Less than 1 million viewers tuned in to BBC Two last night in the United Kingdom as they selected their participant for Eurovision 2018.
920,000 viewers tuned in to watch Eurovision: You Decide live from Brighton last night. The show attracted over 200,000 less viewers than the normal time slot would achieve. Overall share for the program was 4.8%, with many attributing the fall in viewing figures to a lack of advertising for the show and no mention of the show on BBC One’s flagship show, The One Show.
Eurovision: You Decide remained on BBC Two for a second year, having started off on BBC Four in 2016. This year saw the competition moved from a Friday night slot, to a Wednesday evening. The ratings for the final of the UK selections are as follows:
- 2018 – 920,000 – 4.8% share (BBC Two)
- 2017 – 1,260,000 – 6.6% share (BBC Two)
- 2016 – 680,000 – 3.2% share (BBC Four)
- 2010 – 2,920,000 – 12.5% share (BBC One)
- 2009 – 5,610,00 – 25% share (BBC One)
- 2008 – 5,003,000 – 24% share (BBC One)
SuRie won the right to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon this May with her song ‘Storms’, written by Nicole Blair, Gil Lewis, and Sean Hargreaves.
Source: Tellymix, Digital Spy
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
The United Kingdom debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 and holds the record for the most consecutive appearances in the contest. To date the UK has won the contest a total of five times, with their first victory coming in 1967 and their latest in 1997. The UK holds the record for the most second place finishes in the contest, having been runner-up a total of 15 times. Since 2000 the UK has finished within the top 10 only twice, this being in 2002 with Jessica Garlick and in 2009 with Jade Ewen. Last year the country found relative success in Kyiv, when Lucie Jones finished in 15th place with “Never Give Up On You”.
