Strictly proves it has the X Factor
IT WAS a night of heavyweight TV shows, but is some of the sparkle coming off ITV’s long-time banker The X Factor?
The singing competition saw Croydon crooner Ben Haenow crowned winner, but the show recorded its second-lowest finale audience in its 10-year history.
According to industry bible Broadcast, some 9.4m viewers tuned in for the last show of the series, which aired on ITV1 on Sunday evening. That was down around 350,000 on the year before, though well above the lowest figure of 8.1m in 2005.
BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing semi-final had 9.6m viewers, also on Sunday. Sports Personality of the Year, which aired on BBC1 after Strictly Come Dancing, drew a bigger audience than last year, with 6m tuning in to see Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton pick up the award.