ITV Share Of Commercial Viewing Will Fall To 50% By 2005, According To Research

Predictions by Zenith Media show that ITV’s share of total commercial viewing is likely to fall to 50% by 2005; in 1997 it averaged 61%. The Network’s share of overall viewing is predicted to fall from 31% in 1997 to 27.5% by 2005.

The report, UK Television Forecasts To 2005, also predicts that ITV’s ad revenue growth will stand at 2.7% this year, and will be more modest in the future. Overall ad spend growth is expected to fall from 5.5% this year, to 2.2% in 1999.

The expanding pay-TV market will be worth £1.7 billion this year in terms of paying households; this is expected to rise to £4.5 billion by 2005. Of soon-to-launch digital terrestrial television (DTT), the report claims that 1.8 million homes will be ‘wired up’ to DTT by 2005.

The full report is available from Zenith Media for £260. The forecast report is published every six months by Zenith Media (http://www.zenithmedia.co.uk/).

Zenith Media: 0171 753 6599