Freeview Viewers Turned Off By Extra Channels
Freeview audiences spent the majority of their viewing time during the Easter week watching the five main terrestrial channels, with only a minority sampling the 20 other digital television channels available on the platform.
According to a report in The Observer, which quotes previously undisclosed figures from BARB, Freeview viewers spent 83% of their time watching channels available on terrestrial TV, with just 17% tuning into smaller digital channels.
Freeview has proved surprisingly popular since its launch last October and sales of set top boxes has surpassed the 500,000 mark (see Freeview Sells Half A Million Decoders In Four Months). However, news that Freeview viewers are proving reluctant to tune into the new digital channels could cause concern for the BBC.
The Corporation has invested heavily in its digital portfolio, which includes the recently launched BBC3 (see Government Finally Gives BBC3 The Go Ahead), as well as the arts-focussed BBC4 and the CBeebies children’s channel. Last year BBC director general, Greg Dyke, said that the success of these and other niche channels would prove vital to the future of the Freeview platform.
Analysis of viewing in multi-channel homes shows that the most popular programmes are those that can be seen on terrestrial TV, such as soaps like EastEnders and Coronation Street, as well as films. Comparatively some digital channels available on the Freeview platform have yet to make a significant impact, with BBC4 typically attracting around 0.5% of multi-channel viewers and niche offerings such as Bid Up TV struggling to draw viewers. ITV2 is one of the platform’s more successful channels and its share of viewing hovers around the 1.5% mark.
However, Freeview’s general manager, Matthew Seaman, claims that it’s too soon to make judgements. He told The Observer: “It’s early days. People are coming from a background of watching four or five channels. It takes time before you start exploring all the channels. It’s not something that you do straight away. It’s not a worry to us.”
Analysts suggest that if the popularity of Freeview’s channels were to increase, the price for commercial broadcasters may be high. A recent report from Zenith Optimedia warns that ITV’s audiences could continue to decline during 2003 as the digital terrestrial platform takes off (see ITV Could Lose Audiences To Freeview In 2003).
Last week the latest unofficial viewing figures revealed that multi-channel television is continuing to increase in popularity, accounting for 26.1% of all viewing in the week ending Sunday 20 April, while BBC1 made up 23.9% and ITV1 accounted for 23.8% (see Multi-Channel TV Overtakes Terrestrial Rivals).
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk
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