The audience of “Irony of Fate” on December 31 was the smallest in three years – RBK

The press service of Channel One did not respond to RBC’s request; a representative of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (Russia 1 is the flagship channel of the state holding) only said that their policy was not guided by measurement results throughout the country. But two years ago, in January 2020, Alexander Nechaev, deputy general director of VGTRK, commenting on the failure of his channel in the New Year’s race, admitted that no film is a guarantee of audience success. A year ago, in January 2021, when The Irony of Fate did not help Channel One, Nechaev assured that Russia 1 would still show melodrama on December 31, 2021. “For millions of viewers in Russia and abroad, this picture is a symbol and tradition of celebrating the New Year,” Nechaev noted.

This time, “Russia 1” has changed the timing of the screening of “Irony of Fate”. If in previous years the film began in the evening hours, this time the melodrama for residents of the European part of the country started at 15:35 Moscow time and ended at 18:50 Moscow time, after which the broadcaster showed two more comedies – “The Diamond Hand” and “Gentlemen of Fortune” … And the standard repeat the next day, January 1, “Irony of Fate” began very early – at 4:20 Moscow time (in fact, it was still the broadcast day on December 31, 2021).

As a result, on the last day of 2021, the audience of “Irony of Fate” turned out to be the smallest in three years, when telemetry covers the entire country. On December 31, 2019, the melodrama on “Russia 1” was watched by almost 6 million people over 4 years old, on December 31, 2020, on “First” – 8 million, on December 31, 2021 – less than 5.8 million viewers.

It is noteworthy that this time Channel One on December 31 showed its 2007 sequel Irony of Fate … Continuation “, but he did not arouse much interest. Its audience averaged 5.4 million people over 4 years old.

Russia 1 lost to Channel One not only the race for the entire broadcast day on December 31, 2021, but also the last New Year’s Eve and the first hours of 2022, which attract a maximum of viewers. From 22:00 on December 31 to 2:00 on January 1, the audience of the VGTRK flagship channel, according to ECI Media Management, was an average of 9.3 million people over 4 years old, while the First had almost 13 million people.

“Russia 1” was showing from 22:05 until the speech of the President of Russia the traditional “New Year’s Parade of Stars”, and after midnight – the no less traditional “New Year’s Blue Light”. On a competing channel at 22:15, New Year’s Eve on Perviy began. 30 years later ”, which continued after Vladimir Putin’s congratulations. Broadcaster announced this program is like 40 hits of the 1990s: “We danced and kissed to them, confessed our feelings, or simply had fun at discos … New Year’s Eve at“ First ”is not a light at all, it is a raging flame.”