Nothing like a good storm to get the news ratings up.

I was under the impression that Ant & Dec were the main presenters for Text Santa Launch tomorrow with Philip Schofield and Christine Bleakley only there for the main show on Christmas Eve.

Except I click onto the EPG and find that Schofield and Bleakley are presenting the show tomorrow and not Ant & Dec. Or at least they're not promoted on the EPG anyway, which is a bit bizarre. In fact, they confirm it here that they're only on the Christmas Eve show: https://twitter.com/#!/antanddec/sta...36097397866497

I did predict high on the RPG game - 7.9m - a decision I'm now regretting. I'm not sure it'll be that high with Schofield and Bleakley presenting.

I think you over predicted - regardless. Ant & Dec are only back in the UK a day or two ago. Content will be much the same anyway - I'd say somewhere around 6.5m

Not much ratings news yet except Modern Family peaking at 488k on Sky One

Simon Cowells appearance should bring x factor ratings up, but it is the final so they probably will be up anyway.

According to an article in my listings mag (Express) Philip and Christine are only doing tomorrow's Text Santa. Ant and Dec are doing the other one as you point out, with various celebrities.A show starting at 9.30 on a Sunday night when people have to work the following day will get nowhere near 7.9 million, probably around 3m.

I really can't see Text Santa doing well at all. GeorgeS is right that 7.9 is very much to high even if Ant/Dec were on it.

Its just being promoted more or less as an ad appeal and not so much a programme. Don't see people reacting well to the ads etc. that won't be going to charity.


I just don't think theres either enough noise coming from it or the feeling of being a wholly good enterprise enough for people to be tuning in.
But Christmas cheer and economic blues might prevail - but I get the feeling it'll be more 4 million - although steady for its run.

I will tune in to see what it is all about and because it is on after the x factor. I really don't believe presenters make much of a difference. If I hear they will be having guests on, who I like and if the programme looks good after the first fifteen minutes I will stay tuned in.

is Text Santa Live tommorw night or recorded?

And the award for "underprediction of the year" goes to...

You do realise it will have the second biggest lead-in of the year so far?

Friday 9th December 2011
BBC One
20:30 - The Two Ronnies Sketchbook: 3.07m (13.1%)
21:00 - Have I Got News For You: 5.24m (22.8%)
21:30 - Live at the Apollo: 3.38m (15.0%)

BBC Two
20:00 - Mastermind: 2.02m (8.7%)
20:30 - Masterchef: The Professionals: 2.06m (8.8%)
21:00 - Gardeners' World: 2.12m (9.3%)

ITV1
20:00 - Wild Britain with Ray Mears: 3.17m (13.6%)
21:00 - The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song: 3.81m (17.0%)

Channel 4
20:00 - Come Dine With Me: 920k (4%)
* +1: 237k (1.0%)
21:00 - The Million Pound Drop Live: 1.76m (8.0%)
* +1: 212k (1.3%)

Channel 5
20:00 - Ice Road Truckers: 1.06m (4.5%)
21:00 - Windtalkers: 908k (4.8%)

BBC Three
22:55 - Family Guy: 918k (6.2%)

Primetime Shares
ITV1 - 22.8%
BBC One - 20.0%
BBC Two - 7.8%
Channel 4 - 5.8%
Channel 5 - 3.6%

Source: DS. Ratings include HD and are tape-checked where necessary.

Very poor for most channels even I had the TV off last night as I could not find anything to watch apart from The News and Norton.

I'll check back with you on Monday. It's rarely I agree with GeorgeS but I think he's right; the show seems to have had little publicity, we have to wait two weeks for the second part;Ms Bleakley is not exactly the nation's favourite presenter which is probably why she's not doing part two;haven't we had enough fund-raising events for this year ?

Perhaps people were saving themselves for one of the most anticipated viewing nights of the year......








....when BBC1 launches its Christmas presentation/idents, and the SCD semifinal takes place.

Good boost for HIGNFY last night. Was that the Miranda effect (in which case that would bode well for her own series) or was it the Bee Gees effect? (Although when HIGNFY was up against Barry Manilow several weeks ago both programmes were lower than the equivalent programme last night. Although the weather was much milder then than last night.)

I think ITV1 starts their Christmas presentation tonight too, from what I have read on the TV forum they have designed little characters from the Text Santa promos to play with the normal ITV1 logo, not sure if a new christmas ident has been produced to go with it? ITV1 have made some lovely Christmas presentation over the last few years, last years was lovely much better than BBC1 I have to say!

Channel 4 will say that is an OK rating but after some promotion in the last week or so, the figures are no where near the 2 million plus they were getting earlier this year. Also, except for +1, it was fourth in the timeslot at 9pm and even lost out to Gardeners' World.

HIGNFY was awful last night, poorly edited, normally reliable comedians falling fall.

Million Pound Drop series 6

Mon 05/12/2011 1.30m (10-11.30pm)
Tue 06/12/2011 1.49m (10-11.30pm)
Wed 07/12/2011 1.50m (10-11.30pm)
Thu 08/12/2011 1.58m (10-11.30pm)
Fri 09/12/2011 1.97m (9-10.40pm; over-ran)

Audience inched up during the week; a bit late for people who go to bed at sensible o'clock.
Little boost on Thurs, maybe because the night before two pairs of numpties lost the whole million on the first question.

Have to say it seems fairly quiet on here given that its X Factor final weekend.

On This Morning the other day Philip said he was just doing the intro this weekend and Holly Willoughby added she was doing the main show on Christmas Eve alongside Ant and Dec,

Have I Got News For You is the stand out rating for BBC One though The Two Ronnies did well to get 3m+ opposite Coronation Street. Live At The Apollo has been over-used to such an extent that no one is sure without looking whether it's new or a repeat now.

BBC Two had a very good night, though MasterChef appears low compared to previous nights but to see three shows above the 2m will please them.

Considering ITV1 elected just to air filler Wild Britain and the Bee Gees didn't perform too badly - certainly the night didn't collapse like others have in the past.

Come Done With Me struggled against the soaps at 8pm; I'm sure it's recorded 1m+ figures previously. The Million Pound Drop improved with a better slot on the schedule though it still couldn't quite reach the 2m mark.

It was a quiet night for Channel 5 with Ice Road Truckers just getting past the 1m mark but Windtalkers dipped under.


I don't think the show will see much of a boost tonight to be honest; it may just hit the 11m mark. Tomorrow it'll do better but it's just the case of seeing this year out then looking at how to get the viewers to return for 2012.

CBB promo begins just under 4 weeks before launch with some teasers playing out on Channel 5 during ad breaks...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QafRArtTM8I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duz5C_iouto

End of the world theme perhaps for 2012? Looks good anyway.

Just seen the weather for Monday. It looks awful. I wonder if we could see the soaps hit 10m that night.

Friday 9th December - Soap Overnights
BBC One
13:45- Doctors: 1.67m (22%)
20:00- EastEnders: 7.99m (34.3%)

ITV1
19:00- Emmerdale: 7.53m (35.4%) , +1: 189k (0.8%)
19:30- Coronation Street: 8.17m (36.3%) , +1: 123k (0.5%)
20:30- Coronation Street: 7.92m (33.6%) , +1: 183k (0.8%)

Channel 4
18:30- Hollyoaks: 980k (4.8%) , +1: 117k (0.5%)

Channel 5
13:45- Neighbours: 696k (9.2%)
17:30- Neighbours: 1.24m (7.3%)
18:00- Home and Away: 804k (4.2%)

BBC Three
22:00- EastEnders: 727k (3.4%)

E4
19:00- Hollyoaks: 433k (2%)

Ratings include HD and are tape-checked where necessary

Source: DS