Britain’s Got Talent returned for its 19th series over the weekend, but early reports suggest the beloved talent show may have opened to the smallest audience in its long history.
Simon Cowell and his fellow judges were back on Saturday night (February 21) as a fresh crop of hopefuls took to the stage hoping for their big break.
Yet while social media buzzed with chatter about the acts, the numbers told a tougher story, with viewing figures said to be at an all-time low.
Britain’s Got Talent 2026 dealt ratings setback
Across its run, BGT has regularly drawn huge audiences, often between six and 10 million viewers a series. But reports claim Saturday’s launch show attracted around three million viewers.
There were other factors at play. The Winter Olympics was airing on BBC at the same time, which may have split audiences, and the figures do not include streaming on ITVX.
Still, the debut is said to be down by about 1.5 million compared with last year’s opener, a drop that will not have gone unnoticed by show bosses.
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