IPA publishes second positive television report of the year

The IPA’s latest Trends in Television report for the second quarter of the year has recorded another strong performance for the overall market, despite a slight dip in television viewing.

Individuals watched an average of 3.56 hours of television each day in Q2 2009, which is down from the 3.96 average hours watched in Q1 and a slight dip from 3.57 hours year on year, according to the report.

However, non-terrestrial channels enjoyed a good period and managed to break through the 40% share of viewing mark for the first time in quarter two, achieving a 41.7% share, while commercial channels increased their share of viewing to 63.4%.

The switch to digital platforms also continued to grow, with digital homes penetration now standing at 87.3%.

Demographically, channel performances followed a similar pattern to recent years, while young people across the UK continued to make up the majority of non-terrestrial audiences.

The BBC secured the largest share of viewing of any broadcaster once again with 32.2%, followed by ITV at 23%, according to the IPA.

In terms of impact shares, ITV retained the highest overall share at 35.7%, however, the balance between ITV1 and the other ITV channels continues to change as ITV1 declines and the other ITV services grow.

Lynne Robinson, research director at the IPA, said: “This latest report reveals another positive quarter for television, particularly for commercial television.”