‘Strictly Come Dancing’ 2016 Launch Show Ratings Leave ‘X Factor’ Out In The Cold

Look away now, Simon Cowell...
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The official ratings for Saturday (3 September) night’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ launch show are in, and they make for good viewing for the BBC… not so much for Simon Cowell.

Following X Factor’s lowest launch show ratings in history, ‘Strictly’ has smashed it, pulling in 9.3 million viewers on average, and peaking at 10.3 million, making it their most-watched launch show ever. 

While there are no details on when the peak occurred, we reckon it might have been when everyone’s favorite Ed Balls was strutting his stuff in the group number:

Amazing.

Meanwhile over at ITV, last week’s ‘X Factor’ launch garnered just 6.8 million viewers, including those who tuned in on ITV+1.

This week, things improved slightly for the ITV talent contest, with 8.2 million watching

Neither show has managed to beat ‘The Great British Bake Off’ though, which launched with 10.4 million watching last month.

‘X Factor’ returns to our screens with more room auditions tonight (Sunday 4 September), while for the ‘Strictly’ lot, the order of the day - well, the next few weeks - is some serious training before the first live shows in around three weeks’ time.

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