Skins shows popularity of online TV among younger viewers
More evidence has emerged of changing viewing habits among younger viewers, with one in six of all viewers of Channel 4 show Skins watching the programme online.
The third series’ debut episode was watched by 1.35 million on E4 when it aired on January 22, with 283,000 watching it online – meaning that 17.3 per cent of the programme’s viewing was via the internet.
Jon Gisby, Channel 4’s director of future media, told the Times: “This is an audience of people like students that have access to broadband, computers and wi-fi, but do not tend to have access to pay-television and personal video recorders.
“Doubtless they will watch more conventional television as they get older, but we should not underestimate the degree that these habits will stick.”
Although Skins is particularly popular online – with other shows usually receiving a proportion of computer viewing at well under 5% – recent figures indicate that watching online is becoming more popular across the board.
Thinkbox recently released a report which showed online TV viewing is growing simultaneously with broadcast TV (see TV viewing reaches a record high).
The Thinkbox report found that 78% of online TV watching is catch-up viewing with broadcast TV, with online TV increasing viewer loyalty to channels and programmes.
The BBC, meanwhile, revealed that its on-demand offering iPlayer had a total 271 million programme requests from December 25 2007 to December 25 2008 (see BBC Three and BBC iPlayer deliver record performances).
Online TV was recently dealt a blow when the Competition Commission blocked the joint on-demand venture from BBC Worldwide, Channel 4 and ITV, Project Kangaroo (see Competition Commission “stops” Kangaroo).
Peter Freeman, chairman of the Competition Commission, said: “After detailed and careful consideration, we have decided that this joint venture would be too much of a threat to competition in this developing market and has to be stopped.
“BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 together control the vast majority of this material, which puts them in a very strong position as wholesalers of TV content to restrict competition from other current and future providers of video-on-demand services to UK viewers.”
Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com