Adjusted figures for time-shifted viewing reveals that Doctor Who has cemented its place in the Christmas Day viewing figures, with The Snowmen as the fourth most-watched show of the day.
In addition, the adventure has become BBC America’s most-watched Christmas broadcast ever!
The BBC has confirmed that The Snowmen had an average audience of 7.6 million and a peak of 7.9 million viewers, sealing a 33.9% audience share. Consolidated figures (which do not include BBC iPlayer) show that this increased to 9.87 million, with an additional 1.467 million views on iPlayer. If combined, this would represent over 11 million viewers!
On BBC America, The Snowmen was watched by 1.434 million people on the day or within seven days of broadcast, a rise of 54% on the 2011 Christmas broadcast and topped only by September’s transmission of Asylum of the Daleks which achieved 1.555 million viewers (Doctor Who News Page).
Although lower than the 2011 Christmas special audience figures in the UK (with little change in audience share, demonstrating that fewer were watching TV at that time), this tremendous performance overseas demonstrates a growing interest in the show as we begin Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary. It can only get bigger from here!
Everyone (not you, Christian) keeps comparing The Snowmen’s viewing figures to past DW Christmas specials, saying the ratings are down, but this was the earliest the show was ever broadcast in the UK! You can’t compare ratings to something that started at 5 in the afternoon to something that started at 7 or 8 at night. Well, I guess you can, but it’s not fair (and I’m not complaining much because it got good ratings anyway…)
Absolutely Drew, not a fair comparison at all (which is why I avoided it!)
Does anyone think it would have “felt” better later in the evening?