‘Downton Abbey’ season 6, episode 2 ratings solid; ‘X Factor’ UK steady despite delay

For all of those who were wondering if the ratings for “Downton Abbey” were going to plummet following the season 6 premiere, the good news that we have for you now is that it really doesn’t seem like there is any significant change at all … and we couldn’t be happier about that.

For the second installment of season 6, the ITV show drew 7.5 million viewers in preliminary measures. That is down only 100,000 from the premiere, which suggests to us mostly that everyone is there for the long haul. They are watching with a purpose to get to the end, or at least they are for the most part.

These ratings are comparable to how “The X Factor” did. The singing show drew 7.2 million viewers for its final episode before the infamous Six Chair Challenge. While we know that these numbers are down from past seasons and there is certainly a story here for the press to write about, the reality is that this is still great for a singing show in the modern era. There are very few of these who are anywhere close to succeeding on a significant level anymore.

We do wonder if the numbers for “Downton Abbey” are going to increase for one of two major events that are going to be coming later this season: Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson getting married (which may be happening as early as next week or the episode after that), or the series finale on Christmas Day. That may be a great opportunity for casual viewers to dive back in.

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