Pop Idol Final Proves Bigger Is Better For ITV
A peak of more than 12 million viewers tuned into to ITV1 on Saturday night to watch Michelle McManus, the size twenty former events manager from Glasgow, win the latest series of Pop Idol.
Audiences for the finalé of the long-running reality-TV talent show, which saw the 23 year-old singer receive a £1 million recording contract, averaged 10.9 million and provided ITV1 with a 48% share of peak-time viewing between 6.45pm and 9.30pm.
ITV will no doubt be pleased with ratings for the show, which attracted more than 10 million phone votes and generated an overwhelming amount of publicity for the network. However, figures were almost 2 million down on the audience that watched Will Young beat Gareth Gates in last year’s final.
The climax of the first series of Pop Idol attracted a peak of 13.9 million viewers back in February last year, with an average of 13.1 million tuning in to ITV1 to watch Will Young pick up the much coveted pop crown (see Pop Idol Is A Hit For ITV).
However, this year’s Pop Idol proved more than enough to help ITV outgun BBC One, which saw audiences peak at just over 7 million during Casualty. Things were less rosy for Channel 4, which saw the Fifth Element fall flat with a peak of just 1.9 million viewers.
Last month a peak of 14.5 million viewers tuned in to ITV1 to watch England make history by defeating Australia to win the Rugby World Cup for the first time. Audiences reached their peak in the dying moments of the match, when a record 82% of the viewing public watched Jonny Wilkinson kick the dramatic drop goal that secured England’s victory (see England’s Rugby World Cup Victory Watched By 14.5 Million).
ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com
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