ITV's ‘most expensive flop in years' poised to be axed after reaching new low by having less viewers than nature doc
The
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ITV is axing expensive flop The Genius Game after low ratings, pictured host David Tennant
Credit: ITV
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The show's finale had the same viewing figures as a BBC2 show about pangolins
Credit: Getty
That was matched by Pangolins: The World's Most Wanted Animal which looked at why the scaly creatures are so endangered.
A TV insider said: 'Publicly ITV maintains that no firm decision has been taken, but most execs and commissioners view it as a disaster.
'Not only did it occupy a primetime 9pm slot, it had a big-name host and was seen as a potential rival for BBC's The Traitors.
"But of the five main channels on June 11, it was beaten by two and equalled by BBC2, thanks to those pangolins.'
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That night 4.2 million watched BBC1's Race Across the World.
Channel 5's Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts had 718,000 viewers.
ITV said: 'No decision has yet been made.'
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Pangolins live in Africa and Asia and are hunted for their keratin scales and meat, which are said to have medicinal qualities in China.
ITV viewers switch off David Tennant's new gameshow after 10 minutes as they say it's 'too complicated' to understand
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