Ratings Roundup: Europeans Tune In Friday Night Light

PREMIUM: Friday evening belonged to light entertainment as game shows and formats fared well in the four largest markets of continental Western Europe on December 14.

The biggest audience for a program in any of the four markets was in France for TF1’s Koh-Lanta, the local version of the Survivor format, with 6.931 million viewers and a share of 30.2 percent. The audience topped the winner in the much larger German market, where ZDF topped the ratings (not counting news) with cop series SOKO Leipzig at 4.60 million and a share of 14.8 percent.

In Germany RTL was second with a celebrity edition of game show 5 gegen Jauch (Five Against Jauch—hosted by Günther Jauch) with 4.46 million/15.2 percent. Sat.1 ran third with the German version of John de Mol’s format The Voice at 3.42 million and 12.1 percent.

Number two in France was American cop show NCIS of M6 with 4.753 million viewers and a share of 17.6 percent. In third place was France 3’s long-running travel-current affairs show Faut pas rêver (No Need to Dream) with 3.038 million 11.8 percent. Locally produced police series Un flic (A Cop) on France 2 was next highest with 2.909 million/11.02 percent.

In Italy, the biggest audience of the day was earned in access time as usual by Endemol’s format Deal or No Deal (Affari Tuoi) on RAI 1 with 5.408 million viewers and a share of 19.48 percent.

In second place was Canale 5’s sitcom I Cesaroni (The Cesaronis) with two episodes averaging 5.041 million/21.58 percent. La 7 made a rare appearance near the top of the chart in second place in prime time with light entertainment series Crozza nel Paese delle Meraviglie (Crozza in Wonderland), starring impressionist Maurizio Crozza, at 2.836 million and 10.08 percent. RAI 1 charity telethon Solo per Te (Just for You) was next with 2.196 million/11.50 percent.

The winner in Spain was Telecinco talk show Deluxe at 2.240 million viewers and a share of 17.1 percent. In second place was TVE 1’s telecast of Hollywood feature V for Vendetta with 1.701 million and 10.2 percent. Third place went to Antena 3’s Gestmusic Endemol-produced singing contest Tu cara me suena (Your Face Sounds Familiar), in which the performers imitate stars, pulling 1.508 million/9.5 percent.