Television viewing has shown an overall decline for the seventh consecutive quarter year on year, according to the IPA’s Q3 2006 Trends In Television Report.
The report reveals the steady long-term decline in total television viewing combined with the increased growth in non-terrestrial channels. 70% of all UK homes can now receive digital television, with non-terrestrial channels taking a 35% share of total viewing. 65% of the population now watch digital channels in an average week.
The IPA’s latest release has also shown that despite a poor start, ITV’s share has been much improved in the last four weeks of the quarter. Conversely, Channel 4 did a lot better in the early part of the quarter.
Demographically, channel performances retain much the same pattern as they have held for some time now. Digital terrestrial reception in particular continues to grow rapidly and is now heading towards covering 30% of the television population.
Both BBC One and BBC Two have seen their audience share decline in the quarter, despite BBC One taking the biggest share of the terrestrial channels at 22.7%. One’s share is up year on year, but Two’s has declined, down from 9.3% in Q3 2005 to 8.3% for Q3 2006.
ITV + GMTV’s share is now 17.9%, down from 19.9% last quarter, and down from 20.5% for the same quarter a year ago. Channel 4’s share now stands at 9.9%, down from 10.4% in Q2 this year and from 11% year on year.
Five boosted its share slightly quarter on quarter, up to 5.8% from 5.7% in Q2, but its total share was higher for the same period in 2005 at 6.5%.
Lynne Robinson, research director of the IPA, said: “The growth of non-terrestrial television is accelerating. However, within terrestrial, ITV’s performance was much improved in the last four weeks of the quarter following the start of the autumn schedule.
“The IPA will publish its Q4 2006 report in February 2007, which will show whether they have managed to maintain this improved performance.”
The group’s Q2 2006 report also suggested that the major channels were suffering from the growth of the non-terrestrial channels, which had recorded that they were reaching 65% of the potential audience in a week (see IPA Report Shows Continual Decline In TV Viewing).
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