Brits: Audience drifts away slowly

ITV is, apparently, quite happy with the audience figures for the Brits last night, posting a headline 6.1 million viewers, up 800,000 on last year's figures.

Doubtless many people will be suggesting it was their magic element which helped the audience rise, although the key factor ("not being on at the same time as BBC One showing an FA Cup replay") it's hard for anyone at ITV to take credit for.

The 800,000 extra viewers figure is interesting in its own right - because that's the number of viewers who deserted the programme during its two hours on air. The first fifteen minutes of the show were watched by 6.5 million; by the time McCartney came on, only 5.7 million were still tuned in. It's unclear if those figures include viewers watching from behind their sofas.