ITV claimed victory in the Saturday night scheduling battle after the BBC agreed to move Strictly Come Dancing — reducing the clash with The X Factor.

The two shows have overlapped for more than an hour at times, which has annoyed viewers wanting to watch both. The BBC Trust had warned corporation bosses that they should focus on the “quality and impact” of programmes rather than the battle for ratings with ITV.

From October 31, the overlap will be cut to 45 minutes, with Strictly starting at 6.50pm and ending at 8.45pm and The X Factor starting at 8pm on ITV1.

A BBC spokesman said that the change had nothing to do with The X Factor and that the move was to make way for a new series starring Jon Culshaw, the impressionist. The spokesman added that Strictly was a “key part of our Saturday line-up”.

The overlap is expected to be reduced as more hopefuls are knocked out, leading to shorter running times.

The ITV series has proved a consistent winner. The X Factor received its biggest audience last Sunday, with figures of 14.8 million — more than last year’s final. Saturday’s edition of The X Factor drew an average audience of 10.9 million viewers, 1.6 million more than watched the equivalent episode last year. On BBC One, Strictly Come Dancing was watched by an average of 7.8 million viewers.

The BBC had defended its timings, arguing that the Saturday night schedules were planned six months in advance. Progammers saw rival line-ups only ten days before transmission and the BBC said that its schedule could not be changed to accommodate one ITV1 show.

The corporation also argued that Strictly’s placing was determined by the need to screen the Merlin series early on Saturday and contractual obligations over the positioning of Match of the Day.

Peter Fincham, ITV’s director of television, said: “They [the BBC] ironically have a greater focus on ratings because that’s one of the ways that they can gauge success.”

A new battle has begun between the two broadcasters to book the most popular musical talent. ITV boosted audiences with comebacks by Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston on The X Factor. Strictly has secured Harry Connick Jr, the US swing star, for tomorrow night’s show and signed up the Bee Gees for Saturday week.

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