Bake Off and Strictly helps BBC win TV ratings battle in 2016
BBC 1 is on course for a decisive victory over ITV in the battle for the year’s biggest ratings, thanks to hit series such as The Great British Bake Off, Planet Earth II and Strictly Come Dancing.
More than three-quarters of the top 40 most-watched programmes so far in 2016 were broadcast by BBC1.
This includes the Bake Off final, which is at number one in the chart with 16 million viewers.
A total of 31 of the top 40 were broadcast by BBC1 while just nine were on ITV.
Last year the split was 28 for BBC1 and 12 for ITV.
The chart has been compiled from data produced by the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (Barb).
Every episode of this year’s The Great British Bake Off is on the list, with nine inside the top 10.
All but one episode of the blockbuster natural history series Planet Earth II is in the top 40, with the highest episode coming eighth in the chart with 13.1 million viewers.
BBC1’s coverage of the Euro 2016 final also makes the list, as does the one-off episode of Sherlock shown on New Year’s Day.
But it is Strictly Come Dancing that dominates the chart, appearing a total of 13 times.
ITV’s highest entry is the first episode of this year’s series of I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, which is at number 12 with 12.7 million viewers.
Britain’s Got Talent appears five times in the chart – but for the second year in a row The X Factor has failed to make the top 40.
BBC content boss Charlotte Moore said: “BBC1 has dominated viewing in 2016 with outstanding programmes in every genre demonstrating the strength of the channel across the whole year.”