Oh I understand what you are saying, and thanks for the breakdowns btw, but BARB do class anything other than 'live viewing' as time-shifted (including VOSDAL).

The Sherlock figure i posted is from BARB (and I quote):

"Sherlock's resurrection in The Empty Hearse attracts 12.72 million viewers and breaks record for most timeshifted programme of all time with 5.88 million watching it recorded or via catch-up"
http://www.barb.co.uk/resources/tv-f...1/2014/events/

The problem we have these days is that VOSDAL, as you know, is included in the overnights and creates confusion. For example, the last ever episode of Downtown added 4m from the overnight (a record in itself) but it's still not the highest overall timeshifted programme (GBBO final 5.95m). BARB do now produce a monthly breakdown of top timeshifted programmes, (live > consolidated) so it is easier to follow

http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/m...p-by-audience/

The HIGNFY thread is full of over-critical people. I don't take any notice of them, I still find it funny and by far the best comedy panel show on TV.


Having said all that, ouch that HIGNY was below 3.8m although it was to be expected with the football, which dragged everything down.

Does Death In Paradise count as either procedural or drama? Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it seems like a bit of a stretch to bracket it with Silent Witness.

This is/was a ratings thread, and you are seriously suggesting that a show that rates incredibly highly and is presumably cheap as chips gets canned because you and a few constant moaners on a thread (who are mostly riven with agendas, I long ago gave up on reading and contributing to it, as it reads the same every show/ "lefty bias/ token women unfunny/ paul looks disinterested/ bring back Angus/ why do they hate my loved one Farage he's a national hero") don't find it funny.

It's fun, it's incisive, it is familiar to it's fans, yet I really don't see that as a bad thing, plenty of shows are familiar. Yes some editions are really poor, but that's always been the way, it's the same with any panel show, depends on the issues and chemistry.

I haven't watched it yet, I and many others catch up with the extended Monday episode, which probably means it's even a better rater then seems from the Friday edition.

I think MM Big Show will match TXF on Saturday. I predict it will beat it without +1.

Its clever scheduling by the BBC, and will suite the audience who watch SCD even more.

I suspect ever year now, the BBC will be looing at big shows to put against TXF as it continues to dwindle in numbers each year. Splashed right in the middle of primetime, surrounded by flopping shows as BBC1 grows stronger, once TXF does die, ITV will be left with a schedule which can barely muster anything over 3m.

This is why I believe ITV should be pushing TXF forward into the schedules to start at an earlier time, enabling something to launch off the back of TXF. By 2019 I can't see TXF lasting any further series. So now is the time to start looking for big shows to go in the post-TXF slot.

ITV need to start thinking BIG. Its fine to keep commissioing smaller shows, but some bigger ideas need to come to fruition. Easier said than done, but like with the BBC, look for some spin-offs that could be inspired by existing shows.

Atlantic to me is an attempt to draw a different, more supposedly upmarket clientele and try to change the original image of sky. Sky News was a loss-leader like that and sky Arts is important in winning credibility from the BBC4 crowd.

It's rather like how golf, cricket and rugby union are important in attracting the broadsheet sports fan.

Absolutely fabulous if itv is finally going to go after simple procedural drama. Hopefully it won't all be murder mystery stuff and we will have a more Sweeney/Bergerac show. The BBC are far better at this Johnwo says.
Shows like Cagney and Lacey and Castle have had episodes which were little more than comedy episodes that were sillier, light-hearted stories. A little bit like Moonlighting.

I fully agree.

Now in addition we now know that the Sunday 8 pm slot is a goldmine for viewers. We have seen CTM get ten million plus there, and now Planet Earth get Nine million. The current Antiques roadshows and XF can't get that, so both are not getting the full potential of that slot. SCD does the business at 7.15 and Countryfile is constant.

I think BBC1 should now move AR out if the 8 pm slot on Sundays, well in winter/ Spring. And either run it circa 5 pm, or at 7pm, from March to September, maybe with Countryfile at 8 pm in the summer, or6 pm in the winter.

XF we all know has been dying and is weak, Michael McIntyre is fresh and a very good schedule move, both it and Planet Earth keep the viewers from SCD.

XF needs a rest, we can see the viewers are in on Sundays, but choose not to watch XF, but will switch on for quality TV.

Maybe a replacement for Bake Off should be run in the 8 pm Sunday slot, or a continuing drama, as they have the potential of ten million viewers. I recall Howard's way, The Brothers, Bergerac, Shoestring all doing well on Sundays in the past, currently Sunday is stagnated.

Its case of the week so it's procedural and while it does have comedic moments, it's not a comedy

And they're off the air in June, July, August, September and October. They're hardly in the workhouse.

Exactly. ITV could definitely get more out of them if they chose to. They did Red or Black in September for a couple of years alongside their usual workload so there's definitely scope. They did the Prince's Trust documentary last year which took a fair bit of time through the year and took Takeaway on a nationwide tour the year before. If they wanted a Christmas a Takeaway they could just film it the week after the regular series ends whilst the set is still up. I know they have BGT after Takeaway but most of that is pre-recorded in January/February anyway.

Their current contract ends at the end of this year and I wouldn't be surprised if Lygo/Greene have got something else out of them as well as their current shows in the next deal.

I always thought he was the best host, but HIGNFY hasn't made me cry with laughter since about 1993. The standard dropped around 1995, and, broadly speaking, it's been around that level of quality ever since.

Obviously, there's the occasional clunker when there's a guest host who's like a rabbit in the headlights.

En Borrowed Time?

And January and most of December and February. Maybe they do some BGT auditions in that time.

You do highlight how September and October for Takeaway would space them out better. I imagine they are quite happy to have the summer off so that they can do their own thing.

Back in 1987 to 1990, it always puzzled me why BBC1 had Noel Edmonds on the air with two series from September until Christmas, but there was no real sign of him for the first eight months of the year. Seemed a bit of a waste because he was one of their biggest stars at the time.

At least Ant and Dec aren't off the air for eight months at a time.

I think ITV should look for something that Ant & Dec can present during August/Sept to launch the Autumn schedules. If they find the right hit, this is where they can move TXF forward into a 7pm slot, and the new show can follow on afterwards.

The X Factor should be at 6pm and out of the way before 8pm. Does't deserve that primetime slot in the schedule once live shows come along. It gets demos but doesn't get volume in viewers like it used to. So try to launch something else at 8pm. 8pm is seen as a great timeslot on Saturday and Sunday with more viewers being around than earlier in the evening.

Sure, let's move it 2 hours earlier and make a 6m show a 4m show.
Also, let's then optimise the hour of the evening with most eyes on TVs by launching a completely new, unknown programme which won't match XF in numbers, share, demos, brand recognition or profits!

Agree exactly. It shouldn't occupy two prinetime weekend slots that has a higher potential audience , and doesn't get those potential viewers to tune in.

But there's an issue with the amount of adverts ITV can show in prime-time so at the weekend 6pm programmes fill their breaks with trailers so that ITV can have the maximum amount of adverts in X Factor.

Because, even though X Factor rates low compared to Strictly and I'm A Celebrity and its own past, it still rates high for a LE show and it has a very high and very valuable 16-34 audience.

Basically you are saying that two million viewers are default ITV viewers at 8 pm, who wouldn't bother to watch at 6 pm.

We can see from Planet Earth2 there is 9 million viewers around who will switch on to that, so XF occupies that slot and only interests 6 million. If it's on at 6 pm, the young target teen market can then go out later to parties and films.

Agreed.

Does anyone with a Digiguide subscription have any BBC schedules for week beginning 26th Nov and w/b 3rd December? I have full ITV schedules for the first week, and provisionals for the second week, but no BBC schedules.

How do you know until you try? 8pm is the hour of the evening with most eyeballs in theory but in reality it's not during the live shows section of X Factor. BGT can get viewers and demos at 8pm. Should X Factor be in the heart of primetime getting 6m or should it be on earlier and another programme tried at 8pm that could get more viewers?

6:30 is a natural slot which Noel, Strictly and Blind Date have all done well in. The advantage is that you get people watching before they go out.

I don't think it would help them launch new 8pm shows because SCD would be on from 7:30. You'll hate this idea, I do too, but I could see them making 8pm a drama slot. Get an 'epic' drama and you mighr have a winning hand.

The simpler solution is swap XF with Takeaway and BGT. The problem there is IAC would be in January which isn't as lucrative. BGT in December would be huge though.

Ant and Dec are the most successful presenters on tv but you could argue that they aren't needed on BGT. It'd be crazy risky but you could try different presenters allowing IAC to stay in Nov/Dec with BGT (kerching) and it could mean a new Ant and Dec show around March. That show would bridge the gap between the Voice and XF.

#fantasyScheduler

Just checked - I haven't got anything for the BBC channels either.