Good ratings share wise for the soaps - Boy Meets Girl improved? Given a better night though, it could have got ~4m.

No surprises there. ITV and BBC increased in the 9pm slot due to no new NCIS and BBC2's weakened performance.

Great ending for American Idol, considering the season has been hovering around 0.4m. However I believe the show is stupidly slotted and can't understand why it airs on a Thursday and a Friday-Thursday 8pm a slot where it gets lost in and Friday 9pm when everyone goes out. Wouldn't a Sunday/Monday be better for the show? I just can't understand it and it looks as if America's Got Talent will get the same slots in a couple of weeks.

Interesting to see both Boy Meets Girl and Reggie improve this week. Very good for HIGNFY, and Ramsay did well for a repeat.

Meanwhile, ITV are apparently making a hidden camera show with Louis Walsh. They are planning on screening the pilot on the night The X Factor returns. I can't see this working at all, tbh. Didn't Rio Ferdinand do a similar show a few years ago that flopped?

I wouldn't say it "flopped" as such - it did OK. It aired on Saturday, June 10th 2006 at 22:00 directly after one of the World Cup games, getting 3.3m (20%).

Have I Got News For You? did really well last night, back up to just under 6 million. The expenses thing is practically gold-plated for them, and has seen them take a little boost over the last couple of weeks.

Its really remarkable that after all these years its still going so strongly, pulling better figures than most big 9pm dramas for a fraction of the cost.

--

Interesting comparison details for the football. Although Chelsea failed to make it an all English final this year - I reckon it could still rate almost as well as last year (minus the boost from ET and pens). Barcelona are a massive brand, and they're hopefully going to make it a much more compelling game style-wise too.

The FA Cup really should do better this year than last - given the teams in it compared to last years Pompey v Cardiff. I would think a 8.5-9m match average, and perhaps 10-11m peak depending on how the game plays out should be expected.

Sun/Mon would be too late. If anything it should air Wed/Thu so it airs the night after the US. I managed to avoid spoilers all day Thursday - but Teletext let it slip on Friday, identifying the winner in the headlines, even though on Thursday they'd clearly marked it a spoiler.

I'd agree with that one - it'd be pointless if they aired it several days later.

Just looking at BGT this week..... it appears that for each show they will have: 8 performers, 1 guest performance and the results all in an hour and a half show? That'll be a tight squeeze.

I bet that the programme will start at about 20:26, and finish about 22:06, I cannot possibly see finishing on time. It'd also give ITV's News at Ten a huge advantage if they deliberately didn't announce the result until after 22:00.

So, say for instance on Tuesday, I can see them doing:

18:58 - Emmerdale
19:57 - Coronation Street
20:26 - Britain's Got Talent
22:06 - ITV News at Ten

So that it can get the highest possible ratings.

Apparently last week's Eurovision Song Contest Final attracted over 122 million viewers across Europe, making it the most watched live non-sporting event this year.

Speaking of world-wide audiences, The Times recently published an article showing genuine world-wide viewing figures of sporting events last year. Not the exaggerated rubbish you get churned out by some organisations (for e.g. premier league football matches getting over 1 billion viewers - absolute rubbish).

In the article, it said that the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was the first event in history to genuinly get over 1 billion viewers (including pubs, clubs, etc). Here's a list they have for last year (which doesn't include non-household viewers):

1. Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony: 593m (average)/984m (reach)
2. Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony: 252m/778m
3. China v Cuba volleyball game
4. Olympics men’s 100m final
5. Euro 2008 Final: Germany v Spain: 166m/287m
6. Super Bowl: 104m/152m
7. Champions League Final: Man Utd v Chelsea: 98m/208m
8. Brazilian Grand Prix


ITV2 used to show AI just on Fridays, but people complained that the show was on too long after the US broadcast and also it used to finish quite late (past midnight).

I don't have a problem with the performance shows on Thursdays, as it's closer to the US broadcasts. But it was annoying when ITV2 would split the 2-hour performance shows into 2 separate 1 hour shows and show them on Thursdays at 8pm and 10ppm just to accomodate Paris Hilton!

I've been looking back at the BARB top 30 for last year, where they publish the exact start time, and on Tuesday and Thursday, the days NaT made the ITV1 top 30, both BGT and the news starting exactly on time - and I presuming they had 8 acts per semi last year as well.

It'll have all been timed.
6 minutes for each act to be introduced, perform, and be commented on by the judges = 48 mins plus commercials takes us a bit past an hour.
15 minutes for the viewers to vote (This time will incorporate 2 commercial breaks.)
And 4 hours for Ant or Dec to pause before revealing which act has topped the viewers' vote.
(I don't like it when Bruce Forsyth pauses before revealing the results on Strictly. I worry he might have passed away.)

So what was that then?
8.00 America's Got Talent
9.00 You wanna put money on that?

I agree, Wednesday and Thursday would be much better.

The problem with that is that for some weeks Idol isn't shown on Tuesdays in the States because of Barrack Obama's speeches or sports events. Consequently, Fox move the AI shows to Wednesdays and Thursdays.

It would be difficult for ITV2 to adapt to the changes in those situations.

Reggie Perrin boosted by the good figures for Have I Got News For You, and Jonathan Ross down because of the poor guests, I spose.

The share for ITV between 7pm and 8pm is really, really good. A slight but sure improvement on the last few weeks. It might just be the slipping of 'The One Show . I mean, Emmerdale with a 35% share and Coronation Street with a 44% share, the latter being a pretty big improvement. Coronation Street's second episode really shouldn't be there. It's later in the night, therefore should be getting more viewers, but is getting a lot less, and almost 10 share points down on the 7:30pm show. I think it needs to be moved to a Sunday 7:30pm slot in the future.

Another fantasy schedule for you guys, albeit a short one. Here's an idea for the restoration of Friday night ratings for ITV with the addition of News at Ten.

7:00pm Emmerdale (35%)
7:30pm Coronation Street (43%)
8:00pm Tonight (17%)
8:30pm The Chart Show (22%)
9:00pm Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (24%) *
9:30pm TV's Naughtiest Blunders (23%) *
10:00pm News at Ten (14%)
10:30pm-11pm: 12%
= 24% primetime share

*The 30 minute format might rejuvenate the spirit in the series. An hour is sometimes too much to take these days.
*These shows used to get really good figures for ITV wherever they put it. Usually above 3 million viewers after 10pm, which is an achievement. Although it won't do that much for ITV's wailing reputation, it could, under a new name, get some much needed ratings in these slots.

And for later in the year, when ITV aren't airing as much drama:-

9:00pm Cold Feet (21%)
= 23% primetime share

So, this idea of cheap but popular gameshow/clip show fillers and other well-known drama repeats might stabilise ITV's Friday night output, so they can focus on other genres on other nights where their target audience will be watching.

Your poor, deluded person. Why do you keep going on about a primetime chart show on ITV1? It's never going to happen in a million billion years. Twenty-five, thirty years ago most of the songs in the charts had a tune that could appeal to mums and dads, so TOTP could appeal to a mass audience. Have you heard the crap in the charts these days? There's only been one decent number 1 all year (screams I love you, Lily Allen.). All the rest have been tuneless dirges that no-one will be able to sing in 20 weeks time, never mind 20 years.

Have you any evidence that Millionaire does better as a half-hour show than a on e hour. Cos I'm thinking if ITV1 are wanting a cheap and cheerful filler then a one hour show would work better and probably be more cost-effective. (Though I agree that Friday at 9 would be a good slot for it - providing it keeps a Corrie lead-in)

The revival of Alright On The Night has been a bit of a ratings disaster. I'm old enough to remember when a new Alright would be one of the very highest rated programmes of the whole year. TV's Naughtiest Blunders is a weaker version of Alright - the same clips but with the swearing unbleeped. It's not big and it's not clever. Bleeped effing is much, much funnier. we don't want this tripe infiltrated peak viewing.


Meanwhile it does appear that the magic of The One Show is wearing out fast. It gives me the impression of being a very lazy programme, with no-one giving much thought to how each edition is put together. It needs to have some structure. Themed programmes or special editions the BBC could promote more. Maybe it should become more like That's Life, using its 200+ programmes a year to start and follow-up campaigns to make people's lives better. Come on, TOS, put some bloody effort into it!

What's with the sudden inclusion of shares in fantasy schedules? Are you just plucking them from nowhere and if so what's the point?

You guys follow the ratings all year around, I dont know how sometimes people dont pick up trends on here.

The reason why TOS is currently doing worse than before (but still getting around a 20% share, higher than what BBC-1 used to show in the slot, with the exception of Watchdog) is due to the fact it has the Party Election broadcast in between the news and it. After the elections it will be doing better, although not like autumn or winter as we're in summer. TOS is very much background viewing and the Party Elections broadcasts put people off. You only have to see the AIs to prove that.

Also does it not occur to people that we are in summer, TOS is a dip-in and out programme - its not a soap which has a more loyal audience. The reason why the soaps are getting higher shares atm is due to less people watching, and those who are are the soap fans. The more 'casual' offerings such as Watchdog and Question Of Sport get lower ratings at this time as they are not 'must see TV' in the same way some pensioners love the soaps.

These are traditional seasonal fluctuations. Don't get me wrong, I'm no One Show fan but some of the posts on here are getting a bit stupid, its like TOS is the worst thing you've ever seen...

Maybe they're simply a response to those who have claimed that the show is close to overtaking Emmerdale (often based on one particularly good showing) and have even predicted that it will have beaten the soap before the year is out.

TBH, I doubt most people really care whether it does well or not - I don't have an issue with it at all - but it does often seem to be a focal topic in this thread for one reason or another.

What would be interesting is to see if The One Show's share has been around 20% since it began, or whether its gone on a general increase since it began. I can't remember what ratings it did get when it began - but I bet it wasn't around the 4m mark!

A quote from Ben Miller's Twitter:


So it looks like Primeval may be returning. Shame about Moving Wallpaper though.

No surprise that Moving Wallpaper won't be returning.

I agree about the charts. I dont think there has ever been a time when chart music has been so under the radar of a mass audience. So I too dont think a TOTP music style show would work like it did so well in the seventies and eighties.
The One Show works to the extent that it brings in a solid 4 million audience in a slot that has caused the BBC headaches for many years. Emmerdales audience isnt massive but its 6 million or so are very loyal. I guess both sides will be happy with the figures.
I loved Thats Life as a kid-so maybe its a thought.

A bit nasty really.

The main point of it was to point out that Corrie is wasted at Friday 8:30pm. I mean, look at the difference between the 7:30/8:30 ratings.

I hardly think I'm deluded , it's only TV. I'm interested & intrigued by I don't spend every minute on these forums (or indeed the computer in general) and this is the only thread I visit.

I just think a music show would act as a good filler. Over time perhaps it would build an audience - as there is no opposition in the slots - and if it's a music show aired at an older audience that still enjoy the conformity that music brings.

And as for the shares, they are predictions, and they are based on Emmerdale and Coronation Street average shares in 2008.

Ignore me if you want, as I ignore your Australian ratings :yawn: But, to quote an angry Britain's Got Talent mother in law that we haven't seen yet: "I think your comments are extremely nasty".

There may be other places that C/S could do a job for ITV but dont forget that it has indirectly been responsible for the demise of Green Green Grass and After Youve Gone-and prevented BBC1 from getting a head start with any new comedy.
Friday 8.30 was a great time to blood new programmes and C/S has proved a real headache.

That is definitely true, but it doesn't perform very well at all, compared to the rest of the week. Whilst some episodes might be getting nearer to 10 million viewers, the Friday 8:30pm episode is not even getting 8 million, which surely is worrying? ITV surely want consistency with Corrie, for its long term future.

I'd either drop an episode or move it to Sunday nights, where I think it will prove more useful for the rest of the night's output.

I feel Friday could cope with an okay share without 2 Corrie's. Look how Sunday night drama on ITV has been brought into disrepute without the presence of the soaps!

Sorry, I should have put a smilie in there to indicate no offence meant. Maybe a or a or a .

All I was aluding to was that a chart show is just never going to figure in the primetime plans for either ITV1 or BBC1, because the charts today is filled with music that just doesn't have mass audience appeal.

Once again, sorry if I upset you.