TV ratings: Million Pound Drop starts off with a ratings jackpot

Channel 4's new gameshow hosted by Davina McCall, The Million Pound Drop Live, made a promising start last night, Monday 24 May. The Million Pound Drop attracted 1.946 million viewers and a 10.8% audience share from 10pm. A further 204,000 (2.2%) watched on Channel 4 +1. This was more than double Channel 4's average audience share in the 10pm hour over the past three months and the best-performing show by this comparison yesterday. The Million Pound Drop Live, in which contestants start with £1m and lose money when they get questions wrong, is being stripped every night until Saturday on Channel 4. ITV1's live coverage of England's 3-1 friendly international football victory over Mexico dominated peaktime viewing, attracted 8.639 million (37.1%) over two hours from 7.45pm. Full coverage averaged 7.15 million (31.6%) between 7.30pm and 10.10pm. ITV1 HD got its biggest audience since launching in April with the England friendly coverage, averaging 459,000 (2%). This bodes well for HD viewing of the upcoming football World Cup, with matches to be broadcast live on ITV1 HD and BBC HD. Five main terrestrial analogue networks BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel Five (available in all UK homes with TV, except Five, which reaches about 95%) BBC1 7.30pm: Chelsea Flower Show - 4.441 million/23.1% 8pm: EastEnders - 6.486 million/28.5% 9pm: High Street Dreams - 1.901 million/7.8%, BBC HD 10,000/0.04% 10.35pm: The Graham Norton Show - 2.279 million/16.3%, BBC HD 2,000/0.02% BBC2 8pm: Chelsea Flower Show - 2.698 million/11.8% ITV1 7pm: Coronation Street - 6.485 million/35%, ITV1 HD 180,000/1% Channel 4 8pm: The Curse of the Hope Diamond - 1.159 million/5.1%, C4+1 156,000/0.6% 9pm: Celebrity Come Dine with Me - 2.308 million/9.5%, C4+1 258,000/1.4% Five 8pm: The Gadget Show - 588,000/2.6% 9pm: FlashForward - 1.22 million/5% Freeview/digital terrestrial TV free-to-air networks Available in 23.4m UK homes – 91.4% of total – as of 31/12/09. Source: Ofcom digital progress report, Q4 2009 ITV3 9pm: Midsomer Murders (rpt) - 862,000/4.1% E4 9pm: Glee - 1.057 million/4.4% 10pm: The Cleveland Show - 368,000/1.8% 10.30pm: King of the Hill - 97,000/0.6% BBC3 8.30pm: The Wags' Stories - 301,000/1.3% 10pm: EastEnders (rpt) - 1.083 million/5.2% 10.30pm: Bizarre ER - 498,000/3.1% BBC4 9pm: Opera Italia (new series) - 277,000/1.1% 10pm: Storyville: Killing Image - Shooting Robert King - 96,000/0.6% Cable and satellite pay-TV networks Available in 12.4m UK homes – 48.2% of total – as of 31/12/09. Source: Ofcom digital progress report, Q4 2009 Living 9pm: Four Weddings - 169,000/0.7% Sky1 10pm: NCIS: Los Angeles - 213,000/1.2% Sky Movie Premiere 9pm: The Pacific - 155,000 All ratings are unofficial overnight figures, including live and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, HD, +1 or other – unless otherwise stated • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".