BBC1 Audience Share Falls Below 30%
According to consolidated weekly viewing figures released by BARB across the year, BBC1’s share of viewing fell below 30% for the first time last year, down to 29.5%. Along with a drop in BBC2’s share year on year (down by 0.3% points to 11.3%), this means that commercial television is taking a larger share of UK television viewing.
This is not necessarily great news for the two main terrestrial advertising-funded channels though: ITV’s share was at 31.7%, down by 1.2% points compared 1997 and Channel 4’s stake fell from 10.6% to 10.3%. The gains in the TV audience, then, are being made by cable and satellite channels – Other in the chart below – and, more significantly, Channel 5.
Whilst BBC1’s decline in audience share has been slower than that of ITV, the drop below 30% in 1998 may have repercussions in the Corporation’s funding review announced by Culture Secretary Chris Smith yesterday. The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has set up a funding review panel which will be chaired by Gavyn Davies of investment bank Goldman Sachs.
The funding review will start from the premiss that the licence fee is sustainable at least until the review of the BBC’s Charter due in 2005. It will be looking, though, at ways in which alternative funding could support the BBC’s public service framework and ethos.
“This is an important review which aims to ensure the BBC’s continuing ability to meet its public service obligations effectively, while at the same time ensuring that it retains the ability to operate in a competitive market place,” said Chris Smith.
Despite ITV’s loss of overall share, the Network is claiming to have met chief executive Richard Eyre’s target of a 38% share of peak time viewing in 1998 (see ITV Reaches Target Audience Share). The figures claiming this achievement were made before Christmas, however, when the BBC generally performs more strongly than ITV. Christmas Day viewing saw BBC1 take a 70% share in the top ten programmes in terms of audience size.
Channel 5’s growth in audience is greater than that of all the cable and satellite channels combined, up by 1.4% points to 4.3% (in 1997 Channel 5 only broadcast from March). All Other viewing grew by 1.1% points to take a 12.9% share of UK viewing in 1998.
Channel 4’s and BBC2’s audiences are both holding fairly steady and have been hit less hard by the growth in multichannel television. Both were down by just 0.3% points year on year, and both are losing viewers at a much slower rate than the mainstream channels, BBC1 and ITV.
A full TV-Round for the television industry and marketplace will be available on Newsline when all the data are available.
Subscribers can access the Television database by selecting “Television” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.