That would be a disaster for TVUK, I think it will be higher, even if it's people tuning in for the curiosity factor.

Predictions of Spurs v Chelsea tonight? I say 1.2m.

As for the Voice I'm going to say 6.7m including +1 and then settling between 5.5-6.0m.

Hospital! We've already got enough hotels on the go!!

I think those could be the numbers by the "battles"/"knockouts" (they're doing the "knockouts" live this year - why? The live parts are the worst-rating every year without fail and the numpty producers think more live shows across the board are a good idea. Hilarious!).

But I think Voice will begin with around 6-6.5m which will still be an utter joke - even though it will still be classed as "decent, if a little unspectacular" by this thread.

I think both shows on Saturday will do ok. Weather is awful and people tend to stay in after the New Year.

Will be interesting to see the reaction to TVUK on here come the weekend. Those who disliked it on BBC might have a change of heart now that it's switched channels.

Interesting - that would be a massive year on year drop for The Voice and a pretty disastrous result. The live shows could be very low indeed if that's what it launches with. I think they'd be very pleased with 6.5m for Let it Shine - it's a it more than I'm predicting but I wouldn't be that surprised if it came in that high.


I presume the increase to 5 live shows includes the 2 knockout shows, so actually the series format won't have changed. I don't think doing the knockouts live will make much difference either way. I'm not sure viewers suddenly turn off because the show is live, I think it's because they aren't interested in the format/contestants.

Why would 6-6.5m be an utter joke? That's a good rating generally and wouldn't be a huge year on year decline given the channel switch. It wouldn't be a brilliant result would be OK, particularly if it skews a bit younger than it did on BBC1. I know you don't like it but do try to be objective.

But far more likely scenario, those who watched on the BBC will still have their finger firmly pressed on the 'no1' botton and yet declare TVUK 'Xfactored' despite only seeing 5 minutes of it.

I had no interest in watching it on the BEEB, bar last series, and I have no interest in watching it on ITV. I only hope it can do at least well for ITV (if its good), so its not just a complete BBC walkover like it is most weekends now.

What will be the benchmark of success for TVUK?

Rating better than what was on ITV last year?
Rating better than ITV's slot average for that time?
Highest rating show in its time slot?
Rating higher than Let it Shine?
Within 1m of TVUK on BBC One last year?
Beating TVUK on BBC One last year?
Beating the highest ever episode of the TVUK?
Beating the highest ever episode of any talent show since Popstars?

Well it could work the other way too...and it will, moreso actually.
I'm the only one on this thread with consistency of opinion over the programme, before, during and after the channel switch. I'm part of the small group of truly 'channel-neutral' people on this thread.


As I said the other day/week, this is supposed to be one of the 'big four' - SCD, BGT, TXF and Voice. The standards for them of course vary individually due to time of year, format & competition, but bare minimum for The Voice is 7m. 6-6.5m for one of the big four in January should not be praised.

well prime time on BBC 1 will outrate BBC 2 and Channel 4 as a rule. Though with Citizen Khan's dire ratings it's close!

Think it will do ok, though what's ok these days is hard to tell.
I watched it most weeks and will do the same.

The last one, obviously.

It isn't very clear cut really and you could realistically use any of those except the last 2, even though they're at very different levels. It would be fascinating to know what ITV are expecting, but obviously we won't find out.

Last year they had Take Me Out on about 3.5m in that slot so if it isn't at least a decent improvement on that they'll be disappointed, you'd think. I don't think Let it Shine will actually figure into their benchmarks beyond PR and ego. It's not like the advertisers can invest in that show instead.

I don't think it'll beat last year's BBC1 Voice. The channel switch will cost it at least a bit (particularly some of the older viewers). It might hold up a bit better for the later stages if they get a lead in from Saturday Night Takeaway (rather than having to face it) though, so the comparisons might get a little better down the line. I suppose that's the one advantage of Let it Shine coming along: the press will compare it to that rather than to the 7.1m TVUK launched with last year (Let it Shine is unlikely to be that high).

Come February/March a Saturday night schedule of 6 Nations followed by Takeaway followed by The Voice could be quite strong for ITV.

I think ITV's Saturday 8pm slot average across 2016 was c5m, so if it comes in below that again I think that would be a disappointment.

Between September 1984 and February 1985 (when Wogan and EastEnders started):
Monday: Harty; The Superteams; The Superstars
Tuesday: Pop Quiz; The District Nurse; Wildlife on One
Wednesday: Points of View; Hotline (@7.10); I've Got a Secret; Star Trek repeats
Thursday: Tomorrow's World
Friday: Blankety Blank

Some other programmes in the early '80s included Angels, Triangle, Doctor Who, It's a Knockout, Ask the Family.

Is that so?

Cheers Ray. Of them I only recall watching Superstars, TW, Blank and Knockout.

I don't know if it was or not but I used to think Wildlife on One was a poor substitute for Survival.

I'm not sure there's much point classing it as a big four anymore when there's so very clearly a pecking order.

You do have a fair point there.

Bless you trying to lower expectations already. Less than 5m for blind auditions in January........

As Broadcast points out all the pressure is on ITV, this is the start of a 3 year, 5 series (2 of the Voice kids)contract.

Definite pressure on ITV. It's interesting as the deal was done under Fincham/Bedell - you have to wonder what the new team make of it. Obviously they're going to do their best by it and push it as much as they can as they've got it for 3 years but you have to wonder whether it's something they'd have done themselves or not.

I noticed when Kevin Lygo was asked about it at Edinburgh he said "it was very tough for us to launch shows against it [The Voice]." It almost sounded as if he's more pleased that they no longer have to try and launch things against it than to have it themselves. That could be me misinterpreting it but it wasn't the most ringing endorsement I've ever heard.

What sort of numbers are you expecting? Everyone seems to think differently about what's going to happen and what would be good for each show.

TVS showed Close Encounters on New Year's Day - their opening day (Southern TV showed The Tamarind Seed on Monday 28th December).
In The Stage, the Top 50 for January 1982 (actually from Dec 28 '81 to Jan 31 '82) has the film in 25th place with 16.20m viewers. Presumably this higher figure includes the TVS audience.

One article I read suggested they're only for 2017, so presumably they'll be used until the start of December, or maybe until January if there are Christmas variations on the same theme.

Apparently, there are going to be lots of these idents over the course of 2017. I can't remember the exact number. Might have been 32.

There was a bit of tension behind the scenes when Wilde was there, especially during his first stint. He'd mellowed quite a bit by the time he returned, but there were still one or two problems, not least when he kept pushing to appear in fewer and fewer episodes of the eleven they filmed in 1997, before it was agreed he wouldn't appear at all.

Frank Thornton was drafted in at the last minute. His audition was being invited for a cup of tea in a cafeteria at the BBC, and he passed the audition because they saw he could manage the stairs when he was making his way to the cafeteria.

I think the fairest way to think about TVUK is if its series average is steady (marginally up/down) then that will be a success. It does really need to be beating Let it Shine though, I really enjoyed the Musical shows but they were only doing 5m tops back in 2010 so I don't think it'll do all that well.

I don't think the current itv lot are that interested in it tbh, I think there is a large part where they have thought about removing a big piece of competition out of the Jan Schedules other than what they will actually do with it. The coaches don't have the same name recognition as even last year and as much as I like Tom Jones, he was steadily getting worse throughout his tenure on the beeb and I think they made the right decision to drop him imo so it'll be interesting to see how he gets on. He struggled with the live element too. They'll have tidyed up the production mistakes that the BBC version used to have, but its very soon after X Factor's conclusion, is the audience there, especially with another singing show to compete with.

I still think The Voice has everything going for it though (in terms of brand, slot etc...) so it does need to be winning comfortably on Saturday for me for ITV to have value in it (It cost roughly the same amount or more than XF didn't it if they outbid the BBC at £11m per series)

Let it Shine does look interesting but I still think 5-5.5m will be its limit.

Going for:

5.5m- Let it Shine
7.4m- The Voice UK

It would never happen in a million years, but I think "The One Show" is better suited to a pre-news slot. I'd like to see them go with something like this...

16:45 Pointless
17:30 The One Show
18:00 News
18:30 Regional News

..opening up the 7pm slot again to potentially deliver a more varied range of programmes - perhaps a few sitcoms, game shows, quizzes, etc....

Jim Ross told his podcast listeners (he gets around 1m downloads apparently) that the reaction to WoSW on social media was excellent - all the buzz you could hope for in terms of volume and sentiment.

ITV are expected to make a decision re its future within the next month or so. My guess is that WWE paying off British wrestlers and saying that they want to do a weekly show from the UK will scare off ITV - for now.
Things might look different come Christmas.