'Jade' Wins Living TV Best Viewing Figures, So Far

While the weekend's action in film and TV was firmly focused on Los Angeles and 'The Oscars' the plight of reality star Jade Goody - who is suffering from terminal cancer - gave a cable channel a major fillip.
Living gained its largest ever audience to date with a total of 929,000 viewers and that's just for its programme in advance of broadcasting the stricken star's lavish wedding, which was recorded on Sunday, when Goody (pictured in her reality show days) married her fiancé Jack Tweed.
Friday's hour-long show, Jade, attracted an initial 709,000 (3.3%) at 9pm and then pulled in 220,000 on Living +1.
OK! magazine bought the rights to the actual wedding ceremony for £700,000, but Living had already paid a reported £100,000 to show it as part of their continuing series, Jade.
Already, Friday's programme was up a massive 366% on the channel's slot average for last year of 152,000 (0.8%).
Jade started off with 588,000 (2.8%) but rapidly rose to hit a high of 781,000 (3.7%) halfway through. It finished the final 15 minutes with 759,000 (3.6%).
Living's previously highest rated show was the finale of America's Next Top Model in 2007, which achieved a total audience (including +1) of 859,000 (4.4%) on 23 April at 9pm.
Living will screen the actual wedding at a time and date to be confirmed.
(BMcC/JM)