Continuing the trend that has been seen in many countries already the viewing figures in Latvia for the 2008 contest took quite a tumble. Last year nearly 40% of Latvians over the age of 4 watched the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. This year just over 30% tuned in for the grand final.
The number of viewers dropped from 865,900 to 668,100. Unlike many countries this cannot be explained by Latvia not qualifying for the final.
The change of format also had some bearing as the number of viewers for the semi finals were both down on the ratings for last year’s final. 15.1% and 21.6% watched the first and second semi final respectively. Even just taking into account the semi final in which Latvia participated there was a drop off in interest. 25.9% followed the 2007 semi final.
