) so it was pretty much right. No one ever thought 20m would tune in for a 2 hour show.

Yeah, they won't be conned, they'll take their business elsewhere, right? Oh wait, hang on, where to, sorry? Only TXF and BGT can deliver ratings like that.

It's because it's credit where it's due. Do you know what that means? Nearly 1 in 3 people in the country watching one thing at one time, I think it's newsworthy. Doubt it'd be in the BBC's remit to ignore something like that

Would love to have been a fly on the wall in the Sykes household when that occurred.

... Strictly's continued mediocrity. I think we can all concentrate on that. And I'm also sure you can somehow dress up the mediocre final ratings, rather like you've dressed down this.

Does it? Ooh. Any chance that any of them are actually good songs? Not The Climb, obviously. Miley Cyrus is one of those pop acts that wouldn't know a good tune if it smacked them in the face with a big fish.


Or is Simon Cowell astute enough to know when to quit and get out while he's still on top? Or will he depart and leave ITV to grind the formats into the ground?


Hypothetical predictions for what Antiques Roadshow would have got against the final, anyone?

We might find out next year. I predict the BBC will move SPOTY to Sunday 19th December (TXF will have to finish on the 12th if it wants the Christmas number 1). Or maybe the BBC should move it to a weekday slot which it's had in the past. Perhaps on a Tuesday against ITV factual rubbish.

Anyway, serves the BBC right for having the Sports Review Of The Year (which is what is mainly is) in the middle of December. Somebody should tell them the year doesn't end until December 31st. All reviews of the year should be banned by law until January 1st at the earliest, on punishment of torture and death. <Rant over>.

A Queen and Elton John tracks are on the cd as Bsides
can't tell you what they are though just caught it being said on the radio

James J, do you not think you're getting a little over-excited about the X Factor? It's only a TV show, no need to cream your pants!

I have to say, this thread over the last day or two has easily been more entertaining than the X Factor final or Strictly. Some people get so worked up, it's crazy.

James J, im surprised you managed to spend so much time replying to Robbie's posts with your ITV/ X Factor fanboy hat on instead of fantasizing over Mr Cowell and X Factor ratings.

Yeah, you convince yourself all that is the case Robbie!


So next year., no doubt X Factor will run over the weekend again, though Saturday's show will have to have some tweaks. I think if third place is announced on the Saturday, they'd need to split the show.

What the BBC will do with SPOTY will be interesting. It can't be moved too much as it needs a slot where the big stars can attend. I doubt midweek is viable, so if it is moved the next Sunday would be the most logical solution, and give BBC1 a big weekend of their own with the Strictly final and SPOTY over the two nights.

Wikipedia doesn't say, but it does list the songs Joe sang during the series, so that might provide the answer.

From Queen it was Somebody To Love, which I like.

From Elton , Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word*, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me and Circle Of Life. That's like a lot, like a bit and don't really know respectively.

Doesn't really matter. They'll only play the crappy Cyrus song on the radio and the music channels.

(*Cowell should be recording this one to apologize for inflicting yet another shit Christmas number 1 on us)


And to bring this back on topic.... Oh, I can't be arsed. It's late. I'm off to bed.

I expect news from the BBC, actually. I missed the BBC Ten tonight actually - was there an update on Corrie or EastEnders, or a preview of who was on tonight's Graham Norton show...?


Tee-hee, I got him well rattled didn't I - steam must have been coming out of his ears as he typed.

When your magical "1 in 3 people" (ie, 2 in 3 didn't) watched Victor Meldrew on holiday in the Algarve 16 years ago or a hum-drum episode of Birds of a Feather on Christmas Day 15 years ago or rather more than that (24.4m) watched Del & Rodney become millionaires 13 Christmases ago, were you creaming your pants then?

I guess not, you probably weren't even born...

Anyway, the 20m club is an elite club that few shows genuinely deserve to get into. I'm delighted neither BGT nor TXF did so.

Maybe the SPOTY will have some renewed interest next year, after England win the World Cup.

It's classic it's like a soap opera. I come on here now because it's fab to see them go "we're not biased blah blah we're just discussing this for whatever reason" but during times like this when they get wound up by Robbie etc and start throwing the toys the bias stinks. You couldn't make it up. The same people will be very quiet Boxing day when it comes to commenting on how well BBC1 did on Xmas day. Wait and see. 2007 you had one of them only posting to say there had been an error with the listings so the regional news should be removed, prior to this he posted to say people just have BBC1 on at Xmas by default but don't pay attention to what they're watching.

And if they do, the ratings on BBC1's Super Sunday July 11th will put Cowell's little party into context. I would expect over 20m for that on BBC1, even if ITV bother to show it as well rather than raiding the Midsomer archive again...