TV Overnights: The X Factor hits a high of 14.6 million viewers
The X Factor attracted an impressive high of more than 14.6 million viewers this weekend.
ITV1’s hit show continued to draw in high numbers, pulling in 11.1 million peak viewers and a 41.7% average audience share on Saturday and a further 14.6 million viewers and a 47.8% share on Sunday.
The first of the two episodes stole the peak audience away from its BBC One rival Strictly Come Dancing, which picked up 9.4 million peak viewers in the fifteen minute window before The X Factor started.
Saturday’s show saw the nine remaining X Factor finalists perform rock songs to judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue, securing 10.1 million average viewers for ITV between 8pm and 9.45pm.
On Sunday, the second hour-long X Factor results show, which also featured performances from Bon Jovi and last year’s finalists JLS, banked an ever higher 13.8 million average viewers between 8pm and 9pm.
ITV1’s penultimate Doc Martin held on to the peak audience throughout the all-important 9pm to 10pm slot on Sunday as well, pulling in 9.3 million average viewers and a 35% audience share.
The Cornwall-based drama series faced competition from BBC One’s new four-part legal drama set in the 18th century – Garrow’s Law: Tales from the Old Bailey – which attracted 5.7 million average viewers, and Channel 4’s film premiere of Dream Girls, starring Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson.
ITV1 also took the lead on Friday evening with a peak run of Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Benidorm. Emmerdale pulled in more than 6.9 million peak viewers, followed by Coronation Street‘s high of 8.7 million viewers. Finally, the fifth episode of the comedy drama series Benidorm, with Johnny Vegas and Una Stubbs, picked up 6.1 million peak viewers during the 9pm to 10pm peak hour.
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.