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LONDON – I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! returned to U.K. network ITV for its 13th season on Sunday night with its best-ever season launch ratings.
According to ratings observers, that also made the season launch episode the highest-rated ITV show of 2013.
The reality show drew an average audience of 12 million, for a market share of 47 percent of U.K. households watching TV at the time, according to ITV. The peak audience amounted to 12.9 million.
The celebrities featured in the show’s 13th season on ITV include former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro and British Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington.
Meanwhile, ?The X Factor? on ITV on Sunday night peaked with 10.9 million viewers and an average audience of 9.3 million.
The network lately has had a slew of ratings successes. Downton Abbey recently ended its fourth season on ITV with a season-high ratings performance, drawing an average audience of 9.8 million. That made it the highest-rated drama on U.K. TV this year based on overnight ratings.
I’m A Celebrity‘s Sunday night return outperformed the show’s previous season launch record of 11.7 million average viewers in 2011. It was the highest-rated show of the day on British TV.
Said Peter Fincham, director of television at ITV: “A peak audience of nearly 13 million viewers in its 13th [season] is fantastic, a real testament to the continuing power of this brilliant show.”
Email: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
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