May’s digital viewing figures showed that the non-terrestrial channels increased their average weekly share of viewing from 16.5% to 19.1% year on year. However all terrestrial channels saw their average weekly share of viewing decrease. ITV suffered the largest drop from 29% in May 2000 to 27.3% in May this year. Channel 5’s loss of the viewing share in all homes was the least significant, sliding from 5.7% to 5.6%.
The non-terrestrial channels saw their viewing share in all digital homes continue to drop in year on year comparison, from 48.9% in May 2000 to 45.9% in May this year. All terrestrial channels except BBC 2, whose share fell from 6.8% to 5.9%, saw their viewing share increase. BBC 1 saw the greatest percentage rise from 17.2% to 19%.
In ONdigital versus Sky Digital homes, the non-terrestrial channels continue to take large share of viewing in Sky Digital homes – 46.1% average during May – while in ONdigital homes non-terrestrials only managed a 36.2% share.
Among terrestrial channels ITV continued to get a larger share of viewing on ONdigital, where it has a carriage deal, but the difference in viewing share decreased with the channel receiving 22.9% share in ONdigital homes and 19.2% in Sky homes.
ONdigital currently lags some way behind Sky in the number of digital subscribers it has achieved, but hopes to narrow this gap when it re-brands to ITV Digital (see ONdigital To Announce Revamp, Prebble To Head Up ITV).
Subscribers can access more digital viewing figures in the television database by selecting “Television” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.
