BBC and ITV watched by less than half of viewers
- Publication: London Evening Standard
- Date: 2008-01-17
- Author: Amar Singh
- Page: 16
- Language: English
FOR the first time ever less than half of Britain's TV viewers tuned in to BBC1 or ITV1 during prime time last year.
The dip of the total audience share came in a year of phone rip-off scandals and rows over credibility.
BBC1's share of the peak time audience fell from 24.22 per cent in 2006 to 23.43 per cent last year whilst ITV1 fell from 26.82 per cent to 25.32 per cent.
The figures were revealed by industry journal Broadcast and were based on official ratings by the audience research organisation Barb.
It also found that in the top 100 most viewed programmes of 2007 the BBC provided 53 — with all but one — Top Gear — on BBC1.
ITV broadcast just 45 of the top 100 list — which only includes the highest ranked episode of each show, whether it is a soap or a series as well as one-off specials such as Christmas Day editions. Meanwhile, Channel Four provided just two in the top 100 — Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother.
Broadcast's ratings expert, Philip Reevell, said: "It's difficult to look back on 2007's programming without the overshadowing presence of a series of scandals."
The most watched show of the year was BBC1's EastEnders Christmas episode with 14.88 million viewers. Second was the Dr Who Christmas special, which attracted 13.31 million viewers, again on BBC1.
Third was England's Rugby World Cup final defeat to South Africa on ITV1 with 13.31 million.
Fourth was an ITV1 episode of its long-running hit soap Coronation Street. The most watched football match of 2007 was England's defeat to Croatia on the 21 November on BBC1 — 10th on the list with 11.19 million viewers. The best watched "multichannel" programme —for viewers with satellite or cable — of the year was the Live Carling Cup Final on Sky Sports 1 with 2.38 million viewers.
The top ten multichannel shows also includes Billie Piper's Secret Diary of a Call Girl on ITV2, Lost on Sky One and Big Brother's Big Mouth on E4. ITV, the BBC and GMTV have all been fined by broadcast regulator Ofcom for phone in rip-offs, mainly for getting viewers to ring in for competitions on premium rate numbers even though they had no chance of winning.
TOP SHOWS OF 2007
Ratings winner: Dr Who, with David Tennant and Kylie Minogue
1 EastEnders Christmas episode (BBC1) 14.38 million viewers
2 Dr Who Christmas special (BBC1) 13.31 million
3 Rugby World Cup Final (ITV1) 13.13 million
4 Coronation Street (ITV1) 13.08 million
5 The Vicar of Dibley (BBC1) 13.06 million
6 The X Factor Results (ITV1) 12.23 million
7 Concert for Diana (BBC1) 12.22 million
8 Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1) 12.09 million
9 Britain's Got Talent (ITV1) 11.58 million
10 Match of the Day: England v Croatia (BBC1) 11.19 million
Source: Barb
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- APA 6th ed.: Singh, Amar (2008-01-17). BBC and ITV watched by less than half of viewers. London Evening Standard p. 16.
- MLA 7th ed.: Singh, Amar. "BBC and ITV watched by less than half of viewers." London Evening Standard [add city] 2008-01-17, 16. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Singh, Amar. "BBC and ITV watched by less than half of viewers." London Evening Standard, edition, sec., 2008-01-17
- Turabian: Singh, Amar. "BBC and ITV watched by less than half of viewers." London Evening Standard, 2008-01-17, section, 16 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=BBC and ITV watched by less than half of viewers | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/BBC_and_ITV_watched_by_less_than_half_of_viewers | work=London Evening Standard | pages=16 | date=2008-01-17 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=2 April 2025 }}</ref>
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