VIRGIN - BRANSON'S SHOW CONTINUES TO BOMB

LATEST: VIRGIN boss SIR RICHARD BRANSON's new reality TV contest, THE REBEL BILLIONAIRE, is proving to be a big flop in America.

The show, in which contestants compete for a major role in the British entrepreneur's business empire, debuted to poor ratings earlier this month (NOV04), and even fewer people have kept watching.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the show is averaging less than five million viewers a week - making it 91st in the primetime ratings list.

A spokesman for TV network FOX, where the weekly show airs, insist the show will not be axed before its conclusion, which means all 12 episodes will air.