Viewers Continue To Tune In To Television Advertising

Television viewers are as attentive to commercial breaks as they were five years ago, despite a marked increase in the number channels on offer, according to a new study carried out by Channel 4.

The research contradicts recent claims from the London Business School that viewers rarely watch television adverts, by showing that the percentage of people paying attention to commercial breaks has remained unchanged between 1998 and 2003 (see TV Viewers Rarely Watch Adverts During Commercial Breaks).

Channel 4 analysed BARB viewing data for one month and tracked all the people on the panel to see who stayed from the end of the first part of the programme, across the commercial break and into the second part.

The study found that 90% of viewers stayed tuned in throughout the adverts. The lucrative 16 to 24 year-old audience flicked around slightly more, but their viewing habits have remained the same over the last five years despite the increase in channels.

Earlier this year an independent study commissioned by BSkyB found that television advertising delivers a stronger call to action than national press or radio ads. The research claimed that 56% of respondents are most likely to respond to ads on TV, compared with 24% for national press and just 6% for radio (see Consumers More Likely To Respond To TV Ads).

Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.co.uk

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