London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 17, 2026

The Crown new season watched by 1.1m in UK on launch day, first official ratings say

The Crown new season watched by 1.1m in UK on launch day, first official ratings say

More than a million people in the UK watched the new series of The Crown on its first day of release, the drama's first official TV ratings show.

Netflix joined ratings system Barb last week, meaning viewing figures for the streaming giant's UK audience are available for the first time.

About 1.1 million people saw at least one episode of The Crown's season five on TV sets on Wednesday, Barb said.

That compares with 7.9 million who watched I'm A Celebrity on ITV.

However, the audience for The Crown's new season - which launched amid a flurry of controversy and publicity - will watch over a longer period, rather than all tuning in on one day.

And more will view it on laptops, tablets and mobiles, which are not included in the Barb figures.

Season five depicts the fortunes of the Royal Family in the 1990s, and has been criticised for taking liberties with historical accuracy.

The Barb figures suggested 666,000 people kept watching for episode two, and almost 300,000 saw episode three.

The ratings declined for each subsequent episode until an audience of about 100 was registered for the 10th and final episode - presumably the number that binged the whole series in a single day after its launch at 08:00 GMT.


Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki play Prince Charles, as he was then, and Princess Diana in series five

TV critic Scott Bryan said it is now possible to compare ratings for programmes on traditional broadcast channels and streaming services.

"It does show that streaming services perhaps aren't as massive, in terms of having millions of people watching a new show, as you might think, and that still millions of people are preferring to watch a traditional linear channel instead, and then maybe watch a Netflix show later on," he told BBC News.

The Crown's first-day figures will swell substantially in the coming months, he added.

"I thought it would be higher, but it's still early days. There will be people who would want to watch it immediately. Also I expect millions more will be watching this weekend, and I think Christmas is a huge opportunity for streaming services, because many people will catch up with shows that they have been meaning to get around to.

"Shows such as I'm A Celebrity do really well because there's a sense of urgency. People have to watch it now to find out the latest storylines, but they're not going to be watching it in weeks' time.

"That's not the case with The Crown. These dramas are essentially much longer lasting. They tend to build over time."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Britain Nationalises British Steel to Protect Scunthorpe Production and Strategic Supply
Andy Burnham Takes Labour Leadership and Prepares to Become Britain’s Seventh Prime Minister in a Decade
Tech Companies Want to Move Computing Off Your Screen and Onto Your Body
White House Teleprompter Operator Earned More Than $100,000 From Bets Linked to the President's Speeches
French Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote After Controversial Budget Cuts
European Commission Opens Excessive Deficit Procedure Against France
French Senate Blocks Key Immigration Reform Measures
French Government Pushes EU Action Against Ultra-Fast Fashion Imports
French Parliament Debates Expanded Autonomy Powers for Corsica
France Reopens Autonomy Talks With New Caledonia After Months of Unrest
Bordeaux Wine Producers Seek Three Hundred Million Euro Aid Package After Export Collapse
French Farmers Block Spain Border Crossings Over Imported Food Competition
Cannes Film Festival Bans Fully Artificial Intelligence-Generated Films From Competition
TotalEnergies Shifts More Than Three Billion Euros of Green Investment From Europe to the United States
LVMH Chief Executive Bernard Arnault Presents Succession Plan for Luxury Empire
Kering Reports Fifteen Percent Revenue Drop as Chinese Luxury Demand Weakens
Sanofi Reports Positive Results From Messenger RNA Respiratory Vaccine Trials
France Places Energy Price Caps Under Review to Protect Households Through Winter
EDF Connects Two New Nuclear Reactors to France’s Electricity Grid
Mistral Secures European Commission Contract for Sovereign Artificial Intelligence Models
Renault Opens Next-Generation Electric Battery Plant in Northern France
Air France Signs Two Billion Euro Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deal to Cut Emissions
Marseille Launches Three Billion Euro Port Expansion to Strengthen Mediterranean Trade Role
French-Owned Ubisoft Announces Global Restructuring With Nearly One Thousand Job Cuts
National Railway Operator Suspends Artificial Intelligence Ticket Pricing System After Consumer Backlash
United Kingdom to Ban Sales of High-Caffeine Energy Drinks to Under-Sixteens
Home Office Designates Iranian and Russian Paramilitary Groups as National Security Threats
National Health Service Launches Housing Plan to Retain London Healthcare Workers
British Heatwave Fuels Wildfires and Emergency Evacuations in Scotland
United Kingdom and Estonia Sign Defence Agreement to Strengthen NATO’s Eastern Flank
United Kingdom Cuts Bilateral Aid to African Nations by More Than Eighty Percent
Bank of England Overhauls Banking Rules to Encourage More Lending to Businesses
United Kingdom and India Free Trade Agreement Enters Into Force, Reshaping Bilateral Economic Ties
Andy Burnham Confirmed as New Labour Leader and Prime Minister-Designate
UK Government Faces Pressure Over Extreme Heat Workplace Rules
Lewisham Council Blocks Cooperation With Home Office Immigration Enforcement
UK Parliament Investigates Growing Pressures on Scotch Whisky Industry
Teen Hackers Sentenced Over Thirty-Nine Million Pound Transport for London Cyber Attack
Ministry of Defence Acquires Scottish Fuel Terminal to Strengthen Royal Navy Operations
Bank of England Eases Rules as Economic Growth Remains Weak
Bank of England Governor Warns Andy Burnham on Britain’s Long Economic Stagnation
UK Defence Ministry Buys Scottish Fuel Terminal to Secure Naval Energy Supplies
UK Secures Access to European Defence Contracts Through Ukraine Support Deal
Bank of England Plans Easier Capital Rules to Encourage More Lending
Met Office Says England and Wales Have Already Broken Summer Heat Records
Counter-Terrorism Police Lead Investigation Into Murder of Former Minister Ann Widdecombe
UK Government Nationalises British Steel to Protect Domestic Steel Production
French National Assembly Overrides Senate to Pass Historic Assisted-Dying Legislation
Spanish Prime Minister's Wife Ordered to Stand Trial as Corruption Probes Encircle Governing Party
Zelensky Faces Kyiv Protests Over Ousting of Dynamic Ukrainian Defense Minister
×