The ratings for EastEnders aren't reflecting the improved quality. I have said for weeks the programme has improved but the ratings haven't and DTC has made the programme must see again after the poor episodes under Lorraine Newman.

According to Broadcast magazine, the first three days of the Olympics hugely boosted BBC Two's overnight shares for the week ending last Sunday (9 Feb):

Daytime (09:30-18:00): 8.31% (previous week: 4.53%)
Primetime (18:00-22:30): 9.45% (7.57%)
All-day: 8.15% (5.80%)

Could we see Channel 4 getting a similar boost due to Paralympics?

Its about keeping its audience happy too i guess, and some of the returning characters reward a very loyal audience and act as a block on viewers drifting away until the soap can stabilise. They production of the show should mean it shouldn't loose any more of its audience even.if its not actually gaining new viewers whicj it now does without a doubt need. The summer will be interesting to see if it still drops to those lower levels or if this reshuffle does consolidate it audience. Its timeshifting to good final figures.

Thanks for the proper figures Neil! Interesting how it got a much better share this week by being the Winter Olympic broadcaster. Proves that those daytime cuts on it aren't right actually. The money needs to be taken from elsewhere or the fee increased again.

Hmmmm, I still think they show more drama than any other commercial channel and, after BBC One, are the biggest producer of drama in Britain. Yet I know the bean counters and the inverted snobs who work at ITV would be quite happy to show back to back reality shows and soaps as this is what they think a typical ITV viewer wants.

Yeah and proved wrong by "Downton Abbey" "Broadchurch" "Birds Of A Feather" "Doc Martin" etc that these shows rate highly too. They should go back to searching through the writers for further drama peaks. Tuesday evenings could be turned around by a great drama at 9pm like "Cracker" or "Darling Buds if May" etc but I realise they are expensive to make and advertising has to be good.

And that was with only three days of Olympics. Since Monday the channel has had the following all-day shares (taken from Channel 4 Sales): 9.4%, 9.3%, 8.1%, 8.8%, 9.0%.


The flipside of the licence-free freeze is that when it ends, in 2017, the fee will probably be the lowest it has been in real terms since the 1970s, hopefully enhancing perceptions of value-for-money for the corporation.

It's a crime EastEnders is doing worse than last year. It's so much more entertaining now. How do they get the ratings back up? It's a headscratcher.

Yep true if its not seen to be overfunded and performing to its best! Its good to see the actual figures on this as BBC TWO is very capable of reaching a much wider audience during daytime obviously and its cuts have made it dufficult to increase its share and could gave potentially dragged down its overall day share down to really low levels.

The Splash final should be looking to get close to 4m tonight. It has been trailed a lot throughout the week, will have its best lead-in since launch and in the last 20mins it wont be facing the Voice. Expect the Voice to be down from the last couple of weeks - it will rate around 7.5million which will be a strong result all things considered.

Patience.

As has been said a million and one times before (and will no doubt be said a million and one times again) EastEnders didn't get into this situation overnight and it isn't going to get out of it overnight. People need to stop obsessing over an immediate turn around in EastEnders' numbers.

No rugby to help boost the early evening before The Voice comes on either. So if it gets 8m I will be impressed!

Neither did the 1st episode, but it got 8.4m. If it gets 8m it won't be a surprise, as people say its got no competition. Its also got a Pointless Celebrities lead in, potentially 5m+ against football.

Btw In regard to Rising Star, I think a partnership of Vernon Kay and Gabby Logan hosting would work well, especially as viewers will be used to them and they have chemistry on screen from previously.

What do others think?

Agreed. I watched episodes last year and the difference now is clear. There is so much going on now and things move quickly with multiple storylines. Danny Dyer's character (for me) could be the cornerstone of the show for many years-and maybe I didn't expect to say that.
The BBC should perhaps run a concerted promotion campaign at some point.
For what its worth, Leigh Holmwood of The Sun was praising the changes recently.
As far as ratings are concerned, hopefully they will increase, but lets be in no doubt soaps are not the force they were.

Kay and Logan will be associated with the stench of Splash. Having that partnership going onto a major new show like Rising Star would be a big mistake.

Incidentally, Logan must be regretting signing up for this 2nd series of Splash. She's missed out on being a co-presenter on the Winter Olympic Games and some Six Nations Rugby due to this Splash job. Things she may regret missing out on hosting for the rest of her life.

Splash might be rating low but that doesn't mean everything related to it becomes poison. In that case Red & Black would have ruined Ant & Dec's career.

Am sorry but the football and Winter Olympics will effect it tonight, so I think if it does get 8mil that will be a good result.

I agree but it's pretty much a patience game. It took a whole for ratings to get pretty bad so it's going to take a while to get the viewers who left back.

The football finished over a hour ago before The Voice even started so won't affect whatever rating it gets.

What it finished while the Voice was on. According to the listings the Voice started 7:10 and the football finished. 7:20 so it would have effected the Voice starting figure.

The football finished around five past, The Voice started at ten past.

Ah ok I thought they overlapped more then that.

Yes the football on before it, on ITV will affect The Voice on after. Pull the other one.