Equivalent episode last year: 1.34m.

Still strong for m/c standards but if a show on a terrestrial was down nearly 30% we'd be hearing a lot more about it than we are about BAFTA winning TOWIE, so I just thought I'd flag this one up.

Made in Chelsea didn't start too well either last week, but it tends to build from a slow start so the jury is still out on that one.

Well done to ITV for finding the only man with a worse reputation than Jimmy Saville!


Surprising - and gutting for ITV. I just don't see how XF USA can build momentum with the enforced break for the World Series.


Stupid media speak again - if "ITV does nothing" for 30% of British audiences, it must do something for 70% of them - which is a cup nearly three quarters full. That's the sad thing about TV though - far more concerned about people not watching than the people who actually are.

Which is an interesting comment in this thread!

Ben Frow seems like a good choice especially as it has the experience running a channel. Maybe Zai Bennett or Stuart Murphy could be contenders although the latter has more money to spend at Sky which may not be the case at 5.

Thanks for the run-down

Good to see all the minor terrestrials at or above 5%. Two-thirds of primetime viewing was to the big 5 (inc +1s).

All-day shares inc +1 from C4 Sales:

BBC One - 17.2%
ITV1 - 15.3%
Channel 4 - 6.8%
BBC Two - 6.4%
Channel 5 - 5.4%
ITV2 - 3.3%
ITV3 - 2.6%

And 4Seven got as high as 0.4% for the first time that I've seen. That's not bad after less than four months.

Note again the wide disparity between primetime share and all-day share for ITV1 - it must have been in single figures for off-peak.


Five-and-a-half hours of football averaging nearly 9% - Sky Sports 1 must have had a good all-day share, but C4 Sales never report it.

Cant work out if Surprise Surprise is surprising or not. Decent start but the test will be next week now the novelty value decreases.
Great figure for Countryfile from 18.20.
Cowells decision may well mean another year in the relative dodrums for XF.The fact that the recorded SCD is only a +1 version behind on Sundays is quite telling. XF and Downton though continue to be a formidable pairing.

Stronger looking figure for AR but Marr continues to struggle. Its a curious watch, its like a video of an On This Day In History calendar.

Those are pretty impressive figures for that football double as to my knowledge none of the big teams were playing yesterday.

Sunderland v Newcastle, QPR v Everton. From my limited football knowledge I don't think those are from the top drawer

Oh, and You Bet! as well. *crosses fingers*

It's no surprise now that terrestrial channels have pretty much given up in the afternoon. Weekend TV is just a mess now - even BBC1 has lost it's structure with the loss of the EastEnders omnibus meaning it's just daytime drivel on Sundays and more and more Saturdays now. ITV1 to really suffers from axing it's various commitments (kids, religion, regional, politics etc.) which filled the weekend schedules for decades and gave it some structure - and I think C4 will ultimatley suffer for losing T4 too as even if T4 shows weren't doing the business, the target audience knew it was at least worth looking at C4 at the weekend to see what's on. Now C4 weekends won't particularly have a target audience.


P.S. A really interesting and unusual ratings report from TV Tonight as they run down the lowest rated shows on Australian TV:
http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/10/...-the-heap.html

I agree but part of me wonders whether they need to build up trust again in the entertainment brand before.attempting too many new shows. They've had so many flops I feel as though people write off ITV's entertainment programming - and even, to some extent, drama - before watching it due to the damaged brand. A few reliable stalwarts might regain some of that faith.

Add Stars in their Eyes and thats a perfect ITV saturday night :P

Yes, that too. *thumbs up*

Watching this Panorama there's not a cat in hell's chance Top of the Pops will be on BBC One this Christmas.

Panorama is pretty chilling stuff. Superb journalism.

The fact Peter Rippon didn't even watch the interviews Newsnight recorded with the victims is astonishing.

I'm wondering if there will even be a BBC this Christmas....

As compellingly shocking as this Panorama is, I find it preposterous to think BBC bosses canned a celebrity expose to protect a Boxing Day afternoon Fix It revival for 5m viewers that hadn't even been filmed at that point, and a BBC2 cheap compilation show.

Both would have been dropped at a stroke if necessary.

The BBC is bigger than the people who run it. If need be, everyone will be moved or sacked and new people installed. The corporation should not and can not be held accountable for the decisions of the suits within.

I agree. The BBC will survive regardless. But it's reputation has certainly taken a knock.

Murdoch's minions are circling like wolves now. Like Julie Burchill, who works for the whiter than white News International:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...ncle-Beeb.html

Could the BBC's ratings be affect by this. as you say the reputation of the bbc has clearly taken a knock and i wonder if some people will stop watching BBC programs altogether.

I don't know, Sam. It's changed the way people perceive the BBC. Whether that results in them watching the BBC less, I'm not sure.

The virtues of the BBC can be found in the fact that this Panorama investigation into the practices of BBC aired... on the BBC. No other corporation would put itself under such scrutiny.

I think Newsnight's future must be in some doubt. Its brand looks a bit damaged right now.

Panorama rode to the rescue tonight, probably the most important and most talked about episode since the Diana interview. They should have aired it at 9pm given that New Tricks was moved anyway.

Talking of which, I saw the last few mins of NT before the News. I don't follow the show but it looked to end on an obvious end of season finale which seems likely to make airing the missing episode 9 out of sequence a bit odd. Wonder if it will ever air?

True. Sky did cover the phone hacking scandal in depth... but only when it went big everywhere and they could no longer ignore it.

I think BBC News is excellent and a little less melodramatic than ITV news, but the peter Rippon decision goes some way to to damage the BBC whuch it really doesn't need at the moment, and there is no clear answer if the DG did get involved in decisions while he was the Vision director of programmes. And why did so many long term Newsnight staff join Channel 4 while Rippon managed the programme. I hope this doesn't shake it too much it makes great documentaries and programmes.

I think it may air as part of a repeat run that BBC One will air in a summer, possibly in 2013.