DOCTOR WHO’S STREAMING STRATEGY CAUSES LINEAR RATINGS TO FALL
Doctor Who finally returned to screens last night with a double bill premiere on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ worldwide.
The new season sees Ncuti Gatwa return as the Fifteenth Doctor, alongside Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, as they travel through time and space on adventures to unknown lands, to the Regency era in England, to outer space worlds and the sixties.
Due to the show’s new streaming-first release schedule, overnight ratings become even more irrelevant than they already are in 2024. For a start, these overnight figures do not include pre-transmission or devices, so viewers who watched on iPlayer in the 18 hours before it was shown on BBC One are not included. Another factor to consider was the warm weather and the time of year the show is airing.
Space Babies aired at 6:20pm BST on BBC One to an audience of 2.6m. The Devil’s Chord followed at 7:05pm with an audience of 2.4m. Consolidated figures, which will include pre-transmission and devices, are expected on Monday 20th May when these rather poor numbers are expected to rise considerably
In Space Babies, Ruby learns the Doctor’s amazing secrets when he takes her to the far future. There, they find a baby farm run by babies. But can they be saved from the terrifying bogeyman?
In The Devil’s Chord, The Doctor and Ruby meet The Beatles but discover that the all-powerful Maestro is changing history. London becomes a battleground with the future of humanity at stake.
Doctor Who continues Saturdays at 00:00am on iPlayer and Saturday nights at 6:50pm on BBC One in the UK.