Quote:
Jason Deans, broadcasting editor
Friday August 12, 2005
This year's Big Brother will be the lowest rating out of the six series of Channel 4's reality hit, with viewing figures around 16% down on last year's run.
With just Thursday's figures and the ratings for the live final tonight to be added to the total, Big Brother 6 has averaged 4.2 million viewers and a 21% audience share across its 11 week run.
Last year the show averaged 5 million viewers, bouncing back well from Big Brother 4 in 2003, when the programme dipped to the then series low of 4.6 million.
In retrospect, ITV's at the time much criticised ploy of broadcasting Celebrity Love Island against Big Brother does seem to have dented the Channel 4 show's ratings in its first three of weeks on air in May and June.
Big Brother's ratings did pick up for a couple of weeks after that, as the new arrivals from the secret garden and the Makosi v Saskia/Maxwell stand off brought viewers to the show.
Saskia's eviction on Friday July 1 drew Big Brother 6's highest ratings, with 6.4 million viewers and a 33% audience share.
A week later, 5.1 million viewers tuned in to say goodbye to Maxwell. And on Friday July 15, 6 million viewers showed up for Vanessa's departure.
However, since then viewing figures have dropped back, with Big Brother fans perhaps tiring of the Craig-Anthony unrequited love story.
Wednesday night's surprise eviction of Craig did spruce up Big Brother's figures, with 6.4 million viewers tuning in at 9.30pm - a 27% audience share.
But a year ago at the same stage of the show, Stu's eviction brought 7.1 million viewers and a 40% audience share.
The comparison with series one and two, in 2000 and 2001, is perhaps not entirely valid, as Big Brother did not run on Saturday and Sunday for the first two years, when viewing figures are lower.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/s ... 78,00.html
And if the ratings decline even further BB7 could average at only 3 million.
Hmm, some serious thinking needs to be done at Endemol headquaters after tonights final.