Television Market Round-Up – April 2005

Five saw its revenues increase by 1.1% year on year in April, marking the only revenue increase amongst the nation’s terrestrial broadcasters and pushing the company’s total figure to £24.5 million.

The increase shows the broadcaster continuing to perform well, after parent company, RTL Group, revealed impressive profits in the 12 months to December 2004, doubling Five’s pre-tax figure for 2003 to total €18 million (see Five Doubles Profits As Ad Revenue Rises).

Meanwhile, Five’s rival terrestrial broadcasters saw their revenues slip year on year in April, With ITV leading the decline, losing 12.4%. The broadcaster’s revenues currently stand at just over £129.8 million, although analysts are continuing to predict revenue decline for the broadcaster, with some believing a viewer exodus will leave ad revenues for June down by as much as 15 to 20% (see ITV Set For Downbeat AGM After Viewer Exodus).

Channel 4 also saw a slip in its revenues, shedding 2.1% year on year to rest at just under £59.2 million. However, April saw the broadcaster confirm the launch of E4, as well as its timeshifted counterpart, E4+1, on the Freeview platform at the end of May, a move sure to boost advertising revenues for the channel, opening its content to an additional 5 million households (see E4 Set For Freeview Launch Next Month).

Breakfast broadcaster, GMTV, also suffered a dip in its revenues, although its decline was relatively minor in comparison to rival broadcasters, at 1.4% year on year. The company, which came under fire from its high-profile presenter, Fiona Phillips for its increasingly prevalent sponsorship placements, now commands revenues of almost £5 million (see Phillips: GMTV ‘Hijacked’ By Sponsorship Deals).

The nation’s satellite broadcasters saw a solid increase in revenues year on year during April, adding 13.4% to their total year on year to total over £66.3 million.

ITV Franchises

ITV’s revenue distribution across the regions remained relatively stable throughout April, with no single point percentage changes, although London-based LWT made the largest rise, adding 0.9% points to contribute 12.49% of ITV’s total.

Scotland also saw an increase, adding 0.6% points to its contribution, which now totals 7.17%.

Elsewhere, Central continued to provide the largest share of ITV’s revenue at 16.62%, despite a dip of 0.4% points year on year.

Costs Per Thousand

All three of the nation’s commercial terrestrial broadcasters saw dips in costs per thousand during April, with just one broadcaster, Five, seeing an upturn in any audience, adding 0.1% in the Men category year on year.

Elsewhere, Five suffered heavy declines in the Housewives with Children category, losing 5% year on year; Women, losing 4.7% year on year and ABC1 Adults, losing 4.5%.

ITV also saw large downturns in its Women and Housewives audiences, losing 10.3% and 9% respectively, while Channel 4 saw its largest dip in the Housewives with Children sector, shedding 13.2% year on year.

Commercial Impacts

Five saw increases in commercial impacts across the board during April, with the largest increase shown in its Housewives with Children audience, adding 6.4% year on year.

The broadcaster’s women audience also saw a rise in impacts, adding 6.1% year on year, while ABC1 Adults added 5.9% in the same period.

Elsewhere ITV saw declines in its commercial impacts in all sectors, losing particularly heavily amongst ABC1 Adult audiences, shedding 10.6% year on year, and amongst Men, losing 8.3%.

Channel 4 saw mixed results, with an increase of 12.8% in the Housewives with Children category, a rise of 1% amongst ABC1 Adults and a 0.6% rise in Men. However, slight declines were evident amongst the Adults, Women and Housewives audiences.

Satellite impacts continued to rise in all audiences, with the largest increase evident amongst Housewives, at 17.1% year on year.

BARB: www.barb.co.uk