Over 4 Million Tune In For Sex And The City Finalé

Channel 4 enjoyed a night of ratings euphoria on Friday with the final episode of its high-profile American comedy-drama, Sex and the City, coming to a climactic end.

Unofficial overnight figures from BARB show that a peak of 4.4 million viewers turned on to watch the culmination of the programme’s sixth series, which secured an impressive 32.4% share of the available audience between 10:30pm and 11:35pm.

The steamy spectacle dwarfed its competitors with BBC One’s Friday Night With Jonathan Ross attracting a peak of just 3.3 million viewers and Harry Hill’s TV Burp bringing in an audience of 3.1 million to ITV in the same slot.

A senior agency source described the night as a fantastic achievement for Channel 4, stating: “There was a lot of publicity surrounding the final episode, but it did far better than anyone expected. Some viewers even held special Sex and the City parties and it was shown in pubs and clubs across the country.”

Channel 4 is understood to have generated a significant amount of revenue from Friday’s finalé with advertisers being charged around £70,000 for a 30-second slot during the programme. The surrounding schedule was bolstered by a nostalgic Sex and the City Farewell programme, aiding revenues and extending viewer loyalty (see Channel 4 To Profit From Sex And The City Climax).

The next ratings highlight on Channel 4’s calendar is expected to be the final episode of Friends in May. An average episode of the long-running American sitcom attracts around 4 million viewers and predictions of a ratings bonanza are unlikely to be far from the mark. Channel 4 is thought to be charging £100,000 for a 30-second spot in what could be the most coveted programmes this year.

Fears have been raised that Channel 4 may have difficulty replacing its top rating Amercian sitcoms after the broadcaster announced a spring schedule relying heavily on The Simpsons, which it poached from the BBC to prop up tea-time viewing (see Channel 4 Announces Spring Schedule Highlights).

Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com

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