[Score]

None of these things are true. BGT is down slightly but still doing well, The Masked Singer is doing a solid job at nearly 5m, and The Voice has settled on its own level between 2-3m.

Anything that can get above 3m in the current climate is a hit frankly, given where we are with most slot averages, and anything slightly under that is a reliable enough performer.

I don’t think there’s a need for panic stations but I’d agree with at least two of the points made by @eyeTV. Masked Singer has started to fade. Not alarmingly so but it’s not the new fresh thing any more and has wobbled a bit this year against tough competition. I’d expect Gladiators to come back at least a bit lower next year so it’ll probably get easier but they could do with giving a bit more support.

The Voice is on life support, nobody cares and the ratings really weren’t great last time. They appear to be changing the panel but the rumoured names are not exciting and they’ve scaled the whole thing back quite drastically suggesting they know it isn’t up to much.

I’d say the description of BGT as “fading fast” is a bit harsh. It’s certainly not what it was at its peak and spent most of the 2010s on a slow decline. It came back quite a bit lower after its covid enforced hiatus but I think that was partly some adjustment to the new ratings normal and last year was quite steady. Have to see how it does this year but I’d say BGT definitely isn’t a top concern unlike other shows/parts of the schedule.

Takeaway itself has faded a bit but will definitely be missed. They can probably cover off some slots by not launching Masked Singer over Christmas and not doubling up the BGT launch weekend but there’s still a few weeks to fill unless they extend one or both of them, and I’m not sure that would be great for the health of either. Masked Singer could probably do an extra couple of weeks if needed but the moment for extending BGT or adding a middle round has long passed.

Do think ITV need to get commissioning some proper big bets and not just gameshow revivals and naff formats like Starstruck. One of my main criticisms is how their entertainment seems to have lost a lot of bite. Dancing on Ice without a ‘nasty’ judge is a prime example of that and Starstruck was so bland. They need to inject some excitement back into their shows.