Doesn't Emmerdale usually only get about 4 million on Christmas Day (or at least in the last few years)?

Im sure it helped Breakfast's ratings too .

8.9m vs 9.0m?

No question that DW will convincingly beat Coronation St when the proper figures come in...

Here's the overnights again, for people just joining us:


Emmerdale Christmas Day overnight ratings in the past few years have been:

2011: 6.7m (inc +1)
2010: 7.2m
2009: 5.1m
2008: 4.8m
2007: 5.8m
2006: 7.2m
2005: 6.0m

4 hours of their biggest shows - DA, EmFm, CS.

Although ASFF is actually becoming one of your bigger successes...

Just noticed The Queen isn't in the top 20?

That can't be right, surely?

Perhaps Daybreak should have featured it then .... although going by past form, it probably did.

The only difference there is that Breakfast didn't really need any help, whereas ......

I think that chart only includes programmes which were at least 15-minutes long. The BBC News article might report it quite soon.

I thought it would be lower than usual because this year it clashed with the latter part of the BBC's big animated movie. But Ratatouille wasn't able to replicate the major success of titles like Shrek and Finding Nemo in previous years.

Is this really relevant to anything to do with Christmas night ratings? You know very well that daytime tv feeds off popular shows of any channel as guests.

Oh ok, ignore me then!

BBC News are reporting that Eastenders won over DA with a 10.2 million peak.

I think ITV will be happy with the whole day. Even Happy Feet held up admirably compared to BBC One's premiere of Monsters vs Aliens. Family Fortunes punched above its weight as well with those numbers against Who.

Perhaps.

But I get the feel that ITV are aiming to increase their profile.

They have won exclusive rights for European football with Europa and Champions League. They have committed more money to drama than they have in a long time, with much more coming in 2013. ITV are talking about returning to scripted comedy and have the most watched programme of 2011 so far with X Factor.

ITV2 is the most watched digital channel, while ITV3 drama repeats offer high rating alternatives to the light entertainment programmes showing on ITV1. And ITV4 is getting a good name for itself for sports coverage while CITV is the most watched commercial childrens channel.

I think ITV's strategy about simply maximising ad revenue alone is falling, and they are trying to heighten their profile overall which will automatically increase the ad revenue income with more viewers, This years Christmas strategy was spot on IMO, and having an award winning drama such as Downton at your disposal is a feather in the cap for them.

If you thought that it was not relevant, a decision not to reply would have let it die. But this is the Ratings thread, not just the Christmas Day Ratings.

My original point was that BBC Breakfast's plugging/promotion of DA by having two actresses appearing on the programme only a few days before the showing would very likely have aided the publicity machine for ITV, rather than helped BBC Breakfast's viewing figures (a point that you decided to bring to the discussion).

To quote your phrase to George...It Lost!

BBC won primetime by just over 1% which is not much different to the figures you quote above between Corrie and DW.

I also notice you are not calling for the BBC version of primetime to be used as using their definition could just put ITV1 even closer as Emmerdale outrated the end of Rat and Gruffalo.

Hmm, not always. It's very close between it and the Disney Channel, but some weeks Disney Channel is ahead.

They largely turned their backs on kids TV so I wouldn't personally put it in a list of ITV's achievements.

From Broadcast:

It looks like the BBC and ITV cancelled each other out. Given nobody got 10 million on the biggest night of the year.

I have to give credit to Channel 4 since they did bother airing Cookalong Live for 4 hours and Alan Carr in primetime.

Has anybody got the ratings for Cookalong Live, Deal or No Deal and Alan Carr?

Thanks rzt,

As expected for EE and Downton, but Downton did very well to get over 8m all things considered. Yeah it was hyped up, but it wasn't going to find extra viewers from somewhere and it faced BBC1's biggest show.

The standout ratings for me have to be Family Fortunes and Corrie. Great move seperating the ITV soap block and not putting ED up against DW. Surprised at how close ASFF was to DW really considering it normally manages 3-4m up against EE. Also Corrie managed 9m off the back of a hugely successful 50th anniversary last year IIRC and it still managed it this year despite some weak overnights in Decmeber. Also considering the successful series of SCD I thought the latter would comfortably beat it. ITV held up very well in general, even ED's early start didn't catch anyone out and it's still their 2nd highest overnight since 2006.

I must say some of the BBC1 overnights are slightly overwhelming compared to what we're used to. DW and SCD should have got more imo, but DW did do well to still be the no1 none soap of the day.

if it makes you feel better. I know you have issues with conceding any points as regards the BBC

Many will not be aware of that as listings mags for New Year only sneaked onto the shelves right before Christmas. Quite good scheduling to not repeat it until next week rather than in the next day or two.

Overall through, ITV tend to stay in front. And they do still commission and acquire new programming for the channel.

I think the only PSB channel to be able to hold its head up high with their childrens output is Channel 5.

That's got nowt to do with it, and comments such as that serve no real purpose in this discussion.

They are making a lot more effort now with new commissions for CITV. The Sooty Show, Tati's Hotel, Annabel's Kitchen, a pre-school Nature Show, and from next week Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge (ironically a Disney co-commission) for example