BBC viewing figures fall to all-time low

[DC09]

Viewing figures for the BBC's two main television channels have fallen to an all-time low in the week that the director general, Mark Thompson, announced swingeing cutbacks.

BBC1's share of all television viewing is set to fall through the psychologically important 25 per cent barrier for the first time in the broadcaster's history, according to audience figures for this year up to 9 December.

BBC2 has also seen its audience share plummet by almost 9 per cent over the same period. If these trends continue for the final three weeks of 2004, it will mean that for the first time less than 10 per cent of the television audience are tuning into BBC2 on average, while less than a quarter of viewers are watching BBC1.

The figures, which reflect the changing landscape of British television, show the combined audience share for BBC1 and BBC2 has fallen by almost 9 per cent since 2000.

The decline, largely because of the rise of multi-channel viewing, has afflicted ITV1 even more severely than the BBC - since 2000 the channel's audience share has fallen 22 per cent to 22.8 per cent of all television viewers. In 2004, for the first time, multi-channel television has attracted higher overall viewing figures than either BBC1 or ITV1, with 26 per cent of the audience.

But Channel 4 has proven it is possible for a terrestrial broadcaster with a public service remit to improve its audience share against such a competitive backdrop. In the past year, the channel's audience share has climbed by 1.4 per cent to 9.8 per cent, thanks to a range of popular factual programmes, such as Wife Swap and How Clean Is Your House?, and to its coup in winning the terrestrial rights to The Simpsons from BBC2. Channel 4 began broadcasting the popular American cartoon show in March this year. Channel Five has also seen its audience share climb by 1.7 per cent to 6.66 per cent.

Between 1 January and 9 December, BBC1's audience share fell 3.5 per cent to 24.67 per cent, while BBC2's share dropped by 8.9 per cent to 9.99 per cent.

Full Article

[Talon]

Not surprised, barring their documentaries BBC television is crap.

[Art Vandelay]

Not surprised, barring their documentaries BBC television is crap.

404848[/snapback]

Thank You Talon

[Talon]

Thank you for what? I really don't get the fuss, a tv station's ratings are down.... who cares

[Art Vandelay]

It's just true what you said, I thanked you for it, seemed like I was the only person that didn't like BBC........

[Talon]

Why wouldn't you like the BBC, its a government funded UK channel, your in the US. Anyway Sky is much better, plus its far more anti-Bush than the BBC could ever hope

[Art Vandelay]

Why wouldn't you like the BBC, its a government funded UK channel, your in the US. Anyway Sky is much better, plus its far more anti-Bush than the BBC could ever hope

404891[/snapback]

[Talon]

Anyway, the BBC failing is a glorious blow against Capitalism and its tv tax by the socialist masses. This is a great day for the far-left