Is the ratings war over? Twice as many people now watch Strictly as X Factor
Strictly Come Dancing is beating its Saturday night rival The X Factor by a LONG way
Remember the days of the X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing ratings wars? When we'd wait with bated breath to see if ITV or the BBC had won the battle for Saturday night viewers? When each of them had the power to attract audiences of over 10 million?
That time has long gone – and in fact The X Factor has reached a new and painful milestone, pulling in just half as many viewers as Strictly. Ouch.
Strictly drew overnight ratings of 9.8 million on its blockbuster movie week special this Saturday – peaking at 10.6 million – with an impressive 48% share, in a show that included Susan Calman's Wonder Woman dance, Brendan Cole's argument with Shirley Ballas and a top spot on the leaderboard (again) for Aston Merrygold.
By miserable contrast, The X Factor ended up with an average of just 4.5 million – with another 300k on catch-up.
And while The X Factor has dropped from 6.2 million for its launch episode this series, Strictly is maintaining its level, seeing only a slight fall, down from 10.2 million.
Could the battle for Saturday night finally have a winner?
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday 14th October at 6:45pm on BBC1, with The X Factor at 8:15pm on ITV
