STRICTLY Come Dancing’s ratings have plummeted further as hundreds of thousands stop watching it live.

The number of viewers for Saturday — the first show of the series with a public vote — peaked at 7.1million, down from 7.8million last year.

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Strictly Come Dancing’s ratings have plummeted further as hundreds of thousands stop watching it liveCredit: BBC

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The first show of the series with a public vote — peaked at 7.1million, down from 7.8million last year
The decline follows a similar dip for the launch episode and first live episode last weekend.

A TV insider said: “Strictly is still the most watched programme on a Saturday night — getting double the viewers of its nearest ratings rival.

“And, although the number watching on catch-up is increasing, the BBC always prided itself on the fact that the dance show offered a shared experience.

“But it seems fewer and fewer people are now choosing to share it on a Saturday night.”

The first public vote show has now lost more than 3.5 million viewers since 2020, when it enjoyed a high of 11.8 million.

Last week’s first live show had a peak of 6.7 million, down from 7.3 million the previous year.

Meanwhile, the launch was watched on the night by 5.7 million, which was a million lower than the same episode in 2023.

Some have speculated this year’s scandal surrounding the behaviour of pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima has contributed to the decline.

However, the corporation has yet to release figures showing how much of the drop is down to viewers switching to iPlayer.

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Last week’s first live show had a peak of 6.7 million, down from 7.3 million the previous yearCredit: BBC

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The launch episode was watched by 5.7 million, which was a million lower than the same episode in 2023Credit: BBC