ITV cheers as 19m tune in to X-Factor grand final
MORE than 19m viewers tuned in to watch Joe McElderry win the X-Factor on Sunday night, the biggest ever audience for ITV 1’s flagship talent show.
In a rare piece of good news for the struggling commercial broadcaster, overnight figures yesterday showed that the two-hour show averaged 15.5m viewers, giving it a 53 per cent share of the audience.
And a staggering 19.1m viewers, or some 62 per cent of the total audience, tuned in for the final five minutes to see 18-year old McElderry from South Shields crowned as the show’s winner.
This was the best set of viewing figures in the show’s history, with last year’s final pulling in an average of 13.2m viewers and peaking at 14m.
Media buyers say this weekend’s shows have netted ITV some £18m, with advertising slots costing as much as £250,000 for 30-seconds.