Hmmm. Those ratings are both encouraging and disappointing. We gained over 500,000 viewers from last week whilst the X-Factor only gained 140,000. So the gap has narrowed.

Still, its not quite as marginal as i would have hoped at this stage. X-Factor shows no signs of faultering. If anything, SCD has to find new viewers rather than relying on stealing some of X-Factors.

Next week will be very interesting. Since the time slots are swapping round SCD now has the advantage of engaging its audience prior to the start of X-Factor. If this has a significant effect on things then we may be on to a winner for the rest of the series. If not then defeat is on the cards, i reckon.

Does anyone have the week by week ratings comparisons for last year's battle or know where i can find them?
Last edited by Trem Two : 30-10-2005 at 14:08

The 9m figure is huge for The X Factor.

Next week Strictly is being given a massive chance with the weak competition it faces at 6.20pm. The main shows figures should rise all going well.

The Strictly results should be head to head with Millionaire as last year, thats how it won the 2004 battle.

Am not surprised by the figures - we run a dance school and held a halloween party last night and the tv was switched on in the bar due to requests to see X factor results - no one asked re SCD results (we watched them in office) and that was from dancers!

23rd Oct 2004

The X Factor 6.7m
The X Factor results 7.5m

Strictly Come Dancing 6.1m
Strictly Come Dancing results 8.7m (Quentin Wilson)

30th Oct 2004

The X Factor 6.2m
The X Factor results 6.7m

Strictly Come Dancing 6.95m
Strictly Come Dancing results 7.85m (Carol Vorderman)

6th Nov 2004

The X Factor 6.5m
The X Factor results 6.4m

Strictly Come Dancing 6.9m
Strictly Come Dancing results 8.3m (Esther Rantzen)

13th Nov 2004

The X Factor 7.0m
The X Factor results 7.?m

Strictly Come Dancing 8.4m
Strictly Come Dancing results 8.6m (Diarmuid Gavin)

20th Nov 2004

The X Factor 7.4m
The X Factor results 7.2m

Strictly Come Dancing 8.2m
Strictly Come Dancing results 8.9m (Sarah Manners)

27th Nov 2004

The X Factor 7.7m
The X Factor results 7.3m

Strictly Come Dancing 7.7m
Strictly Come Dancing results 8.3m (Roger Black)

4th Dec 2004

The X Factor 7.3m
The X Factor results 7.1m

Strictly Come Dancing 8.1m
Strictly Come Dancing results 8.1m (Aled Jones)

11th Dec 2004

The X Factor Final 8.1m
The X Factor Final results 9.6m

Strictly Come Dancing Final 9.0m
Strictly Come Dancing Final results 10.6m

All figures quoted are overnights.
Last edited by bigbrother_eire : 30-10-2005 at 16:21

It appears then that rather than Strictly Come Dancing performing weaker this year, its simply that the X-Factor is so much stronger than it was last year.

Can anyone explain to me why the SCD Results shows got higher ratings than the main show EVERY week last year but falls short every week this year? Seems odd.

What way do we think this is going to go in coming weeks folks? I'm not sure SCD can do it this year. X-Factor is just too strong at the moment.

Last year Strictly Come Dancing was followed by the National Lottery Wright Around the World. The Strictly results show was live next directly before a strongly performing Casualty, the main competition on ITV1 each week being Millionaire made the results show a big draw week after week.

I'd be interested to know how the actual votes for each show compares - 'cos when it comes down to it viewers are all well and good but what both shows really wanna see are those fingers tapping on the 'phones!

Oh, even if X-Factor only got 5 million viewers it would still tally many more votes than SCD. Its the least accurate indicator of popularity too.

X-Factor attracts the sort of young fanatics who will be texting away multiple times.

The majority of SCD viewers who vote will just do so the once. Plus, the perception is that there is something significant to win on X-Factor (and we all know thats not true) so there is a seriousness to it which people get absorbed in for the duration of the series. SCD is more light hearted, for charity and involves celebrities with little to lose. None of which exactly inspires people to pick up the phone to the same extent.

I think this week's figures show that Strictly Come Dancing is going to end up on top.

When you think about how much ITV put in to promoting the X-Factor and how much popular press coverage there is, then it's amazing that SCD can continue to close the margin and pull in 7.5m viewers.

After all, the X-Factor got in weeks ahead of SCD to build the audience and there are so many related shows - The Xtra Factr, Xcess All Area, etc. not to mention about 5 repeats of the orginal through the week on ITV1 and ITV2 - that it's no surprise that its popular.

It will be fascinating to see what happens next week when SCD gets to start first for the first time!

I hope you are right Easylistener.

If SCD fails to gain around 1million viewers under next week's cirumstances then i don't think we are going to make it all the way.

Afterall, beating the X-Factor once or twice isn't victory. Its the overall average for the 10 weeks which must be won really. Or at least to win 5 or more of the head-to-heads. Either way.

So are the finals going up against each other again this year?

Both finals are on Saturday Dec 17th.

The main final shows will clash as now but the final result shows will not, I'd imagine.

Agree with you about the multiple vote thing - but I watch the both of them - record x-factor and watch SCD on 15 min delay thanks to the wonder of sky+ to avoid as much of BF as possible. I won't vote on XF until at least the final, and maybe not even then if my faves have departed BUT I will vote on SCD. My mum and dad (and quite a few other folk I know) have also voted on SCD partly because some of the money goes to charity and partly because they like the celebs - so it's horses for courses I guess

SCD has more or less achieved the viewing of last year X factor has got stronger - i think the figures will stay more or less as they are cant see SCD gaining much more than they have.

From MediaGuardian: The Saturday night revival

The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing are helping ITV1 and BBC1 to roll back the years to a time when the two channels could attract more than 70% of the audience between them with Saturday night entertainment.
ITV1's X Factor still has its nose in front of BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing, attracting 8.2 million viewers and a 38% audience share between 6.15pm and 7.55pm, according to unofficial overnights.

But Strictly Come Dancing is closing the ratings gap, with 7.6 million viewers and a 34% audience share between 6.35pm and 7.55pm.

When the BBC1 celebrity dance-off returned for its third series two weeks ago, it launched with 5.9 million viewers and a 28% audience share.

The Strictly Come Dancing results show attracted 6.9 million and 30% between 8.30pm and 9pm.

The X Factor Results had the biggest audience of any Saturday peaktime show, attracting nine million viewers and a 40% audience share between 9pm and 9.30pm.


Those folks at the Guardian seem to feel the gap is closing between the shows!

I think RhinestoneRach is right in mentioning men. More men/boys will tune into the X Factor because they sing, and because of the judges, where as its usually mostly girls who tune into SCD (no offence to any boys here, I know some of you have sense and will watch SCD over XF ) Also, I think this new Judge-rivalry thing on XF is pulling viewers to see if anymore is going on. Their judges are far more famous than SCD's, so more people will turn to that when they see the name 'Sharon Osbourne' for example.

they both have there own Mr nasty Craig vs Simon vs louis

still think looking at last years figures that unfortuanately scd wont overtake this year

BBC Two's Strictly Come Dancing: It takes Two is performing well, yesterday it had 2.2m viewers beating C4's Hollyoaks which had 1.9m.

Anyone got the full ratings details for last night?

I believe we may have claimed a narrow victory last night.

A narrow victory is still a victory.

The figures were on here by now every other week.

aidious posted these on The X Factor forum:

Strictly Come Dancing - 6.9 million average, 7.4 million peak
The X Factor - 6.7 million average, 7.5 million peak

Ratings down due to Bonfire night

Result Shows

Strictly Come Dancing - 6.8 million
The X Factor - 7.1 million

FYI: I watch SCD despite the fact that my nephew was on X factor this year as it is good family entertainment.
There is a lot of 'falseness' behind X factor and it is very carefully edited (in a big brother kind of way).

The overnights I have are:

Strictly 7.8m / 38.7%

X Factor 7.3m / 35.3%

SCD had the advantage of starting first and trouncing You've Been Framed, and actually finished with 8.3m / 39.8%. X-Factor also finished with 8.3m, going against Jet Set's respectable 6.2m

The results shows WERE head-to-head, with SCD coming out slightly on top by 7.0m to 6.8m.

I am forced to watch Strictly as the wife's favourite cousin is in it...

Who is that ?

Eh? So which are the correct set of ratings??

The lightly-oiled Ian Waite.

The overnights are the official industry overnights, which I have *cough* certain access to.