Countdown Ratings Plunge

Ratings for Channel Four quiz-show Countdown have plunged below the one million mark.

Long-running Channel Four quiz-show Countdown has seen its ratings plunge below the million mark this week. Ratings for the quiz-show have been declining since hosts Carol Voderman and Des O’Connor were replaced in January by new team Jeff Stelling and Rachel Riley. Despite Channel Four initially reporting good ratings for the new team the reality was, as we reported in January, the figures were mixed.

Before the departure of Voderman and O’Connor from the quiz-show ratings were over the million mark, although down on the three million who watched when Richard Whiteley presented the show. However, ratings have since been declining and this week plunge to only just above the half million mark. Channel Four has laid the blame for the low ratings on the recent spell of good weather but the ratings have been sliding for some time.

Filming for Countdown used to take place at the ITV studio’s in Leeds, it’s produced for Channel Four by ITV Productions, but as part of cost-cutting measures it was recently announced that production would switch to Manchester in order to close down the Leeds studios.