ITV put in a relatively lacklustre performance last month with revenue dipping by 6% year on year to just over £105 million as it struggled in the face of increasingly tough competition.
The latest agency estimates compiled by MediaTel Group reveal a disappointing performance for the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, which was hard hit by the success of the BBC’s Olympic coverage and a bumper summer for Channel 4.
However, ITV is putting its faith in a strong autumn schedule which includes a range of new dramas and star-studded entertainment shows. This already appears to be paying off with figures revealing a strong performance for lynch pin shows Parkinson and Doc Martin (see Parkinson Gives Boost To ITV’s Saturday Schedule).
Meanwhile, Channel 4 put in a more positive performance with revenue inching up by 1.7% during August to £43 million, despite the absence of ratings winners, Friends and Big Brother, from its peaktime schedule. Chief executive, Andy Duncan, is currently looking to at ways to future-proof Channel 4 and is considering strategic links with the BBC (see Channel 4 Confirms Intention To Link With BBC).
Five saw revenue rise by a solid 4% year on year to just over £19 million, but this was overshadowed by an impressive 14.7% increase for GTMV, which bucked the downturn affecting ITV to see revenue top the £4 million mark. ITV is currently attempting to buy Scottish Media Group’s 25% stake in the breakfast television franchise in a move that has caused concern amongst advertisers (see IPA Demands Separate Sales House For ITV-Owned GMTV).
Satellite broadcasters continue to go from strength to strength with revenue rising by more than 16% during August to £44,2 million. The latest figures from Ofcom show that total number of UK households with access to digital television increased to 55% in the second quarter of this year, up from just 53% in the previous quarter (see Digital Penetration Increases As Deadline Looms).
| Total Television Revenue – Aug 2004 | |||
| Total Revenue | % Change | ||
| ITV1 | 112,040,000 | 105,370,000 | -6.0 |
| C4 | 42,270,000 | 43,000,000 | 1.7 |
| Five | 18,650,000 | 19,400,000 | 4.0 |
| GMTV | 3,600,000 | 4,130,000 | 14.7 |
| Total Terrestrial (inc. GMTV) | 176,560,000 | 171,900,000 | -2.6 |
| Total Satellite | 41,770,000 | 44,200,000 | 16.2 |
| Source: Agency Estimates | |||
ITV Franchises
LWT experienced the most significant increase amongst the ITV franchises, with its share of revenue rising by 0.46% points year on year during August to 11.36%. Rival London licence Carlton also performed well with a 0.40% points rise to 14.93%. At the other end of the scale, Northwest/Border saw its share of revenue decline by 0.69% points to 10.40% and HTV dipped by 0.54% during the same period to 5.64%.
| August ITV Franchise Revenue Share Comparison | |||
| Station | Au 03 | Aug 04 | % Point Change |
| Scotland | 6.14 | 6.35 | 0.21 |
| Anglia TV | 7.21 | 7.35 | 0.14 |
| Carlton | 14.53 | 14.93 | 0.40 |
| LWT | 10.93 | 11.39 | 0.46 |
| Central | 16.40 | 16.21 | -0.19 |
| North West/Border | 11.09 | 10.40 | -0.69 |
| Meridian | 11.84 | 11.81 | -0.03 |
| West Country | 2.06 | 2.13 | 0.07 |
| Ulster (UTV) | 2.27 | 2.62 | 0.35 |
| HTV | 6.18 | 5.64 | -0.54 |
| Yorkshire/North East | 11.34 | 11.17 | -0.17 |
Costs Per Thousand
Channel 4 saw costs per thousand drop across the board during August, with the exception of the Men category, which increased by 7% year on year. ITV saw a significant 12.7% increase in the Housewives with Children’s category, but this was overshadowed by a more notable 33.1% rise in the same category for Five.
| CPTs | ||||||
| ITV1 | % Ch YoY | Channel 4 | % Ch YoY | Five | % Ch YoY | |
| Adults | 6.87 | 4.8 | 6.45 | -4.5 | 4.78 | 17.7 |
| Men | 18 | 10.1 | 15 | 7 | 11 | 16 |
| Women | 11 | 1.6 | 11 | -12.9 | 8.31 | 19 |
| Hwvs | 10 | 1.9 | 10 | -6.9 | 7.31 | 17.7 |
| Hwvs/Ch | 52 | 12.7 | 42 | -16.9 | 34 | 33.1 |
| ABC1 Adults | 20 | 8.9 | 13.68 | -6.9 | 15 | 18.4 |
Commercial Impacts
Both ITV and Five saw commercial impacts decline across the board year on year during August, with heavy downward movement in the Housewives with Children category. Channel 4 saw a 5% dip in the Men category and Satellite broadcasters once again saw positive growth across all sectors.
| Commercial Impacts | ||||||||
| ITV1 Impacts | % Ch YoY | C4 Impacts | % Ch YoY | C5 Impacts | % Ch YoY | Satellite Impacts | % Ch YoY | |
| Adults | 18,594 | -10.3 | 8,078 | 6.4 | 4,923 | -11.6 | 15,164 | 6.5 |
| Men | 7,034 | -14.6 | 3,413 | -5.0 | 2,095 | -10.3 | 7,141 | 0.9 |
| Women | 11,560 | -7.5 | 4,665 | 16.8 | 2,828 | -12.6 | 8,024 | 11.9 |
| Hwvs | 12,412 | -7.7 | 5,018 | 9.2 | 3,215 | -11.6 | 8,347 | 9.5 |
| Hwvs/Ch | 2,442 | -16.6 | 1,247 | 22.4 | 686 | -21.9 | 3,273 | 12.1 |
| ABC1 Adults | 6,511 | -13.6 | 3,810 | 9.2 | 1,586 | -12.2 | 6,338 | 5.8 |
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