I'd forgotten that we still have last night's ratings to deal with.

A very unexpected win for ITV last night. BBC schedulers had their hand in turning what could have been a major Easter event into a third placed flop, although I am surprised it sunk as low as it did. It rated lower than ITV's opposite-EastEnders filler. Not quite sure what happened there.

Channel 4 will be hoping Big Fat will have a bit more life than just one series, and last night's rating was a blip.

Unusual to see Coronation Street winning the day, on their traditionally weak night.

Is this now the Electrical Appliance Wattage Ratings Thread?

Amazing surge figures. I was disheartened to go into town straight after the flypast to see it busy with people. I immediately sensed my BBC1 19.6m/ITV 4.5m peak prediction was going to prove sadly too optimistic. Now I'm not so sure!

I do think there is a chance the 1.40pm news could top today's ratings, perversely, and that ITV's 10.45-12.15 segment could run the entire BBC 8am-1.40pm average close.

Stupid Beeb, again...

Of course BBC1 will get the higher ratings, but most people I've asked appear to have watched ITV1's coverage. And the general consensus around the internet is that ITV covered the whole thing better. Not that I'd really know; I stuck with ITV1 from 8.30am onwards, and thought they got it perfectly right!

Rocks and chips is a puzzler. I had already said it was a scheduling howler, big style, but I still reckoned it was good for 5m overnight.

I wonder how many assumed it was a repeat of the Christmas episode?

I wonder if the BBC will repeat the three at some point. I suspect if they do in a 9pm slot the third might perform better on it's second outing.

The Telegraph not a fan of Huw Edwards then:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...TV-battle.html

Pretty much the same concencus from the Guardian and Daily Mail too.

On average, the predicted gap is more like 6m, see below.

Royal Wedding Ratings Forecast (DSRPG)
BBC Royal Wedding Coverage 0800-1340 BST: 11.9m
ITV Royal Wedding Coverage 1045-1215 BST: 4.9m
BBC Royal Wedding Highlights 2030-2200 BST: 6.2m

Although, to be fair to ITV, the general consensus on their coverage today is that it was very good. So whatever the result tomorrow, they can be proud of what they achieved with the broadcast.

It's a classic piece of 'repeat' scheduling. In fairness, I guess BBC1 wanted to keep the show away from Lewis and The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher but in the end it was stuck on an 'off night'.

Not quite a wipe out for ITV as expected. I think the BBC will always win these events as it's the default broadcaster for national events, a tradition that goes back to 1953.

going off the Royal Wedding topic, E4 might run into trouble with The Cleveland Show

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2...d-198402/9245/


airing it next season is fine, but it might leave E4 short a week at the end, it appears E4 is still 2 episdoes behind FOX pace, so it should be alright on that front.

Matt Barbet on Channel 5 News really impressed me today. He's done a terrific job on location outside Buckingham Palace all day long, starting early this morning for The Wright Stuff and only finishing a short time ago for OK! TV, still looking and sounding as fresh as he did at the start. Such a shame that so few will have witnessed his efforts. I find Huw a bit wooden and Schofe too smug on the other sides.

I think Channel 5's coverage today has been just right. Matt has provided updates throughout the day during regular C5 programming so no need for a dedicated programme and why would they want to when BBC One and ITV1 will mop up the majority of viewers. But at least they marked the occasion, which is more than can be said for Channel 4 unless we count the tenuously linked Come Dine With Me special later this evening.

Well at least Ch4 were consistent. Five sounds like the "half pregnant" option - wedding coverage but no wedding

I actually forgot it was on. If Im being honest I thought the Christmas episode was dull and it presumably persuaded the BBC to rather relegate it from the really big slots. Much as I hate to say it, the back story to OFAH hasnt sparked and the loss of viewers over three episodes tells a sad story.

To be honest, if you're going to use that argument you may as well say why did ITV bother covering the wedding when the BBC will mop up the majority of viewers? It's not as though they made any money through adverts over the period.

I actually really think that ITV is improving as a channel. It seems to have moved away from the cheapness that it had a few years ago and is producing some great stuff again.

I'd prefer to call it good old fashioned realism. During the main ceremony is when they would have been squeezed the most. They were right to show a film instead and reflect later on in the day once things had calmed down.

Oh I'm sure ITV will have entertained enough viewers for their hard efforts to have been worthwhile, and good on them for that. If nothing else they have improved their reputation for covering major news events. It was their choice not to carry adverts, something which I'm sure they made up for later in the day.

Channel 5 have had a news presenter and royal correspondent stationed outside Buckingham Palace all day providing updates which in my view is more than sufficient for a broadcaster of its size. The ceremony itself was available on numerous other channels already and I fail to see how another channel showing the exact same thing would have benefited anyone really.

Coronation Street will carry five minutes of programming and 25 minutes of adverts.


Maybe...in a sense I would've liked Channel 5 to push themselves; for me they have the ability to consistently better Channel 4 (certainly the audience shares have been very close recently) and to dedicate their day schedule to the wedding would've created a little bit of interest which may have improved the image of the channel. I guess this is the argument behind ITV showing the wedding (and elections!) too - it's not about viewing figures, but about the image the channel portrays.

Its also been winning the ratings most nights apart from a Tuesday.

To be fair, that's mainly down to the soap overkill - Monday, Thursday and Friday all have double episodes pre-watershed. While I agree ITV is improving, they need to be less reliant on the soaps IMO.

In the interests of balance, I did flick to ITV a couple of times today, when the Beeb cut to Fearne or had Schama wittering on. I thought Schof and Nightingale did very well, and it did seem less staid than the BBC's predictably (and necessarily) more formal coverage.

But on great occasions of State like this, you just have to have the gravitas, scale and solid dependability of the Beeb. Watching a Royal Wedding on ITV would be like having egg and chips for Christmas Dinner - no matter how enjoyable, it just isn't right!

its a wedding, not the 1815 congress of Vienna

and you accuse Sharma of "wittering on"

You must have been reading my posts. When I first joined DS in 2009, I was part of a consensus that believed ITV was dying. Now I'm one of the growing band who think that Grade and Norman have turned it around. Also they have cleverly used ITV2 to take care of their more banal reality offerings and concentrated on improving the main channel.
Last year I watched their election coverage after getting rather hacked off with the BBC, who were interviewing drunk celebs on a boat( the kind of thing ITV would have done), and found it very professional and more accurate.
ITV 1 seems to be recovering in the fields of drama and entertainment and also they seem to be showing more factual( as opposed to reality) shows. Yes there is some almighty rubbish around, Daybreak comes to mind, but far less than at the end of the noughties.

Even Daybreak was quite good this morning.

One problem the BBC had was always spliting up their presenters so they were on their own (Sian at WA, Bill at BP then Huw at BP, Sophie at WA) meaning they were not able to do any warm banter.

ITV had both Adrian and Christine and then Phillip and Julie together in the same place.

ITV have just put a News Special on before Corrie and after Baboons with Bailey, unless that was pulled? (edit - finished bang at 20:30 but didn't catch start)

No, the Baboons and their Hairy Human Friend were on as scheduled.