I know that, but it doesn't mean things can't be said tongue in cheek.

X Factor USA is ending surprisingly late - Thursday 22nd December. They confirmed the $5m cash prize as well as the winner starring in a Pepsi Superbowl commercial. And they'll have a 2 1/2 hour episode in October - presumably the first live show. That rarely happens on FOX because local news goes out at 10pm and they don't like to move. And if the show isn't a hit, the idea will probably be dropped quietly. Last time it happened was for a 90 minute Idol and a special Glee episode. Kevin Reilly noted that even if the show does half what they're expecting, FOX will be difficult to beat this fall.

Discussions about a Glee spin-off starring Lea Michele, Corey Monteith and Chris Colfer won't take place until midseason. But all 3 will graduate this year. Ryan Murphy controversially told the press that before he told the actors.

According to Deadline, Desperate Housewives will end this season - May 2012 will be the series finale after 8 years. It just emphasises the need for ABC to come up with new hits this season. DH was the one that kick started the 2004 ABC revival (later followed by Lost, Grey's Anatomy and Dancing With The Stars).

Should the show be successful, I think the second season will either start earlier say in early September or late August like UK X Factor or move to January and replace American Idol. 2 and a half hours is awfully long for announcing the finalists, even two hours is pushing it.

Agreed. Its good to see ITV go for something that is worthy and not lowbrow but the content just seemed far too grim and despressing to watch.

I predicted 2.4m on the RPG but it could easily be sub-2m as you say.

It doesn't have much in way of competition considering how My Family's been performing of late but it was such a dark subject matter than may not have an effect. I hope it does well, but it's been poorly scheduled.

Am I the only one who feels that the Big Brother scheduling is rather haphazard and odd?

Firstly, it is not consistent. I feel the viewers need some stablity in the schedules in order to follow where the programme is going to be and it's better for those casual viewers that C5 want to pick up to have it in a desingnated time for the first week at least.

Secondly, BBBOTS ( ) seems to alternate between channels 5 and 5*. That's ridiculous scheduling- keep it on one channel in order to not confuse viewers. People will just turn off and not become bothered if the show keeps changing its channel.

Yesterday get the opening game of the german Bundesliga 6,82 Mio. at 20:30. It was a share from 25.1 %. Dortmund won 3:1.

From TVScoops on Twitter:

- 'A Night with Will Young', a one-off ITV1 music special with the Pop Idol winner is set to air on Saturday 27th August.
- ITV have recommissioned documentary series 'For Better For Worse' for 2012, which is a returning show which airs on ITV1 every 7 years. 'For Better For Worse' is a study of modern marriage, following couples who got married 14 years ago and catching up with them every 7 years. The previous episodes of 'For Better For Worse' aired in 1998 and 2005, whilst the next one is due to be shown in 2012.

And there's an article apparently on C21 Media about ITV stepping up hunt for Cold DFeet successor - subscription only though so I can't see it myself: http://www.c21media.net/news/alt_ind...e=17012&area=5

Considering For Better For Worse had 3.8m (17%) on 15/02/2005, I don't envisage it doing much better this time.

EDIT: Was the first series shown in 1998 or 1999, because ITN Source suggests the first series was aired in 1999, meaning the gap is in fact 6 years meaning the third 'series' should have aired this year.

It's not really that confusing. Immediately after the show ends on Channel 5 the announcer will inform viewers that Bit on the Side is starting on 5*, or that it follows at 11pm on the main channel. Remember that Little Brother also used to switch channels with the Sunday edition on Channel 4 at lunchtime, and the weekday edition on E4 at around 6pm and viewers soon got used to this scheduling.

I see your point entirely, viewers aren't stupid. But from the viewpoint of trying to build a new audience who don't want to have to look around for a show - consistency would have been better.

I'd still prefer Mon-Thurs 10pm and Sun 9pm with a 9-10:30pm show on Fridays.

BBBOTS could then follow on 5 on Friday's only as a "taster" (and possibly after all live show episodes).

5* needs the profile boost that BB brings.

Seven
18:00 Seven News 1.20m
18:30 Today Tonight 1.09m
19:00 Home & Away 0.83m
19:30 Better Homes & Gardens (exc. Perth) 0.86m
20:30 Seven’s AFL Premiership: St Kilda Vs Fremantle 0.65m

Nine
18:00 Nine News 0.99m
18:30 A Current Affair 0.85m
19:00 The Block 1.06m
19:30 Nine's Live Friday Night Football / Alternative Programmes 0.93m

Ten
17:00 Ten News at Five 0.53m
18:30 6:30 with George Negus 0.39m
19:00 The 7pm Project 0.67m
19:30 MasterChef Australia: Masterclass 1.17m
21:00 The Renovators: How To 0.57m
22:00 Can of Worms (R) 0.24m

ABC1
20:30 Silent Witness 0.82m

Eleven
18:30 Neighbours 0.28m

Shares
Seven: 22.5%
Nine: 20.3%
Ten: 15.7%
ABC1: 12.0%

You could argue that being inconsistent is a good thing - it sends people to look through the Channel 5 EPG listings each night.

"A Night With Will Young" sounds like a runner's up prize - the winner gets an hour!

It's funny how Young, despite winning so long ago (2002, thanks Wiki...) is just about the only one of the Idol/Stars/Factor winners anyone actually remembers. And he was the first of the lot.

Without resorting to Google or Wikipedia, how many other winners could people name? Remember Sharon Doyle doesn't count, she won BGT of course...

The hardcore fans will look through the listings. Those "fair weather" viewers will simply get fed up of having to trawl a schedule just to watch a show that they are watching "because it's on". It's those viewers C5 needs to engage and get locked in and invested in the program. If they know they can switch on C5 at 10pm on a weekday and see BB then that is simple for them to remember.

Not only is it simple for them to remember, it's simple for them to pass on the message to others.

Friday 5th August 2011
BBC One
19:00 - The One Show: 2.94m (17.7%)
19:30 - The Good Cook: 2.58m (14.0%)
21:00 - My Family: 3.88m (19.0%)
21:30 - Miranda: 3.78m (17.7%)

BBC Two
18:30 - Live Athletics: 1.48m (7.9%)
21:30 - Never Mind The Buzzcocks: 1.12m (5.6%)
22:00 - The Rob Brydon Show: 1.37m (7.4%)

ITV1
20:00 - Dickinson's Real Deal: 2.39m (11.7%)
21:00 - Someone's Daughter, Someone's Son: 2.44m (12.0%)
* +1: 200k

Channel 4
20:00 - Come Dine with Me: 1.08m (5.3%)
* +1: 204k
21:00 - 8 Out of 10 Cats: 1.28m (6.3%)
* +1: 352k
21:30 - Alan Carr: Chatty Man: 1.47m (7.7%)
* +1: 327k
22:30 - Chris Moyles' Quiz Night: 1.14m (8.0%)
* +1: 169k

Channel 5
20:00 - Danger: Diggers at Work: 664k (3.3%)
21:00 - Castle: 1.07m (5.3%)
22:00 - The Mentalist: 737k (4.2%)

ITV2
21:00 - America's Got Talent: 671k (3.6%)

Primetime Shares
ITV1 - 19.5% (+1: 0.6%)
BBC One - 19.4%
BBC Two - 7.7%
Channel 4 - 5.5%
Channel 5 - 3.6%

Source: DS. All ratings include HD; terrestrial ratings are tape-checked.

I'd imagine it'll get to TV quite quickly - and I expect be out on DVD in time for Christmas. Surely though they'd premiere it on E4 first - then repeated it weekly on Film4 until the end of time.

I imagine though the cinema release timing is coincidental more than anything.


Good news about Desperate Housewives - it has clearly ran out of steam. Ryan Murhpy still doesn't seem to have a clue about Glee - I would guess he'll either get the spin-off or the show will end completely. As risky as it is a Skins style recast every three years or so is it's best chance of a long term future.

And backing up to The X Factor - just eight weeks of live shows then, and only two weeks of auditions. Judges Houses split over two weeks, but think that is thanks to the World Series in October.

ITV2 wise they could get the auditions and boot camp/judges house stage on air nightly in the two weeks between our final and Christmas, then similarly to America's Got Talent air four shows a week of the live shows, so basically by 20th January it would have finished. Idol can then begin the next week, with extra episodes over the first couple of weeks if they need to catch up (I'd assume it begins around the 10th/11th Jan).

ITV's week of woe continues then.

Whilst those BBC1 comedy ratings aren't earth shattering, Miranda seems to be doing very well for a repeat - almost matching My Family and winning the slot too comfortably (albeit from a low base).

I suspect s3 of Miranda is going to do very well when it returns in the New Year (?)

I keep predicting 4m+ for My Family in the DSRPG in the expectation of it rebounding at some point and it never does.

Pretty poor night all round really.

It's damaged goods - a declining show with the axe announced before it came on air. Others will assume that it being high summer, it's a repeat just like Miranda.

With better scheduling and the axe being announced after the series aired, or perhaps before the final show in the series, and it would surely have been 4m+.

Nothing much of note there really. And although their current anti-EastEnders line up is undoubtedly much cheaper, ratings wise I think ITV miss the stability of Mon/Fri editions of Tonight and Tue/Thu regional shows.


Robbie - I don't think it's so much the announcement of the axe that is why the ratings for My Family are poor - it's more the reasons which led to it being axed are exactly the reasons people no longer watch. After all other shows, though admittedly in better slots, have seen audiences rise when it's been announced that it is the final series.

Indeed both The Royal and Heartbeat, burned off over the summer, both finished with modest though unspectacular ratings, as did Last of the Summer Wine.

So My Family's ratings are more down to it being a shadow of it's former self than it being axed.

Looks like a very dispersing night there.

Friday 5th August 2011 - Soap Ratings
BBC One
13:40 - Doctors: 1.4m (21.0%)
20:00 - EastEnders: 6.77m (34.1%)

ITV1
19:00 - Emmerdale: 5.70m (34.2%)
19:30 - Coronation Street: 7.08m (38.2%)
20:30 - Coronation Street: 7.29m (34.8%)
* +1: 166k

Channel 4
18:30 - Hollyoaks: 843k (5.4%)

Channel 5
13:45 - Neighbours: 559k (8.3%)

E4
19:00 - Hollyoaks: 377k (2.3%)

Source: DS

They haven't reported the Channel 5 teatime ratings, nor the BBC website, but nevertheless the Summer hitting just about everything last night.

Even though it will probally be down this year the return of the X Factor can not come soon enough for ITV 1. The Ratings they have had have been crap.

They have, mainly down to an influx of poor quality shows. However ITV did overall have a good start to year with some good quality, high rating returning dramas which was vital for them. The final section of the year will see X Factor/Get Me Out Of Here/Downtown Abbey/Doc Martin returning so they do have an amount of programmes that they can reley on to achieve good ratings along with the soaps.

Maybe to have high quality programming over the autumn/winter they have to air tripe in the summer? I would've thought that the leading commercial broadcaster could do better, though. At least Somebody's Daughter, Somebody's Son stayed above the 2m mark last night. It's never going to be a hit, though.

The One Show seems to be suffering - I think the share's slightly lower than normal, I thought it usually got around 20%. My Family is limping to it's death but Miranda is repeating well; the question is will it find new viewers when the new episodes air?

The soaps had a poor night figure wise but the shares were strong enough, and it just shows that summer has truely hit now.

Channel 4 had a reasonable 9pm hour, though they really need to rest Come Dine With Me. Channel 5 didn't have a very good night really; it's a shame for them that Castle doesn't particularly appear to be taking off. The Athletics did well for BBC Two.