TV ratings: New Countdown team draw more than a million viewers

chris

Channel 4's daytime stalwart Countdown debuted its new presenting lineup Jeff Stelling and Rachel Riley yesterday, Monday 12 January, attracting more than 1 million viewers.

Yesterday afternoon's show averaged 1.2 million viewers over 50 minutes from 3.25pm, drawing an audience share of 13%, with an additional 33,000 watching on Channel 4 +1 an hour later.

Carol Vorderman and Des O'Connor's last Countdown on Friday 12 December drew 1.7 million viewers eager to see off Vorderman who had been with the show since it launched 26 years ago.

"The new team debut show had a 20% uplift compare with the average ratings for Countdown in 2008, which was 1 million viewers," a Channel 4 spokesman said.

Countdown was up against the new series of Alan Titchmarsh's returning ITV1 chatshow, which had an average of 1.5 million viewers in the hour from 3pm, an 18% audience share, according to unofficial overnight figures.

A repeat of Midsomer Murders, which followed directly after The Alan Titchmarsh Show on ITV1, pulled an average of 1.9 million viewers in its hour slot from 4pm, with an average audience share of 16%.

Later in the evening, ITV1's new three-part drama Unforgiven drew 7.2 million viewers in the 9pm hour, taking a 30% audience share and winning its slot.

BBC2's new three-parter Million Dollar Traders, part of its City season, pulled an average of 1.3 million viewers in the hour from 9pm, a 6% share of the audience.

In the same slot Celebrity Big Brother attracted an average of 2.2 million viewers across the hour, a share of 9%. An extra 310,000 watched an hour later on Channel 4 +1.

Also in the hour from 9pm, BBC1's Traffic Cops had 4 million viewers, with an audience share of 17%.

24 returned for its seventh series on Sky1 last night, with TV's unluckiest counter terrorism agent, Jack Bauer, attracting 633,000 viewers for a double episode opener from 9pm until 10.50pm, a multichannel share of 3%.

Earlier in the evening, BBC1's EastEnders pulled in 9.5 million viewers and a 39% share in the half hour from 8pm.

Coronation Street's half hour from 7.30pm drew 10.1 million viewers, winning its slot with a 43% share. A second episode of Coronation Street, shown from 8.30 to 9pm, drew 9.9 million viewers and a 40% share.


Source:MediaGuardian