TV Overnights: Football scores over 6 million viewers

ITV1’s coverage of the Live FA Cup match between Liverpool and Reading scored a high of more than 6.1 million peak viewers last night.

The third-round replay, which ended 2-1 to Reading after extra time, dominated the ratings from 7.30pm onwards with 5 million average viewers and a 20.2% share.

Elsewhere, BBC One’s Inspector George Gently returned to the channel’s peak-time line up with more than 4.1 million average viewers and a 15.6% audience share between 8.30pm and 10pm.

However, Channel 4 raced in front from the 9pm onwards with its film premiere of Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, which attracted more than 4.1 million average viewers and a 18.9% share between 9pm and 11.30pm.

Channel 4’s Celebrity Big Brother coverage also scored highly in the 8pm to 9pm slot, pulling in 2.8 million average viewers and a 10.9% share.  Although BBC Two’s unexpected Snow Watch programme did even better with 3.2 million viewers and a 12.4% share in the same hour-long slot.

In the 9pm to 10pm peak-hour, Five’s NCIS picked up over 2.1 million average viewers and a 8.4% share, while BBC Two’s Horizon: Why Do Viruses Kill? pulled in 1.5 million average viewers and a 6% audience share.

However, the highest overall ratings appeared earlier on in the evening’s schedule.  ITV1’s Emmerdale attracted an impressive 8.5 million peak viewers and a 33.3% average audience share between 7pm and 7.30pm but the fresh snowfall pushed BBC One’s Regional News and Weather update to the top spot with 8.5 million peak viewers and a slightly higher 34.3% average share between 6.30pm and 7pm.

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.