Top Gear’s ratings hell continues.
BBC America has confirmed to Heat Street that the second episode of the motoring show hosted by Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc attracted 369,000 “live same day” viewers when broadcast on June 6.
This represents a fall of 4.8% on the previous week’s episode, which pulled in an audience of just 388,000, itself a disappointment to BBC America bosses.
Look who dropped by pic.twitter.com/fOrskND6Cy
— Matt LeBlanc (@Matt_LeBlanc) May 26, 2016
The continued decline will alarm senior figures at BBC America and its parent organization, the BBC.
It comes after the news that Evans/LeBlanc’s Top Gear debut on BBC America, broadcast on May 30, was watched by 27% fewer viewers compared to the opening episode of the previous series, when Jeremy Clarkson was in charge.
Poor UK ratings have already raised questions over the future of the show. Personal criticism of Evans’ presenting style has been consistent.
The current series first episode screened in the UK was watched by 4.3 million; the second episode by 2.8 million; and the third episode by 2.4 million.
Evans has put out a slew of tweets claiming that “live same day” ratings are old fashioned.
Overnight television viewing figures for Top Gear have never been less relevant. Obviously some newspapers prefer to live in the past.
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) June 6, 2016
He believes that the variety of catch-up services now available means his viewing figures are comparable with Top Gear’s old era, when it was presented by Clarkson.
On June 6 he said the first episode had been watched by 9 million viewers when all catch-up viewers were taken into account.
Yet on June 14 he tweeted that official figures for the second week were a mere 6.2 million.
Official viewing figures for Top Gear last week. 6.2 million. Thanks for watching. Ep 3 – car central now available on the i Player. Charge!
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) June 14, 2016
The drop of almost 3 million viewers went unremarked on by him.
