Freeview Pushes UK Multi-Channel Homes To 11.5 Million
The number of UK homes with access to multi-channel television reached 11.5 million in the first quarter of this year as the runaway success of Freeview continued to persuade viewers to make the switch from analogue.
The latest Trends In Television Report from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising shows the Government is making good progress towards its target of switching off the analogue signal by the end of this decade (see Digital Television Tops 10 Million Homes For First Time).
Digital terrestrial television continued to be the fastest growing multi-channel platform in first three months of this year and it looks increasingly likely that Freeview could replace Sky as the UK’s most popular multichannel service within four years (see Freeview To Replace Sky As Top Multichannel Platform).
The ongoing success of digital terrestrial is good news for ITV, which commands a significantly larger share of viewing on Freeview than it does on Sky Digital. The UK’s largest commercial broadcaster has a 27.6% share of viewing on the digital terrestrial platform compared to just 16.9% on the satellite platform.
ITV’s presence in digital terrestrial homes will receive a boost later this year when it extends its multi-channel strategy with the launch of ITV3 for older, upmarket viewers and ITV Kids for the lucrative younger generation (see Desmond Outlines New Strategy For Post Merger ITV).
The research also shows that non-terrestrial channels continue to gain ground in the all important battle for viewers, with their combined audience share rising by 2.6% points year on year to 24.2%.
Meanwhile, ITV saw its share of viewing remain stable at 24.9% in year on year analysis. The broadcaster looks set to experience an uplift over the next few months with its coverage of the forthcoming Euro 2004 football championships expected to attract record audiences (see ITV Sees Revenue Surge As Euro 2004 Approaches).
BBC One maintained its lead over its commercial rivals with a 24.9% share of viewing in the first quarter of this year. However, the broadcaster recently came under attack from the IPA, which deplored the Corporation’s increasingly aggressive approach to programming and self-promotion (see IPA Report Deplores Aggressive And Commercial BBC).
Channel 4 saw its share of viewing inch-up by 0.2% points year on year to 9.4% as long running US sitcom Sex and the City bowed out with an audience of 4.4 million viewers. The channel will also wave goodbye to veteran ratings winner Friends later this month, but the start of Big Brother and the arrival of The Simpsons look set to prevent any significant audience migration (see Advertisers Line Up For Channel 4 Friends Finalé).
The UK’s smallest terrestrial broadcaster, Channel Five, also saw its share rise slightly as it continued to benefit from ongoing attempts to distance itself from its downmarket image. However, the channel’s largest shareholder, RTL, recently admitted that Five needs to forge closer links with commercial rivals such as Channel 4 or BSkyB if it is to survive in the increasingly competitive multi-channel environment (see Five To Link With Rivals For Survival In Digital Age).
The Trends In Television Report also shows that overall television viewing is continuing its upward trend with average daily hours of viewing now at 4 hours, the highest recorded level in the past ten years. Lynne Robinson, IPA research director, said: “The latest report shows a very healthy television viewing market. In particular the digital sector is continuing to show substantial growth.”
IPA: 020 7235 7020 www.ipa.co.uk
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