Well I refuse to acknowledge +1 too. If you want to compare things fairly then we should not use +1 as a measure of overnights. Use it as part of the overall final figure by all means but not to spin figures. BBC1 has not got a +1 so it isn't fair to include +1 from ITV. I know Robbie agrees with me.

Digiguide shows that The X Factor is now provisionally starting at 20:20 on Saturday 5 October, maintaining the strategy of a five-minute clash. It will be interesting to see what they do the following week when they must either clash substantially with Strictly or finish very late.

And Sunday 6 October is now showing (contrary to the ITV press release):

18:30 - Surprise Surprise
19:30 - The X Factor
21:00-22:05 - Downton Abbey

You'd think the press release would be more likely to be correct, but why is it embargoed until 1 October, six days after the schedule is confirmed?

It's not for fairness - it's because you're so petty you just can't appreciate a great rating for a great rating. 9.5m watched Downton on it's first night of broadcast, 9.3m watched Call the Midwife.


Downton did good - deal with it!

DA timeshifts more than CTM and so will end up as the highest rating drama of 2013

The media are quoting the ITV line that the launch of the fourth series of DA was the highest rating drama of 2013 so far, across all broadcasters.

So, that's a 'PR Win'.

I would expect Mr Robbie "Overnights are irrelevant" Sykes would so.

Fair enough if you don't want to use +1 for comparisons - but sometimes, there's no harm in stating them separately.

I wasn't far out. So you can't just lob a random celeb and a bunch of cute animals together and hey presto ratings hit!

Absolutely hilarious. I will answer this very simply by saying that I await the post when you give credit where its due to a BBC show when it does well.

The Downton Denial folks will go to any lengths to try to undermine the uk's top television export.

I've never watched it, either. Although, I have seen quite a few clips.

There is no problem in listing +1 seperately. But not to just add them in to the timeslot you are comparing ratings too.

For instance if you are looking at Show A on BBC1 at 8pm and this show gets 8 million viewers and Show B on ITV gets 6.2m, then BBC1 won the slot and Show A wins the overnight. For me it is slot comparison. That is the only fair system we get.

However if 2.1m watched Show B in the finals (including +1 and timeshift consolidated) and 1.1m watched Show A in the finals then of course it is fair to say Show B won overall.

Actually, that's Dancing With The Stars (aka Strictly Come Dancing).

Perhaps in the Dancing on Ice sandwich? Presumably it'll be ready by then if they're filming now.

6:30 - Dancing on Ice
8:00 - Birds of a Feather
8:30 - Dancing on Ice: The Results
9:00 - Mr Selfridge

Of course that would likely throw it up against Call the Midwife on BBC1 which ITV might want to avoid. So maybe it'll get a Splash sandwich on Saturday night instead? It seems like better counter programming to The Voice than Call the Midwife. Not sure where else they can really put it where it won't feel incredibly isolated. Thursday 8:30 is really the only option unless they have another comedy on the horizon (do they?) and want to try Monday nights again...


Commercial broadcaster in attempt to maximise ratings shocker.

That refers to 6 October, the Sunday Judges' Houses, which was 1 hour 17 minutes last year (19:40-20:57), 1 hour 14 minutes in 2011 (19:44-20:58), and 1 hour 13 minutes in 2010 (19:45-20:58).

But the +1-istas will contend (and they do have a point) that overnights include timeshift (i.e. viewing out of the original slot). We then run into the issue of whether +1 is proper timeshift, given that it will include some people who stumble across a +1 channel by accident (not many I would say), rather than consciously choose to watch on +1 an hour later, e.g. to avoid a clash.

Not this again. But thats a bit too simplistic. Viewings of same day recordings are included in the figure for each slot. So the BBC1 8pm offering might include 500k who watched outside of the allotted slot on PVR at 9pm. Is that much different to +1 ?

Thought I'd compile an updated top 20 overnight chart. I know some people may say overnights are increasingly irrelevant but to me they make fascinating reading.

Changes in bold, no +1, etc

Most Watched Shows of 2013 [Top 20 – Overnights]
01 – 12.09m (72.8%) – WIMBLEDON 2013: MURRAY v DJOKOVIC (07/07/2013) – BBC 1/HD
02 – 10.56m (48.8%) – BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT (08/06/2013) – ITV/HD
03 – 10.34m (37.7%) – CORONATION STREET (21/01/2013) – ITV/HD
04 – 9.87m (40.6%) – COMIC RELIEF (15/03/2013) – BBC 1/HD
05 – 9.42m (37.3%) – THE X FACTOR (22/09/2013) – ITV/HD

06 – 9.32m (32.3%) – CALL THE MIDWIFE (20/01/2013) – BBC 1/HD
07 – 9.12m (38.0%) – DOWNTON ABBEY (22/09/2013) – ITV/HD
08 – 9.09m (32.6%) – EASTENDERS (01/01/2013) – BBC 1/HD
09 – 9.07m (35.3%) – UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: MAN UNITED v REAL MADRID (05/03/2013) – ITV/HD
10 – 9.04m (32.5%) – MIRANDA (01/01/2013) – BBC 1/HD

11 – 8.43m (41.3%) – STRICTLY COME DANCING (07/09/2013) – BBC 1/HD
12 – 8.37m (32.2%) – BROADCHURCH (22/04/2013) – ITV/HD
13 – 8.10m (29.8%) – MRS BROWN’S BOYS (01/01/2013) – BBC 1/HD
14 – 7.99m (35.3%) – THE VOICE UK (04/05/2013) – BBC 1/HD
15 – 7.80m (34.8%) – EMMERDALE (10/01/2013) – ITV 1/HD

16 – 7.77m (30.5%) – DANCING ON ICE (06/01/2013) – ITV 1/HD
17 – 7.70m (35.3%) – EUROVISION SONG CONTEST (18/05/2013) – BBC 1/HD
18 – 7.60m (32.6%) – DOC MARTIN (02/09/2013) – ITV/HD
19 – 7.52m (38.5%) – RUGBY SIX NATIONS (16/03/2013) – BBC 1/HD
20 – 7.52m (33.5%) – NEW TRICKS (30/07/2013) – BBC 1/HD

But thats not maximising ratings. Coro St would get more viewers in a Thursday 8.30pm slot than on Sunday 7pm against SCD. But Itv's main goal is to dent SCD's ratings.

There will always be a contention of legitamacy surrounding this subject. I regard ITV+1 as a seperate channel. Therefore I don't regard it personally as proper timeshift because a person is just switching over to watch a programme NOT broadcast at the time a comparison with another programme is on. I concede that many will add +1 figures into the overnights, but generally this is only done when an ITV show has lost out in the direct showings and is used as a device to give ITV a victory, fairly or unfairly depending on your viewpoint.

Yes. Because 500K might also watch an ITV show that was recorded on a PVR outside the allotted slot AND watch it on +1 too.

But they might be less inclined to PVR if its available 1hr later.

Anyway, there is more chance of brokering peace in Syria than on this argument.

I sort of agree with that as it could be argued that if +1 did not exist the same people would record and still be counted. So I dont have a great problem with +1 except for the BBC3 EE repeat which should also count BUT is never included in EE consolidated figures.

1994 wasn't great. That was a weak series of Birds of a Feather. The three series after BOAF took the break were of a better quality. BBC1 also aired 1982 episodes of Last of the Summer Wine that autumn, and delayed the new series until January 1995.

And, in fairness, the autumn 1995 series of Last of the Summer Wine did well enough at 7pm, although, I don't think ITV really got going with anything much until 7.30pm. I remember being unimpressed when Just William took the 7pm slot in November and December.

There were 32 acts in judges houses to get through in series 7 & 8, which may explain the length.

They had 24 acts in series 5 and 6 (and 9) - those shows (in which the finalists were revealed) were only an hour long as opposed to nearly 80 minutes last year. Must have been dragged out a fair bit last year.

You just don't stop, do you? After you were rapped about this yesterday by numerous people.