TV Market Round-Up – March 2003 (Subscribers)
The UK’s terrestrial TV channels saw their combined revenue decline by 4.6% year on year during March, as the outbreak of war with Iraq dominated the schedules and prompted a number of high-profile advertisers to suspend their campaigns (see Advertisers Braced For Disruption As War Arrives).
Channel 4, which was among the first to increase its news coverage of the crisis, was the worst hit, with revenue slipping by 7% during March to just below £54 million. Meanwhile, ITV’s decision to drop commercials from its special 9pm news bulletins (see ITV Drops Ads From Special News Bulletins) appeared to prove costly for the broadcaster, which saw revenue fall by 5.1% year on year to just above £141 million. Channel Five was the only terrestrial channel to record an improvement during March, with revenue rising by 6.2% to £20.2 million.
Total satellite saw revenue increased by 8.9% year on year during March as rolling news channels experienced record viewing figures due to the increased demand for up to the minute information on the Iraqi conflict (see Feature: TV News Proves Its Worth In Times Of Crisis).
| Total Television Revenue – March 2003 | |||
| Total Revenue | Mar 02 | Mar 03 | % Change |
| ITV1 | 147,650,000 | 140,110,000 | -5.1 |
| C4 | 57,780,000 | 53,750,000 | -7.0 |
| Five | 19,020,000 | 20,200,000 | 6.2 |
| GMTV | 5,400,000 | 5,250,000 | -2.8 |
| Total Terrestrial (inc. GMTV) | 229,850,000 | 219,310,000 | -4.6 |
| Total Satellite | 44,640,000 | 48,600,000 | 8.9 |
| Source: Agency Estimates | |||
ITV Franchises
March was a month of mixed fortunes for the ITV franchises, which all saw their share of advertising revenue fluctuate in year on year comparison. Carlton experienced the most significant negative movement, recording a 1.13% point decline to command 13.8% of ITV’s total revenue during March. At the other end of the scale, Central improved by 1.39% points to 18.04% and Yorkshire/North East saw its share of revenue improve by 0.62% points to 10.43%.
| March ITV Franchise Revenue Share Comparison | |||
| Station | Mar 02 | Mar 03 | % Point Change |
| Scotland | 5.71 | 5.93 | 0.22 |
| Anglia TV | 7.63 | 7.32 | -0.31 |
| Carlton | 14.96 | 13.83 | -1.13 |
| LWT | 11.11 | 11.64 | 0.53 |
| Central | 16.65 | 18.04 | 1.39 |
| North West/Border | 9.81 | 10.01 | 0.20 |
| Meridian | 12.50 | 12.32 | -0.18 |
| West Country | 1.82 | 2.02 | 0.20 |
| Ulster (UTV) | 2.36 | 2.51 | 0.15 |
| HTV | 6.40 | 5.96 | -0.44 |
| Yorkshire/North East | 11.05 | 10.43 | -0.62 |
Costs Per Thousand
Costs per thousands fell across the board during March. ITV1 saw the most notable declines in the Housewives With Children and the ABC1 Adults category, which were down by 21.9% and 17.7% respectively. Channel 4 saw the cost of reaching one thousand female viewers fall by 14.1% year on year and Channel Five experienced a notable 11.2% decline in its Housewives With Children category.
| CPTs | ||||||
| ITV1 | % Ch YoY | Channel 4 | % Ch YoY | Five | % Ch YoY | |
| Adults | 7.06 | -15.6 | 7.73 | -9.3 | 3.88 | -7.8 |
| Men | 18 | -13.3 | 18 | -2.8 | 9 | -8.5 |
| Women | 12 | -17.1 | 14 | -14.1 | 6.94 | -7.3 |
| Hwvs | 11 | -17.3 | 12 | -12.4 | 5.98 | -8.3 |
| Hwvs/Ch | 46 | -21.9 | 60 | -7.5 | 24 | -11.2 |
| ABC1 Adults | 19 | -17.7 | 18 | -9.8 | 12 | -0.6 |
Commercial Impacts
Terrestrial broadcasters saw commercial impacts rise across the board during March, with the exception of Channel 4’s Men category, which fell by 4.3% year on year. The most significant gains were seen at ITV and Channel Five, which experienced a respective 21.7% and 19.6% increase in the Housewives With Children category. In comparison, Satellite impacts fell across all categories, with the exception of the ABC1 Adults category, which rose by 7.3% year on year during March.
| Commercial Impacts | ||||||||
| ITV1 Impacts | % Ch YoY | C4 Impacts | % Ch YoY | C5 Impacts | % Ch YoY | Satellite Impacts | % Ch YoY | |
| Adults | 24,066 | 12.7 | 8,428 | 2.5 | 6,311 | 15.2 | 13,472 | -0.8 |
| Men | 9,619 | 9.8 | 3,613 | -4.3 | 2,782 | 16.1 | 6,485 | -1.5 |
| Women | 14,447 | 14.7 | 4,815 | 8.3 | 3,529 | 14.5 | 6,987 | -0.1 |
| Hwvs | 15,342 | 15.0 | 5,361 | 6.2 | 4,091 | 15.8 | 7,297 | -3.7 |
| Hwvs/Ch | 3,728 | 21.7 | 1,091 | 0.5 | 1,000 | 19.6 | 2,913 | -0.8 |
| ABC1 Adults | 8,996 | 15.5 | 3,652 | 3.2 | 1,994 | 6.8 | 5,728 | 7.3 |
Industry News
BBC Admits It May Lose Prominence On BSkyB Puttnam To Lead Media Ownership Rebellion Carlton Sees Challenging H1 For ITV Ad Revenues Carat And Sky Launch Research Into Interactive Ads ITV Drops Ads From Special News Bulletins BBC Pushes Digital Portfolio With Extended Ad Campaign Carlton Active Closes To Make Way For New ITV Division Hodgson Calls For Review Of Ownership At ITN Channel 4 Considers New Free Digital TV Offering Dog Breath Ad Ditched As Complaints Rise Channel 4 Secures Nescafé For Sponsorship Deal BBC’s Exit From Carriage Deal Will Not Hurt Sky BBC Terminates Sky Carriage Deal Ad Industry Welcomes Scrutiny Of Planned ITV Merger ITV Merger To Be Investigated By Competition Commission BBC Hails New Digital Channel A Success With Youth Audience Sky Digital Secures Coca-Cola For First Interactive Ad Sky Prepares To Launch New Digital Music Channels Puttnam Warns Of Defeat Over Channel Five Ownership Granada Secures Innovative £3.5m Deal With HomePride Freeview Sells Half A Million Decoders In Four Months
Subscribers can access the Television database by selecting “Television” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.