U.K. Commercial TV Viewing Sees Lift in First Half of 2016

LONDON: Commercial TV channels in the U.K. have enjoyed a healthy start to 2016, with viewing up in the first half of the year, according to Thinkbox.

U.K. figures for the first half of 2016 show that average commercial TV viewing on a TV set increased to 2 hours, 24 minutes a day, an increase of 1 minute on the same period in 2015 and 7 minutes more a day than a decade ago. Total TV viewing (including BBC channels) decreased slightly year on year to 3 hours, 34 minutes a day—a decrease of 2 minutes a day. Commercial TV’s share of total TV viewing during the first six months of 2016 was 67.4 percent, up from 66 percent during the same period in 2015.

Thinkbox said that it is likely that the closure of BBC Three’s broadcast TV channel in February is partly responsible for a dip in BBC TV viewing and commercial TV’s strong performance, in particular the viewing with 16- to 34-year-olds. According to March to May figures from the BBC, the BBC’s broadcast TV viewing has dropped by 8 percent compared with the same period last year. The drop is more prominent among 16 to 34s—the core audience of BBC Three—for which viewing dropped by 18 percent.

Matt Hill, Thinkbox’s research and planning director, said: “TV is thriving on all screens, but the importance of TV channels on TV sets cannot be overlooked. They remain the first port of call for the majority of people of all ages. The apparent boost that commercial TV has received from BBC Three’s disappearance from the schedules underlines this fact—a strategy that is in stark contrast to the imminent arrival of Viceland on commercial TV.”