Total terrestrial TV revenue held firm during May, with a modest year on year increase to almost £234 million. The outlook was positive for the majority of broadcasters and the only negative movement was experienced by ITV, which is facing the full scrutiny of the Competition Commission over the proposed Carlton/Granada merger (see Competition Commission Delays Verdict On ITV Merger). The network saw revenue decline during May to just over £148 million.
Once again Five led the upward movement during May and the channel, which has been at the centre of a row over the relaxation of the media ownership regulations (see Puttnam Plan Could End Media Ownership Deadlock), saw revenue rise year on year to almost £22.8 million. Channel 4, which recently increased its programming budget for the coming year to the highest level in its history (see Channel 4 Boosts Programming Budget To Record High), saw revenue rise by a solid 3.4%.
The IPA’s latest Trends In Television report for the first quarter of 2003 shows that non-terrestrial channels now command almost a quarter of all viewing (see Multi-Channel TV Gains Ground In Battle For Viewers). May’s revenue figures also brought good news to satellite broadcasters, which saw their combined revenue increase by 18.7% year on year during May.
ITV Franchises
May proved to be another month of mixed fortunes for the ITV franchises. LWT saw its share of revenue increase to 12.02%, whilst at the other end of the scale, Central experienced a 0.47% points decline during the same period. Carlton saw its share of ITV’s total revenue remain virtually static year on year during May.
Costs Per Thousand
Costs per thousands rose across the board for all terrestrial channels during May, with the exception of ITV, which experienced year on year declines in all categories. The UK’s largest commercial broadcaster saw the most significant downward movement in the Housewives With Children category and the ABC1 Adults category. Meanwhile, Channel 4 experienced the most notable increases in the Men and ABC1 Adults categories. Five saw its Housewives With Children category rise by a significant 5.3% during May.
Commercial Impacts
ITV experienced some solid year on year increases in commercial impacts during May, with both its Housewives With Children and ABC1 Adults rising respectively. Five experienced a significant year on year increase in its ABC1 Adults category and satellite impacts for the same demographic rose by 23.6% during May. Channel 4 was the only broadcaster to see any downward movement, with a decline in its Men category and a slight drop in its Housewives With Children category.
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