ITV Beats BBC In Drama Battle
The latest figures from BARB reveal six of the top ten most watched dramas this year were shown on ITV1 and were produced by Granada.
The data will be welcome news for ITV and its advertisers who have voiced concern over the network’s declining power ratio in the digital marketplace.
According to BARB, Coronation Street, which is sponsored by Cadburys, topped the chart with a peak audience of 19.4 million. The soap, which is an integral component of ITV’s evening schedule, has benefited from a series of special double bills and a particularly bloody storyline (see Coronation Street Showdown Secures Record Audience).
The soap outshone BBC1’s flagship drama series Eastenders, which peaked at 15.8 million viewers.
Heartbeat, A Touch Of Frost and the final series of Cold Feet also secured solid audiences for ITV1. The BBC’s long established drama series Casualty and Johnathan Creek also made it into the top ten.
Granada Enterprises is forecasting continued success in the drama genre in the coming year, with big budget productions of Henry VII and Boudica scheduled for the autumn.
The company has also extended its sponsorship agreement with Silentnight Beds, which is to sponsor the fourth series of Where The Heart Is, later this month (see Granada Cuddles Up To Silentnight).
Granada: 020 7396 6000 www.granadaenterprises.com
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