21:50 4.4
21:55 3.3
22:00 2.9
22:05 2.7
22:10 2.5

Looks as if you are right.

Yes, I have mentioned this before in another Champions League match. Well, ITV definitely needs to keep viewers watching after the match finishes. This could be easily done by previewing highlights immediately after the break. (Analysis before the break). Then people would stay IMO.

I think adverts before News at Ten make a big difference.

'News at Ten' needs a big break... tonight's programme once again showed that it is a detailed, accurate news show with a clean and fresh look (with a clean backdrop, not one with a load of horizontal and vertical lines all over it!) that imo is far, far superior to its BBC rival.

Move it to 8.00pm? I think, as has already been said, that ITV1's schedule should stand out from the BBC's. At the moment the two channels seem to be very similar in competing for the same audience often at the same time.

The reason BBC News at 10 always rates far higher than the News at 10, is that its a far better programme. Trevor MacDonald is more wooden than his newsdesk, and the talentless bitn next to him doesn't help things. Add to that an already dated looking intro and patronising reports, then its no wonder people turn to News at 10 - which is pretty authoritative and grown up.

Disagree completely.

people just don't need the two largest broadcasters giving them news at 10pm IMO

ITV had the dominant position on the slot in the 90s, but it was their stupid decision making that lost them that audience..and the BBC capitalized and have won the 'war'

ITV should just admit defeat and shove it back til 11 or something, and use the slot for a drama or something that people actually want to watch.

in a time when you can get news 24/7 online, on various digital channels, on the radio etc etc I just don't see why the audience needs both ITV and the BBC putting news on at 10!

also maybe its just me..but i'm finding news broadcasts (and thats all channels by the way) to be increasingly 'sensational' and negative.

Ok so at the moment its hardly laughter and giggles what with the economic downturn etc but the news is so miserable and repetitive, the media will hammer on about the same issues (such as Iraq) for months on end, therefore I am struggling to bother to tune into a 30min news broadcast..when I can quickly read what I want to read on the excellent BBCNews website.

I agree.

News at Ten feels like its been rehearsed ten times before it gets to air and is very patronising in tone.

BBC News at Ten is much more relaxed and covers many more stories and covers them all properly.

ITV dont have the time and are forced to skip over stories in brief that the BBC spend whole minutes on.

I dont think it can recover now. This is the third time ITV has tried to bring it back and the third time its failed. They wont admit it, at least not yet, but its got absolutely no chance of catching the BBC and despite what they may claim, that was what they wanted - as mentioned by Trevor McDonald before the show went to air.

The ITV Evening News is actually a better programme than the flagship News At Ten and it's telling that the former gets nominated for awards quite regularly. And the BBC 6 O'Clock News isn't what it used to be either. It used to be the highest rated news programme on television and is a shadow of its former self in my opinion.

From MediaGuardian

That's low for Coronation Street, were people watching the football on Sky? And ouch for News At Ten!

Channel 4
The Simpsons - 1.7m
Hollyoaks - 1.7m
Property Ladder - 2.8m
Child Genius - 1.8m
Desperate Housewives - 2.2m
Heather Mills - 1.0m

This might explain why Corrie was down, from Media Guardian:

There was a real battle for viewers last night, with Manchester United's Champion's League semi final first-leg clash with Barcelona over on Sky Sports 2.

Following kick-off at 7.45pm, the Sky Sports 2 audience peaked at just over 3 million viewers in the quarter hour from 9.15pm and overall the game averaged 2.3 million over two hours.

God The Apprentice is doing well - I suppose it might be hit for the next two weeks up against ITV1's Madeleine McCann documentary and The British Soap Awards, but I doubt it will ever fall below 6 million viewers again in this series. The final definitely has the potential get over 8 million, perhaps even 9 million viewers?

That's what I thought, the final could get 9 million this series.

Th Apprentice is on a roll but I think it is more to the weak competition from the other channels. It will interesting whether ratings will slip due to stronger competition from ITV.

Five really need to sort out Wednesday Nights as it quite poor compared to their other nights.

I'm constantly amazed at The Apprentice. How much higher can it get?

The first series only averaged 2.6m or something.

Wednesday 23 April Overnights

BBC1
8pm Traffic Cops 5m
9pm The Apprentice 7.4m 30.9% - peak: 7.9m (33.4%) at 9.45pm

BBC2
9pm Dan Cruickshank's Adventures in Architecture 1.8m 7.6%
10pm The Apprentice - You're Fired! 2.9m 13.8%

ITV1
7.30pm Coronation Street 8.4m
8pm The Bill 5.1m
9pm Rock Rivals 2.4m 9.9% - began with 2.7m (11.4%)
10pm News at Ten 1.7m 8%

C4
8pm Property Ladder 2.7m
9pm Child Genius 1.7m 6.9%
10pm Desperate Housewives 2.1m 11.7%

Five
9pm James Bond: The Story 915,000 3.8%
10pm Universal Soldier 725,000 5.3%

C4+1
9pm Property Ladder 191,000
10pm Child Genius 179,000
11pm Desperate Housewives 183,000

BBC3
9pm Holby City 91,000

BBC4
9pm Heist 303,000

Sky Sports 2
7.45-9.45pm Barcelona v Man Utd 2.3m - peak 3m at 9.15pm

All hours shares for Wednesday 23 April 2008: BBC1 – 22.2%, ITV1 – 18.5%, C4 – 9.1%, BBC2 – 8%, Five – 4.7%, multichannel – 36.9%.

Peaktime (6pm to 10.30pm) shares: BBC1 – 24.6%, ITV1 – 20.8%, C4 – 8.4%, BBC2 – 8.1%, Five – 3.4%, multichannel – 34.1%.

Very low for Corrie.

-weird considering Mondays eps were good with David in prison.

Good. It shows that Corrie is rubbish atm. Hopefully Easties will take over soon. I'm glad Apprentice is going so well.

People just don't seem to watch Wednesday's episode anymore. It doesn't add much to the narrative and is just a filler episode. Everything usually happens in the last part of the first Monday & Friday episodes and the first part of the second shows.

Look how close Traffic Cops was to The Bill. Only 100, 000 between the shows. And The One Show got 3.9 million so most shows seemed to be down.

The football clearly had an effect.

Well done The Apprentice. Superb figures for a superb show.

Complete Rock Rivals Ratings

05-Mar 3.9 Million (17%) *Peak 4.4 Million (20%)
12-Mar 2.9 Million (12%)
19-Mar 2.8 Million (12%)
26-Mar 2.2 Million (08%)
02-Apr 2.0 Million (08%)
09-Apr 2.2 Million (09%)
16-Apr 2.2 Million (10%)
23-Apr 2.4 Million (10%) *Peak 2.7 Million (11%)

Average - 2.58 Million (10.7%)

I'm hoping for a renewal. The climbing ratings (even if they're only marginal) could hopefully make them consider a second series. It was definitely left open ended last night.

Yay Bethany