Digital Focus: ITV2

Philip Reevell

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With Talent dominating the mainstream schedules it was inevitable that there would be even more Talent in the digital world.

Viewers couldn't get enough of Britain's Got Talent on Saturday after the winner was announced. At 10pm they switched in considerable numbers to ITV2 for Britain's Got More Talent.

The show attracted 2.1 million/13% share - making it one of ITV2's highest rated programmes so far this year. At 10pm, when the show started, ITV2 had a bigger audience than Channel 4, Five, and BBC2 and was level-pegging with BBC1.

Among multichannel individuals on Saturday night, ITV2 had a higher primetime share than C4 - 3.55% vs 3.54%. It also had a 4% share of 16 to 34 year olds, ahead of BBC2 with 3.9%, C4 with 3.7% and Five with 3%.

ITV2's Britain's Got More Talent also enjoyed 1 million-plus audiences on Wednesday at 10pm when it had 1.1 million/7% share and Monday at 10.30pm with 1.1 million/8%. And that's not all. On Monday at 6pm Paul Potts by Royal Command had 410,000/2% share, followed by last year's Britain's Got Talent Final at 6.30pm which had 370,000/3%.

Across the week as a whole, ITV2 had a share of 2.35%, up from 2% the previous week.

After this week-long Talent onslaught, the multichannel night regulars held up pretty well. Doctor Who on BBC3 at 8pm had 1.1 million/6%, Lost at 9pm and Gladiators at 6pm on Sky One, had 900,000/5% and 770,000/5% share respectively.

On Sunday at 6.50pm More 4's Come Dine with Me had 700,000/4% - it has not been harmed by the fact that the show is also now running in a primetime slot on C4 on Thursday at 8pm, where it had 2.2 million/10%.

More 4 had a higher share than E4 this week, with 1% compared with 0.95% although that's bound to change when Big Brother starts up. And it's already on its way; The Big Brother Auditions on E4 on Sunday at 9pm attracted 450,000/2%.

BBC4 had an evening with Johnny Cash on Friday - at 9pm The Last Great American had 530,000/3% and The Best of the Johnny Cash Show had 420,000/2% at 10pm.
Philip Reevell can be contacted at philip.reevell@citybroadcasting.co.uk