This year’s Eurovision Song Contest once again pulled in big ratings for BBC One. The annual gathering of pan-European countries trying to prove that national pride comes from a three-minute novelty pop song attracted an average audience of 8.9 million viewers.
Police conspiracy drama Prey reached its conclusion this month on ITV. Starring John Simm as fugitive detective constable Marcus Farrow, the three part drama ended with 6.9 million viewers.
In the good old days before England were brought crashing down to Earth, the pre-World Cup warm up match Int Friendly: England vs Peru did respectable numbers for ITV.
The final warm up match on British soil was seen by an average audience of 6.4 million viewers, with the England running out 3-0 victors.
Earlier in the month the finals of two major football competitions gave ITV a ratings boost. FA Cup Final: Arsenal vs Hull City, which saw the north London side finally end their nine-year trophy draught, attracted 5.7 million viewers.
Meanwhile Champions League: Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid pulled in 5.1 million viewers to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale break the hearts of their nearest domestic rivals with a 4-1 extra time victory.
Two award ceremonies attracted decent viewing figures for both BBC One and ITV this month. Over on BBC One The British Televison Awards attracted 5.2 million viewers, while ITV’s The British Soap Awards 2014 pulled in slightly more with 5.5 million.
Top rated programme of the month was the first semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent. The edition broadcast on 26th May, which saw impressionist Jon Clegg and singing group Collabro gain their places in the final, grabbed 10.5 million viewers.
Also doing well this month were: Happy Valley, which had 7.3 million viewers; The Crimson Field, watched by 6.3 million people and From There To Here, which grabbed an average audience 5.5 million.
Top Programmes (excluding soaps):
| Sorting | Programme | On Air Date | Genre | Station | Start / End | Viewers (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT (SERIES 8) | Monday 26 May 2014 | Light Entertainment | ITV | 19:29-21:00 | 10.46 |
| 2 | THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST | Saturday 10 May 2014 | Light Entertainment | BBC1 | 20:00-23:35 | 8.94 |
| 3 | BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT RESULT (SERIES 8) | Monday 26 May 2014 | Light Entertainment | ITV | 21:34-21:59 | 8.57 |
| 4 | HAPPY VALLEY | Tuesday 20 May 2014 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 7.33 |
| 5 | PREY | Monday 12 May 2014 | Drama | ITV | 21:00-21:59 | 6.83 |
| 6 | VERA | Sunday 11 May 2014 | Drama | ITV | 20:03-21:58 | 6.80 |
| 7 | MASTERCHEF | Friday 16 May 2014 | Factual | BBC1 | 20:30-21:29 | 6.58 |
| 8 | COUNTRYFILE | Sunday 11 May 2014 | Factual | BBC1 | 18:58-19:57 | 6.37 |
| 9 | INT FRIENDLY: ENGLAND VS PERU | Friday 30 May 2014 | Sport | ITV | 19:29-22:11 | 6.36 |
| 10 | THE CRIMSON FIELD | Sunday 11 May 2014 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 6.33 |
| 11 | BBC NEWS | Monday 5 May 2014 | News | BBC1 | 18:30-18:47 | 5.85 |
| 12 | CASUALTY | Saturday 3 May 2014 | Drama | BBC1 | 20:29-21:18 | 5.74 |
| 13 | FA CUP FINAL: ARSENAL VS HULL CITY | Saturday 17 May 2014 | Sport | ITV | 15:01-20:16 | 5.69 |
| 14 | FROM THERE TO HERE | Thursday 22 May 2014 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 5.51 |
| 15 | THE BRITISH SOAP AWARDS 2014 | Sunday 25 May 2014 | Light Entertainment | ITV | 20:18-22:18 | 5.51 |
| 16 | TEN O’CLOCK NEWS | Tuesday 13 May 2014 | News | BBC1 | 22:00-22:27 | 5.44 |
| 17 | ANTIQUES ROADSHOW | Sunday 11 May 2014 | Factual | BBC1 | 19:59-20:57 | 5.27 |
| 18 | THE BRITISH ACADEMY TELEVISION AWARDS | Sunday 18 May 2014 | Light Entertainment | BBC1 | 20:00-22:04 | 5.18 |
| 19 | UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LIVE | Saturday 24 May 2014 | Sport | ITV | 19:00-22:54 | 5.11 |
| 20 | HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU | Friday 16 May 2014 | Light Entertainment | BBC1 | 21:30-21:59 | 5.11 |
Sky vs Freeview (share):
| Sky | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 19.95 | 24.43 | 4.48 |
| BBC2 | 4.45 | 6.43 | 1.98 |
| ITV 1 | 12.93 | 14.78 | 1.85 |
| Channel 4 | 5.03 | 5.58 | 0.55 |
| Channel 5 | 3.15 | 4.78 | 1.63 |
| Others | 54.53 | 44.03 | -10.50 |
Sky vs Cable Digital (share):
| Sky | Cable Digital | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 19.95 | 21.20 | 1.25 |
| BBC2 | 4.45 | 4.55 | 0.10 |
| ITV 1 | 12.93 | 14.38 | 1.45 |
| Channel 4 | 5.03 | 6.20 | 1.18 |
| Channel 5 | 3.15 | 4.10 | 0.95 |
| Others | 54.53 | 49.65 | -4.88 |
Cable Digital vs Freeview (share):
| Cable Digital | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 21.20 | 24.43 | 3.23 |
| BBC2 | 4.55 | 6.43 | 1.88 |
| ITV 1 | 14.38 | 14.78 | 0.40 |
| Channel 4 | 6.20 | 5.58 | -0.63 |
| Channel 5 | 4.10 | 4.78 | 0.68 |
| Others | 49.65 | 44.03 | -5.63 |
