Bit of a sweeping generalisation there. On Saturdays maybe, but there's plenty on the channel with strong 18-49 appeal.

Moreover I expect Viacom will pitch the channel younger (not exclusively so) when the acquisition is eventually cleared, in keeping with other channels in the portfolio.

Thanks mate.

Great rating for the rugby. Not a new high for a Premiership game on BT but strong for a Friday night fixture nonetheless. Looking forward to the final on Saturday, honestly think Saints will do the double now but it won't be easy. Any neutrals out there be sure to tune in on Saturday, if it's half as good a game you'll be in for a treat.

As for The Wright Stuff, it appears the half hour extension did no real harm to the ratings. Seems a no brainer to make it permanent.

Corrie was good tonight, as was BGT. Should be a good week of viewing if tonight is anything to go by.

Most people on the BGT forum are complainig the talent was bad tonight. Apparently Simon cowell at one point said the standard was like a "local circus event".

Don't they normally like to start the week strong ?

If what you say is true I'd worry about the rest of the week !

I think there were some glaring omissions in The Baftas. David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker for Broadchurch, David Bradley for An Adventure In Space and Time, no Peaky Blinders, no Emmerdale! God knows how the dire The Village was nominated. Thought it was awful, A League Of Their Own over The Graham Norton Show? Long Lost Family over Educating Yorkshore? Some very low rated sitcoms up for the main prize, Strictly never wins.

Having said that I wasn't as annoyed with some winners as in previous years. ITV had a good 2013, BBC1 were unremarkable for most of it, Channel 4 had a low rated but critically acclaimed year. Not surprised by the number of prizes the channels picked up.

The first half was only OK but the second half really was top notch talent. And a good amount of variety rather than the usual singer/dancer mix. And a nice mix going forward to the final as well. There was obviously the joke acts - there always will be - but by and large I'd say a very good first show.

I'd agree with that, half way through the performance show so far and the talent is decent and more imoortantly varied. Still think they should start rejecting singers that could go on the xfactor, they just don't work on a show like this.

Thanks. Have to say I think it will be fine ratings wise. The crap weather arrived in time and no substantial opposition was put forward beyond - to their credit - Channel 4.

I agree with you about Peaky Blinders but for me The Fall and Bake Off should have won - its like nothing on BBC2 is allowed to win no matter what ratings or acclaim they get.

Might not ITV just abandon major sport altogether and keep minority interest events on ITV 4. For all they have upped their game in recent years with sport, people still seem to associate them with wooden presentation and poor coverage.
I did read once Lew Grade would have been happy for ITV to abandon sport altogether in the seventies and concentrate on entertainment and drama. Also I can never see them bidding for Wimbledon, as it would interfere with the soaps and fans would complain about commercial breaks.

I'm not for one moment saying Corrie and BGT wasn't good, I didn't watch either so can't give an opinion, but I did laugh when I read your post! If ITV showed two hours of someone picking up dog poo you'd say it was good!

I would have been happy with either In The Flesh or The Fall winning. The Great Train Robbery didn't deserve to be nominated instead of Peaky Blinders and thank God Southcliffe didn't get it!.

Last year I think BBC2 won the most at The Baftas. Deserved a couple this year.

Next year drama wise will be interesting. I think Line Of Duty and Happy Valley are the front runners. BBC2's The Honourable Woman is superb by all accounts and should be in the mix. The Great Fire and Villa on ITV could get in as well.

But it's the drama in 2015 going for BAFTA Awards in 2016 that will be amazing. Wolf Hall and Jimmy McGovern's Banished on BBC2, Channel 4's Indian Summers and Russell T Davies drama Cucumber, the return of Broadchurch on ITV, possibly Tom Hardy/Ridley Scott's Taboo for BBC1 and definitely War & Peace on BBC1 next year.

Look up those programmes and the big names involved. Could be some real heavyweight competition.

Why, you do come out with some strange things. We've lost some football so we might as well throw the towel in completely. Why would they do that.

There is no point discussing sport on ITV because Samuel just blasts over it with the same posts every time, that ITV are never going to get any sport ever again and that they will lose the rights to everything they still have, and that the BBC will keep everything they have and gain much more as well.

Yes, I can't disagree with any of your post. The last part especially was the most sobering. BBC1 did indeed have a truly lacklustre 2013. ITV on the other hand demonstrated that when when they want to, they will do things very well. 2013 was one of the best in recent times for ITV.

Whenever EastEnders is good we get a love in with the likes of Dan and IceDragon discussing the episode at length, I don't see you complaining then.

"We've" lost football? Is ITV part of your family now?

I don't notice their posts as much as yours. You are so damn defensive over ITV I'm going to send you tons of bubble wrap to protect it with.

The first half was awful. Looking at tomorrow's lineup, they have really scraped the barrel this series in terms of talent.

I have criticised ITV so many times mainly because I remember how magnificent it was from the 70s-90s without relying on soaps and having a mix of great programming. They were great in 2013, can't begrudge them their successes. A great rebrand, Corrie and Emmerdale on fire, trying more comedy, the continued upward swing in drama, factual hits. Lots to like last year, some potentially good stuff still to come this year like The Great Fire and Grantchester, and I know it's ages away but 2015 could be even better.

Itv is very important to some people, especially Emmerdale and Coro St viewers. It has given them hours and hours of entertainment, pleasure and happiness, watching their favourite soaps for years and years. They therefore almost by default become emotionally attached to the channel due to their love of the soaps and its characters, and some of those viewers start to feel part of the Itv family and lose some touch with reality. Ive experienced this first hand, an ex-girlfriend of mine was so addicted to the soaps, it basically ruined our relationship because I told her to stop watching as that was all she would pretty much do between 7-9pm each night. Some people even actually believe Coro is based on real people, to the extent which one person even called 999 when the Tram Crash happened because they thought it was a real life event.

Look at my spelling mistakes! Oh the shame of it! Bloody spellchecker!

Well I think BT will probably put such a huge bid in to carry on with the European matches in 2018 that ITV wouldn't be able to compete. Also the listed events seem to be the BBC's territory, so ITV has little interest in competing.
I'm not going on a Samuel style anti ITV rant, but the days of ITV trying for big sporting events seem to be coming to an end. Auntie only keeps a hefty sports department going due to goodwill and the fact they can devote hundreds of hours to events like The Olympics as they don't have advertisers to please and the viewers of the two soaps to appease.
Indeed, ITV's biggest mistake was ditching the Saturday racing and the big meetings. They were a lot better at the BBC than this.

BBC Two had the second Fast Show special (which followed a new series of Springwatch) and Channel 5's Dambuster documentary should go down well with the older audience so I think an effort was made beyond Channel 4. Maybe not from BBC One, admittedly, but it was an equal effort to ITV's attempts last week when BBC One wasn't even airing a 'special' schedule.

Thanks D.M.N. A shame that The Wright Stuff doesn't get more viewers but it's very consistent. They may as well extend the show permanently to have a consistent rating over a longer period of time. They can then drop the lunchtime Home and Away showing to boost its tea time rating.

Does anyone think Hollyoaks might get a temporary ratings boost after scooping the Best Soap prize?

I can see Emmerdale benefiting a lot this week with a lot of viewers tuning into ITV early for BGT, boosting the Emmerdale rating average.