The X Factor’s ratings turmoil has continued with Saturday’s show said to have drawn its smallest average audience since its first ever episode in 2004.
An average of 5.6 million tuned in to watch on Saturay compared to the average of 9.4 million viewers who watched the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, according to various reports.
According to figures released by BARB, the show's figures were even overtaken for five minutes by Antiques Roadshow which had 0.6m more viewers at 8pm, 0.2million more at 8.20pm and another 0.2million at 8.30pm.
Saturday night’s figures were said to have been more than a million down on the previous week’s show and 2.5 million down on last year’s opening live episode.
The show's audience has been on the slide since 2010, when 17.7 million watched Matt Cardle win the final on ITV1 and ITV1 HD.
Changes have been made for this season, with BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora appearing as judges, and regular Louis Walsh departing.
The ITV talent show recovered on Sunday reclaiming around a millon viewers in attracting a 6.47 million audience from 8pm. It was reportedly still the fifth lowest-scoring show of the 12th series.
Two acts – Alien Uncovered and Bupsi Brown – were eliminated during Sunday’s live results show, with Cowell managing to get the former’s name wrong.
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