The Premiership Draws 2.8 Million In New Slot

ITV’s The Premiership attracted 2.8 million viewers in its new late-night slot, a figure which compares with that of its BBC predecessor, Match Of The Day, which used to draw around 4 million.

The football highlights programme moved from its original 7.30pm slot to a new 10.30pm slot for the first time on Saturday, after failing to attract enough viewers for its prime-time position (see ITV Relegates Premiership).

An ITV spokesman said: “While it is never good to be behind in comparison with Match Of The Day it’s still too early to tell how The Premiership is performing in its new slot. When the official figures come out the programme could even be ahead of Match Of The Day.”

The Premiership has been compared to its BBC predecessor since it was launched in August and ITV was forced to change the format of the show after complaints that it contained less action than Match Of The Day (see ITV Rethinks The Premiership).

ITV finally gave in to pressure to reschedule the programme last month, a move which was welcomed by advertisers (see ISBA Welcomes The Premiership’s Relegation) who value the large audiences attracted by light entertainment shows such as Stars In Their Eyes and Blind Date, which draw around 8 million viewers.

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