The X Factor records second-lowest finale in its history
Last night just 8.2 million viewers tuned in to ITV to witness history being made as the 12th series of Simon Cowell’s big budget karaoke soap opera The X Factor (8pm) finally came to an end.
After taking up many, many hours of the commercial broadcaster’s summer/autumn/winter schedule, Sunday night finally saw the inconsequential hyperbole come to a noisy climax as 17 year-old Essex native Louisa Johnson was crowned the nation’s fleetingly favourite singer.
The current run kicked off way back in sunny August with an audience of just 7.1 million viewers, meaning that ITV’s ailing golden goose fell by a massive -25% year on year, with this year’s audience seemingly more interested in whether bubbly presenters Olly and Caroline were shagging or not.
As the series progressed so did the amount of man chest Cowell was willing to share with his baying public, with last night’s finale seeing shirt buttons opened all the way down to the abdomen – a desperate grab for ratings if ever there was one.
As Cowell’s curly cleavage progressed and the show’s ratings levelled out, there was a palatable sense of panic from the retinkered show with controversies surrounding the painful Judges’ Houses rounds (contestants sat in Wembley Arena watching themselves live, Gogglebox style) and the ill-advised and just plain-cruel Six Chair Challenge alienating fans even more.
Despite wheeling out One Direction, Coldplay and even Adele, the results show couldn’t beat last year’s historic finale when international superstar Ben from Croydon’s victory brought in an overnight audience of a little under 9 million viewers, resulting in a small but highly concerning YoY fall of -8%.
It gets worse though – Lousia from Essex’s triumph actually resulted in the second lowest finale yet, right behind walking success story Steve Brookstein’s win for the very first series in 2004.
In the end, a 34% share tuned in to see the winner of the very Saturday night brand of entertainment announced at 10pm on a Sunday night, a clear sign that ITV was more than happy to milk the most out of the dedicated but dying audience.
A day before at 8pm, the first two hour half of the last episode did much worse with just 5.7 million viewers and a 27% share tuning in on Saturday to see just how long the whole drama could be dragged out.
So…see you all next year?
One main reason for The X Factor‘s slow demise was its fluffier, happier and slightly less contrived rival over on BBC One, with Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing (6:50pm) bagging 9.4 million viewers and a 42% share.
The penultimate show of the 13th series pulled in the weekend’s number one spot with a whopping 10.8 million viewers tuning in to see the four final hopefuls make it through to next week’s grand finale, resulting in a 44% share.
Hidden amongst the destruction and debris left behind by the battle of the reality show giants was a littering of other Sunday favourites that managed to make a little impact of their own.
At 6:20pm on BBC One, the calming gentleness of rural ratings giant Countryfile managed to bring in 7.3 million viewers, with scenes of Ellie and Matt hunting down mountain hares resulting in a 34% share.
At 7pm on ITV, camp misfire Jekyll and Hyde limped along with 1.3 million viewers as the show attempted to also destroy the mystery of Victorian urban legend Spring Heeled Jack while it was at it, resulting in a 6% share.
At 8pm, the anarchy and downright unpredictability of Fiona Bruce and her crazy crew of treasure hunters on Antiques Roadshow (BBC One) attracted an audience of 6.1 million viewers and a 25% share.
As an alternative to the end of ITV’s singing show, BBC One offered up the final episode of savage wildlife documentary The Hunt (9pm).
3.8 million viewers ended their weekend with an episode that felt more like the DVD extras than the main event as the filmmakers turned their cameras to the topic of conservation, resulting in a 16% share.
Overnight data is available each morning in mediatel.co.uk’s TV Database, with all BARB registered subscribers able to view reports for terrestrial networks and key multi-channel stations. Overnight data supplied by TRP are based on 15 minute slot averages. This may differ from tape checked figures, which are based on a programme’s actual start and end time.
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