'Got Talent' hammering 'The Voice' UK in YouTube numbers battle

'Got Talent' hammering 'The Voice' UK in YouTube numbers battle

Simon Cowell's Britain's Got Talent is comprehensively winning the YouTube battle with The Voice UK.

Several Got Talent acts have had over 1 million views of their auditions on YouTube, while opera duo Charlotte and Jonathan have reached over 10 million worldwide.

Cowell conceded a ratings defeat to Danny Cohen and the BBC last weekend when his own ITV1 series slipped into second spot in the Saturday night ratings war.

However, none of the acts on The Voice UK appear to have captured the imagination of the public like characters on BGT such as Mr Zip (1.5m YouTube views) and Ryan O'Shaughnessy (1.4m YouTube views).

The most-watched Voice act remains teenager Jessica Hammond, who has clocked up 559k in views. Vince Kidd has reached 401k, while one of last weekend's standout acts Bo Bruce has reached only 84k.

The Voice UK continues this Saturday at 7pm on BBC One. Britain's Got Talent airs on Saturday at 8pm on ITV1.

Tricia Helfer 'Criminal Minds' character 'kills for fun'

Tricia Helfer 'Criminal Minds' character 'kills for fun'

Criminal Minds exec Erica Messer has said that Tricia Helfer will play "a serial killer masquerading as a bank robber" in the season finale.

The Battlestar Galactica actress announced last month that she has been cast as "a bad character" in the CBS show's May 16 episode.

Speaking about Helfer's guest appearance, Messer revealed that the Criminal Minds team are forced to step in when her murderous character Izzy Rogers takes hostages during a stick-up.

"Ultimately, she is a serial killer masquerading as a bank robber," the showrunner told TV Guide.

"Our team comes in because the behaviour suggests they do this every month - they kill somebody for the fun of it, not because they're in the way. The woman's off her rocker. She's just a bad egg."

The episode will also see Paget Brewster leave the role of Emily Prentiss for the second time.

Alexander Armstrong: 'I turned down Countdown because of Jay Hunt'

Alexander Armstrong: 'I turned down Countdown because of Jay Hunt'

Alexander Armstrong has revealed that he felt pressured into turning down the Countdown hosting role by ex-BBC controller Jay Hunt.

The Pointless presenter was considering joining the Channel 4 gameshow in 2008 as a replacement for Des O'Connor, but changed his mind after the executive's angry reaction to the move.

"She hit the roof when she heard that it was in the offing," The Mirror quotes him as saying. "You have to be very careful about those sorts of things. You think you're a free agent but you're not.

"I knew she was somebody who held power over a lot of key decisions on things I held dear and that if I did it, it would really p*ss her off. The ball was in my court, but I could sense that it mightn't be the best idea in the world."

Armstrong added that he was planning to start a quieter life with his family by taking the lucrative Countdown job.

"It had appealed to me because I didn't have any other work lined up," he said. "And, at that point in my life, it was a footballer's salary - well, almost. A second division footballer. I was in my 30s and started thinking we could move out of London and settle down."

Jeff Stelling was named as Countdown presenter in time for its 2009 relaunch, which also saw Rachel Riley replace Carol Vorderman.

Nick Hewer of The Apprentice took over from Stelling at the beginning of this year.

'Walking Dead' Creator Robert Kirkman Adapting 'Thief of Thieves' for New AMC TV Series

'Walking Dead' Creator Robert Kirkman Adapting 'Thief of Thieves' for New AMC TV Series

AMC may soon have a double dose of Robert Kirkman: the "Walking Dead" comics creator and TV series executive producer is developing his latest comic book, "Thief of Thieves," as a new drama for the network.

"Thief" revolves around Conrad Paulson, who wants to get out of the stealing biz so he can reunite with his estranged wife and son, but in the meantime vows to only steal from other thieves. The comic debuted on Feb. 8 and sold out that same day; the third issue of "Thief" was released today.

AMC announced Kirkman and "Walking Dead" producers David Alpert and Chic Eglee will adapt the Image Comics/Skybound comic. Eglee, a former executive producer for Showtime's "Dexter," will serve as the "Thief of Thieves" showrunner if the project goes to series.

Alpert and Eglee worked with Kirkman on the first season of "The Walking Dead." Alpert was an executive producer on the recently-concluded second season of the show, while Eglee is an executive producer on FX's upcoming drama "Powers," based on the Image comic book series about homicide detectives who investigate cases involving superheroes and supervillains.

"Much like 'The Walking Dead' brought horror to television in a unique and groundbreaking way, I feel 'Thief of Thieves' can do the same thing for heist stories, showing the humanity of all the characters, including the criminals," Kirkman said in a statement.

"AMC recognizes the limitless ideas generated by the comic industry. Their dedication to bringing 'The Walking Dead' to life as a TV show has been key to its success and I'm excited about the potential of 'Thief of Thieves' to reach similar levels of success."

Alpert added, "It's incredibly exciting to put the band back together with Robert, Chic and AMC; it just feels great."

Kirkman, who launched the Skybound imprint at Image Comics, held four of the top spots on the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels in 2011.

"Working with AMC has been a tremendously positive experience and I'm looking forward to continuing and strengthening our relationships there," Kirkman added. "And I can't neglect to mention I've been dying to work with Chic again since we wrapped on 'The Walking Dead' season one."

'Vampire Diaries' rises to 460,000 viewers on ITV2

'Vampire Diaries' rises to 460,000 viewers on ITV2

The latest instalment of The Vampire Diaries improved to nearly 460,000 viewers on ITV2 last night, according to overnight data.

Titled '1912', episode 16 of the latest season averaged 459k (1.9%) in the 9pm hour (+1: 161k/0.9%), beating Alcatraz (401k/1.6%) on Watch and Mad Men (62k/0.3%) on Sky Atlantic.

At 8pm, Friday Night Lights mustered 19k (0.1%) on Sky Atlantic and Sky1's Touch drew 523k (2.2%), both down from last week. Meanwhile, Don't Tell the Bride appealed to 689k (2.9%) on BBC Three.

On the terrestrials, The Syndicate continued strongly on BBC One with 5.44m (22.1%) in the 9pm hour, near-identical to last week. It easily beat ITV1's The Mighty Mississippi, which took 2.99m (12.2%) and 259k (1.4%) on timeshift. Earlier, a celebrity special of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? entertained 2.52m (10.7%) on ITV1 (109k/0.4%).

BBC Two showed Hairy Bikers' Bake-ation (2.8m/11.9%) and Horizon (1.29m/5.2%).

On Channel 4, Supersize v Superskinny was watched by 1.68m (7.2%) from 8pm (+1: 239k/1%) with The Undateables following afterwards with 2.24m (9.1%) and 480k (2.7%) on +1.

CSI remained steady on Channel 5 with 1.81m (7.3%) and 181k (1%) on timeshift. Rory McGrath's Pub Dig aired earlier to an audience of 849k (3.6%).

Overall, BBC One dominated primetime with 23.2%, beating ITV1's 13.2% (+1: 0.6%). BBC Two came third with 7.6%, ahead of Channel 4's 6.1% (+1: 1.2%) and Channel 5's 4.9% (+1: 0.3%).

TV Tonight 12th of April 2012

TV Tonight 12th of April 2012

The daily list in alphabetical order, of all the new episodes airing.

    30 Rock S06E17: "Meet the Woggels"
    60 Minute Makeover S09E12: "Series 9, Episode 12"
    All Star Dealers S01E12: "No Mas!"
    American Idol S11E28: "1 of 8 Voted Off"
    Animal 24:7 S08E09: "Series 8, Episode 9"
    Art Mann Presents S08E07: "Rednecks with Paychecks"
    Awake S01E07: "Ricky's Tacos"
    Behind The Music S13E04: "Akon"
    Big Brother Sverige S08E47: "Del 47"
    Bikini Barbershop S01E09: "Boob Job"
    Bloedverwanten S02E05: "Season 2, Episode 5"
    Burlacul S03E07: "Season 3, Episode 7"
    Celebrity Juice S07E10: "Vernon Kay, Jonathan Ross"
    Chelsea Lately S06E63
    Come Dine With Me S18E76: "Series 18, Episode 64"
    Community S03E15: "Origins of Vampire Mythology"
    Conan S02E78: "Larry David, Jim Gaffigan, Arctic Monkeys"
    Coronation Street S53E73: "Thu Apr 12, 2012"
    Dance Academy S02E20: "Tick, Question Mark, Cross"
    Danni Lowinski VTM S01E07: "Season 1, Episode 7"
    Days of our Lives S47E109: "Ep. #11819"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E209: "Episode 1889"
    Derek S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Doctors S14E07: "Dancing Queen"
    Eagleheart S02E01: "TBA"
    EastEnders S28E60: "April 12, 2012"
    Emmerdale S41E88: "April 12, 2012 [Episode 2]"
    Emmerdale S41E87: "April 12, 2012"
    Four In A Bed S03E24: "Whitehall Hotel"
    Fraud Squad (2012) S01E02: "Episode 2"
    General Hospital (US) S50E09: "#12537"
    Get Your House in Order S01E04: "Ray"
    Ghost Hunters S08E07: "TBA"
    Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden S22E159: "Season 22, Episode 159"
    Golden Goal S12E09: "Season 12, Episode 9"
    Great British Menu S07E04: "The Olympic Feast - 4"
    Grey's Anatomy S08E19: "Support System"
    Hellstrøms Mesterkokk S01E05: "Season 1, Episode 5"
    Holiday Heaven on Earth S01E08: "Episode 8"
    Hollyoaks S18E74: "April 12, 2012"
    Home and Away (AU) S25E59: "Episode 5494"
    Homes Under the Hammer S15E02: "Series 15, Show 2"
    Horrible Histories S04E04: "Series 4, Episode 4"
    Hotel cæsar S28E181: "Season 28, Episode 181"
    House Hunters S48E73
    House Hunters International S25E76
    House of Bryan - On The Rocks S01E02: "The Hole Truth"
    Impact Wrestling S08E80: "Season 8, Episode 80"
    Independent Lens S13E15: "When the Drum is Beating"
    Jeopardy! S28E149: "Show #6354"
    Jimmy Kimmel Live S09E237: "Danny McBride, Dianna Agron, the Shins"
    Last Call with Carson Daly S10E40
    Late Night with Jimmy Fallon S02E252
    Late Show with David Letterman S19E56
    Live with Regis and Kelly S29E162
    Long Lost Family S02E01: "Series 2, Episode 1"
    Los protegidos S03E06: "TBA"
    Missing (2012) S01E05: "The Three Bears"
    My Mom is Obsessed S01E03: "Bodybuilding & Partying"
    Nårje S01E05: "Season 1, Episode 5"
    Naruto: Shippuuden S11E16
    Natural World S32E08: "Secrets of the Lost Gardens"
    Neighbours S28E69: "Episode 6379"
    Omroep Maxim S02E05: "Aflevering 5"
    Panorama S60E14: "Ivory Wars"
    Pointless S06E42: "Series 6, Episode 42"
    Punk'd S09E03: "TBA"
    Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is S06E14
    Reguły gry S01E09: "Homo erectus"
    Rules of Engagement S06E10: "After The Lovin'"
    Russell Howard's Good News S06E01: "Series 6, Episode 1"
    Scandal S01E02: "Dirty Little Secrets"
    Sket Dance S02E02: "Episode 2"
    SpongeBob SquarePants S08E25: "For Here Or To Go?"
    Swamp People S03E08: "TBA"
    Sweet Genius S02E05: "Puzzled Genius"
    The Biggest Loser (AU) S07E56: "Season 7, Episode 56"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S26E15: "Ep. #6299"
    The Chase (2009) S05E48: "Series 5, Episode 48"
    The Colbert Report S08E51: "Ben Rattray"
    The Daily Show S17E87: "Esperanza Spalding"
    The Ellen DeGeneres Show S09E137: "Maya Rudolph, Josh Bowman, Karmin"
    The First 48 S12E10: "Bad Attitude/Collateral Damage"
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S07E147
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson S08E60
    The Office (US) S08E20: "Welcome Party"
    The Pauly D Project S01E03: "TBA"
    The Project S04E87: "Season 4, Episode 87"
    The Sarah Millican Television Programme S01E06: "Crime & Medical"
    The Talk S02E144: "Season 2, Episode 144"
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno S19E278: "Chris Diamantopoulos, Feist"
    The View S15E137
    The Young and the Restless S40E14: "Ep. #9883"
    Thuis S17E164: "Season 17, Episode 164"
    Tonight with Trevor McDonald S14E14: "Are Your Kids Contagious"
    Touch S01E05: "Entanglement"
    Up All Night (2011) S01E24: "The Proposals"
    Watch What Happens: Live S06E63: "Rachel Dratch & Cheryl Hines"
    Watchdog S30E05: "Series 30, Episode 5"
    White Heat S01E06: "The Sea of Trees"
    Интерны S06E12: "Гордость больницы"

Average Monthly Pay-TV Bill Expected to Hit $200 in 2020

Average Monthly Pay-TV Bill Expected to Hit $200 in 2020

TV lovers may need to take out a loan when the cable bill arrives -- in 2020.

By that time, the average monthly cost for pay-TV service in the United States is expected to balloon to $200, according to a new forecast by the research firm The NPD Group.

Household incomes in the country have stagnated in recent years, but cable, satellite and telco bills have not. The monthly rates for pay-TV have jumped an average of 6 percent per year, the firm finds.

"The increase sounds slight, but it's really not," Russ Crupnick, an entertainment industry analyst at The NPD Group, told TheWrap." Consumers are going to have decide when they get that bill for $100 or $200 if cable can be one of their most valuable entertainment expenses going forward."

If rates continue to climb at that pace, The NPD Group predicts that the average monthly pay-TV bill will reach $123 by 2015, up from $86 last year.

Beyond a thirst for profits, the culprit, The NPD Group says, is the rising costs that entertainment companies charge cable services to broadcast their channels.

"As traditional streams of revenues like DVDs shrink, content creators are going to look for other areas to make up the difference," Crupnick said. "It's going to cost more to license content across all of the entertainment categories."

Given the escalating cost of cable and other pay-TV services on top of a still sluggish economy, is it any wonder that more and more people are cutting the cord and fleeing to digital services like Netflix and Hulu.

A recent report from the Convergence Consulting Group found that 2.65 million Americans canceled TV subscriptions between 2008-2011 in favor of lower-cost internet subscription services or video platforms.

The one saving grace for cable, satellite and telco companies is that Convergence also postulated that the subscription exodus will slow as companies like Netflix grapple with rising licensing fees for the kind of top-shelf movies and shows that are luring consumers away from pricey pay-TV subscriptions.

The NPD Group said its finding are based on quarterly electronic surveys of 1,000  U.S. households, as well as finding from its "Entertainment Trends in America" report, which surveys 10,000 consumers semi-annually.