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http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> News and Comment >> BBC1 peak-time share falls below 12 per cent http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1141985276 Message started by Forum Admin on Mar 10^th, 2006, 10:08am

Title: BBC1 peak-time share falls below 12 per cent
Post by Forum Admin on Mar 10^th, 2006, 10:08am

This is taken from The Guardian:

BBC1 hits all-time low for evening ratings

by Owen Gibson and John Plunkett
Friday March 10, 2006

Buffeted by greater competition from digital rivals, BBC1 sunk to its lowest ever peak-time ratings on Wednesday night as a combination of Davina McCall and Panorama failed to woo viewers. On average just one in six of those watching television at the time were tuned in to BBC1 between 6pm and 10.30pm, the channel's worst evening ratings.

Between 7pm and 10.30pm BBC1 had an audience share of just 11.9%.

The disappointing figures came just one day after the heads of ITV admitted the company's main channel was losing viewers faster than its rivals.

Both broadcasters are now focusing on attracting viewers to spinoff channels such as ITV2 and BBC3 to make up the difference, and on making programmes available over the internet and on devices such as the video iPod.

In their defence, BBC1 executives can point to the scheduling of a Panorama special in the heart of peak time. The investigation into the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell tube station drew 2.1 million viewers, a 9% share, at 9pm. But the broadcaster could not use the public service defence to justify its poor performance all night. BBC executives had hoped that McCall's chat show the same night would pick up viewers after a disappointing start, but just 2.5 million people tuned in. The show has struggled since its debut three weeks ago. Next week it will move to 7pm to make way for live football, but will return the week after in the 8pm slot.

Broadcasting experts predict that both ITV and the BBC will have to get used to their main channels continuing to hit new lows as competition increases and the country moves towards switching off the analogue television signal in 2012.

Wednesday night highlighted the concerns as viewers spread themselves more evenly among the five terrestrial channels and digital alternatives such as the Champions League football matches on Sky Sports. Four million tuned into watch Alan Sugar's The Apprentice on BBC2, and later 2.6 million watched Desperate Housewives on Channel 4.

Bumper ratings for the Sunday night natural history spectacular Planet Earth, watched by almost 9 million, and even larger ratings for ITV1's Saturday night Dancing on Ice, indicate that viewers still turn to traditional broadcasters for so-called "event television".

However, this week the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, revealed that seven in 10 homes now had at least one digital set.

To offset audience fragmentation the BBC has already invested hundreds of millions in BBC3 and BBC4. Later this month ITV will launch a children's channel, while the interactive quiz channel ITV Play will join ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 later this year.

Share of viewers

2005 ratings - overall share of viewing, compared with 2004

BBC1 23.26% (-5.72%)

ITV1 21.55% (-5.48%)

Multichannel 29.61% (+12.89%)