April’s digital TV viewing figures showed that the non-terrestrial channels increased their average weekly share of viewing from 16.5% to 19.2% year on year. BBC1 also managed an increase, up from from 26.3% in April 2000 to 26.5 in April this year. The largest loss in viewing share was at BBC2 which dropped from an average 12% weekly share of viewing in all homes to 10.6%
BBC2 was the only non-terrestrial channel not to improve its viewing share in digital homes year on year, dropping from 6.8% to 5.7%, while BBC1 grew from 17.2% to 19.1%. The non-terrestrial channels’ dominance in these households continues to slip as a result, falling further below the 50% mark from 48.9% in April 2000 to 47.1% in April 2001.
In ONdigital versus Sky Digital homes, the gap between the viewing shares of non-terrestrial channels is narrowing. Whereas before these channels gained a larger share of viewing in Sky homes, this month the difference was 48% compared to 36.2% in ONdigital homes, a smaller gap than is usually expected. Among the terrestrial channels, while all gain a larger share of viewing in ONdigital homes, for ITV the difference between the two platforms is greater, as it gains a 23.4% share in ONdigital homes, where it has a carriage deal, compared to 18.7% in Sky Digital homes, where it does not.
Subscribers can access more digital viewing figures in the Television database by selecting “Television” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.
