The BBC saw its weekly viewing share slip in all homes during December, with both BBC1 and BBC2 in decline compared with their terrestrial rivals. BBC1 lost 2.2% points to push its total viewing share to 23.5% in December, while BBC2 lost 2% points to give a total share of 9.4% in the same period.Commercial… Continue reading Digital Television Round-Up – December 2004

Heart 106.2 has announced that Jamie Theakston will replace Jono Coleman as its breakfast presenter from Easter this year in a surprise move which brings Coleman’s six-year career with the station to an end.Theakston will host the show alongside Coleman’s current assistant, Harriet Scott, in a move which station owner Chrysalis claims is a major… Continue reading Heart Ditches Coleman In Battle For London Supremacy

ITV has commissioned the first ever drama series specifically for screening on ITV2, selecting Shed Productions to create Footballers’ Wives – Extra Time to boost the channel’s profile.The new drama will be a spin-off of the already successful Footballers’ Wives, due to be aired on ITV’s digital entertainment channel later in the year. The programme’s… Continue reading ITV2 Signs Spin Off Show As First Drama Series

The nation’s digital stations saw a strong performance throughout the fourth quarter of 2004, undoubtedly fuelled by purchases of digital radio receivers in the run up to the Christmas period.Digital commercial radio performed admirably towards the end of the year, with Emap’s Heat adding a spectacular 124.1% to its weekly reach year on year, while… Continue reading RAJAR Results Q4 2004: Digital Stations See Boom In Listenership

The latest RAJAR figures for the three months to December 2004 reveal leading London stations Capital and Heart in decline, losing 11.3% and 14.7% respectively from their weekly reach year on year. Capital retained its lead over Chrysalis-owned Heart, however, with a total weekly reach of just over 2 million, compared with Heart’s 1.6 million.Consequently,… Continue reading RAJAR Results Q4 2004: Heart And Capital Pegged Back By Rivals

The latest RAJAR listening figures for the fourth quarter of 2004 reveal few overall changes, with neither the BBC or commercial radio’s share of listening breaking the 1% points change barrier in either growth or decline.The BBC saw declines period on period, however, with All BBC and All BBC Network Radio dipping by 0.4 and… Continue reading RAJAR Results Q4 2004: Radio Market Steady As Listening Hours Decline

The BBC has announced plans to relaunch its online Radio Player service, making almost every BBC Radio programme available live and on-demand via the internet for up to seven days after it was first broadcast, creating a massive library of music, talk shows, dramas and documentaries.The BBC cites the Latest figures showing that more than… Continue reading BBC Boosts Radio Player To Increase Online Listening

ITV has extended its use of movie sponsorship with a new agreement to give Cobra Beer coverage across all movies on ITV2 and ITV3 in 2005, completing its line up of film sponsors and marking the biggest single sponsorship deal yet negotiated for ITV2.The deal is also the first sponsorship agreement to be secured for… Continue reading Cobra Beer Completes ITV’s Round Of Movie Sponsorships

Five continued to perform well in December, adding an impressive 13.7% to its revenues year on year, following an announcement in November that the broadcaster would invest £17 million to boost its programming budget (see Five Boosts Programme Budget By £17 Million).The broadcaster, currently Britain’s smallest terrestrial operator, clearly has plans to increase its profile… Continue reading TV Market Round-Up – December 2004

ITV chief executive Charles Allen has threatened to pull the plug on news provider ITN’s contract with the broadcaster, effectively spelling the end for the company which celebrates its 50th birthday this year.Reports over the weekend suggest that Allen would allow ITN to retain its contract if the news company were bought by ITV, which… Continue reading Charles Allen Threatens To Pull Plug On ITN