Rachel_Sandford
News Hound
Broadcast Journal recently reported summer viewing figures, and it seems ITV is suffering from a “drought,” having the lowest viewer ratings since audience figures were first compiled in 2006. “ITV1 is enduring one of its worst summers on record after some of its new entertainment formats underperformed,” said the magazine. “This year's figures are the lowest the channel has posted since at least 2006—the earliest year available—and some industry sources say they are likely to be among the worst on record.”
While viewing figures usually go down in the summer, audience figures for the broadcaster show that from July to early August, ITV has had an average audience of 1.2million viewers or 14% of the viewing population. During peak hours, which are from 7-11pm on a Saturday, the stats go up to 3.5million or 17%, but this is still down from the 3.9million or 19% the figures reported for around the same time last year. This data can influence what advertisers are willing to shell out for prime slots.
“The finger has been pointed at shows including The Marriage Ref, Popstar to Operastar, and Born to Shine,” said Broadcast.
Shown on Saturday nights, The Marriage Ref, hosted by Dermot O'Leary is a show that gets a celebrity panel to help out real life couples. It was reported that it once just had 1.4million viewers or 8% of the available audience. Popstar to Operastar also flopped, while talent show Born to Shine, which was suppose to launch Natasha Kaplinsky's career as a presenter, also didn't capture enough attention. It seems that without shows like Britain's Got Talent and the X Factor, the broadcaster has little to offer.
The stats showed that apart from ITV1's top soap operas, only one programme made it to the top 40, and that was for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. BARB figures, on the other hand, show that Emmerdale and Coronation Street episodes also made it to the top 40, but nothing else.
An ITV spokesman addressed the ratings issue, saying “The summer months often see a drop in overall viewing. As we announced at our interim results, we ha d a strong on-screen performance for the first hald of the year, with the ITV family share of viewing up two percent... We have launched eight of the top ten new dramas while ITV2 and ITV3 are the two most popular among the fastest growing digital channels.”
In other news, BBC1's Spooks will be ending after this coming season. The company announced that it was time to make way for new spy dramas, ones that would reflect our current world.
While viewing figures usually go down in the summer, audience figures for the broadcaster show that from July to early August, ITV has had an average audience of 1.2million viewers or 14% of the viewing population. During peak hours, which are from 7-11pm on a Saturday, the stats go up to 3.5million or 17%, but this is still down from the 3.9million or 19% the figures reported for around the same time last year. This data can influence what advertisers are willing to shell out for prime slots.
“The finger has been pointed at shows including The Marriage Ref, Popstar to Operastar, and Born to Shine,” said Broadcast.
Shown on Saturday nights, The Marriage Ref, hosted by Dermot O'Leary is a show that gets a celebrity panel to help out real life couples. It was reported that it once just had 1.4million viewers or 8% of the available audience. Popstar to Operastar also flopped, while talent show Born to Shine, which was suppose to launch Natasha Kaplinsky's career as a presenter, also didn't capture enough attention. It seems that without shows like Britain's Got Talent and the X Factor, the broadcaster has little to offer.
The stats showed that apart from ITV1's top soap operas, only one programme made it to the top 40, and that was for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. BARB figures, on the other hand, show that Emmerdale and Coronation Street episodes also made it to the top 40, but nothing else.
An ITV spokesman addressed the ratings issue, saying “The summer months often see a drop in overall viewing. As we announced at our interim results, we ha d a strong on-screen performance for the first hald of the year, with the ITV family share of viewing up two percent... We have launched eight of the top ten new dramas while ITV2 and ITV3 are the two most popular among the fastest growing digital channels.”
In other news, BBC1's Spooks will be ending after this coming season. The company announced that it was time to make way for new spy dramas, ones that would reflect our current world.
