I think it could be down a bit from last week but probably not too much. I think the Alan Sugar thing could have waited until 9.30pm and had X Factor at 7.35pm. Not a great piece of scheduling, IMO.

Also, I hadn't noticed it on any of his previous shows but "When Piers Met Lord Sugar" was co-produced by his own production company.

Seven
14:30 AFL Premiership Grand Final Re-Match: Collingwood v St Kilda 2.68m
*81% share of free-to-air viewing;
*one minute peak in Melbourne: 1.47m;
*one minute peak 5 cities: 3.11m;
*peak including regional Australia: 4.19m;
*7th most watched broadcast in Melbourne since 2001.
17:00 AFL Premiership Grand Final Re-Match: Presentations 2.30m
*Collingwood storms to AFL premiership.
17:30 AFL Premiership Grand Final Re-Match: Post-Match 1.70m
18:00 Seven News 1.93m
18:30 Australia Smashes Guinness World Records 0.93m
19:00 The Pacifier 0.74m

Nine
18:00 Nine News Saturday 0.95m
18:30 Australia's Funniest Home Videos 0.87m
19:30 Kung Fu Panda 0.73m

Ten
18:30 Mrs. Doubtfire 0.51m

ABC1
19:00 ABC News 1.00m
19:30 New Tricks (R) 1.01m
20:30 The Bill 0.85m

Next Saturday Strictly is on for 115 minutes and X Factor for 150 minutes, one immediately after the other with no clash or overlap, That means anyone who watches both shows get 4 hours 25 minutes of entertainment (or "er, entertainment" depending on your point of view.)

BBC1 and ITV1 should do a joint trailer advertising <boming voice> "MARATHON SATURDAY".

Even better, watch SCD off air and Sky+ TV Burp and X Factor.

When SDC finishes watch the recording of TV Burp (spin through commercials) and then chase play X Factor. 4 hours 25 minutes of entertainment, an extra programme (the best of all three) and less adverts!!

Wouldn't be the first time ITV have backed a lame duck. Adrian and Christine anyone?

Interesting that as soon as Jay Hunt departs, BBC and ITV are able to agree the two programmes are not scheduled against each other. We should be grateful to C4 for small mercies

In response to various discussions on X-factor's fate next year and the reality show cycle on ITV, I wonder if they will start bidding on "The Voice" by Endemol in Cannes this week.

The Voice of Holland started three weeks ago with it's first audition show at 1.6 million viewers (almost topped the night, same numbers as Holland's got Talent live shows) Audition show 2 had 2.3 million (same as HGT final) and this friday the third show rose to 2.7 million viewers. Pretty big success so far but noone knows what will happen next.

In `The Voice` only the good contestants get to audition in front of 4 mentors (big artists in their own rights) with a full live band and audience except the mentors will only be able to hear the contestants and sit with their backs turned to the contestants. If they like what they hear they push the button and they will turn over to see the contestant but by pushing the button they commit to this contestant as their mentor no matter what they look like. If more than one mentor pushes the contestant gets to choose their mentor. If noone pushes it is painful for the contestant but if all 4 mentors `want` the contestant it can get pretty painful for them.

The concept is pretty interesting IMO and could be good for ITV to have a show without Simon or Cheryl to air whilst Xfactor USA is on.

Endemol has another programme which could be a good BB replacement called ZOOOM! in which ordinary people are followed 24-7 on TV and online and viewers get to decide how long this particular person is followed by talking about them on social media. If their popularity status gets too low they will be replaced by a new `personality` Looks like a good follow up to BB while incorporating social media into the mix.

Before you ask, no I don´t work for Endemol, but this show was presented on Dutch TV this week and I thought you lot might be interested.

X Factor spoiler about the surprise next Saturday: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view...CHERYL-CRACKS/



D.M.N. Comment:

This is pretty much what everybody and their wife has been predicting. So not really much of a surprise then, Simon.

Looking at Digital I, it seems Saturday's ratings have been delayed.

They have - yesterday had too, but came in earlier than today's, around 10:30.

Hoping for them to come out soon!

From DS on Twitter:


Surely that 16.2m peak has got to be a typo?! Amazing for TXF - most watched Saturday episode of the series so far, and excellent for SCD too - its most watched 2nd episode ever.

Probably best to wait till we get the DS report or full figures to know what they actually got.

Edit: Yep, the 16.2m peak is incorrect. It had a 15-minute peak on ITV1 of 12.3m. Average of 11.9m is correct.

deleted

16.2m? What?!

(no wonder the ratings were late, I bet someone was double checking the 16.2m figure... blimey)

EDIT: That has to be a typo, because a 16.2m figure would mean a 60% share peak - which I don't think X Factor has ever achieved before for a non-finale show. Maybe 14.2m or 15.2m, but not 16.2m.

That SCD figure must be the peak, it can't possibly have averaged 8.7m with a 5.58pm start time, this early in the run?

Seems it gave a leg-up to TXF, anyway.

Well the percentage share is superb... I think 8.7m is the average.

(See BBC and ITV... that's what happens when you schedule nicely!)

Yes, the Beeb is forced to move its big shows to the margins of the schedule to accommodate Cowell's lust for global domination and takeover of the schedules.

Surely 3hrs 15 mins a weekend of the interminable TXF auditionees whittling down process (already nearly 2 months in already) is too much for even the biggest TXF fans?

No, but last year the scheduling dented both show. Both BBC and ITV want to maximise the audiences for their show - BBC gets maximum audience for Strictly at 6pm (let's face it, it wouldn't have got a lot more at 8pm or 9pm) while ITV gets maximum audience for X Factor at 7pm/7:30pm = happy days for both channels.

Well they tried to go head to head last year and they lost



the 16m watching would suggest otherwise

Ryder Cup singles held over till Monday which will presumably mean some reorganisation for BBC2 tomorrow.

Well, the 16.2m peak is wrong. It had a 15-minute peak of 12.3m so can't have possibly got 16m+. The 11.9m average is correct though.

5-minute peak of 13.2m then. (at a guess)

Also, surely if it peaked at 16 but only averaged 11 it would have had to have gone pretty low at some point, surely!

The maths don't add up. 16 million as a peak doesn't work with that average or share. It must have peaked at 13 million but no more.

True, if that was the case it would have down to around 6.5m at one point.