Daily TV viewing figures at highest levels in four years

Average daily TV viewing figures over the last three months of 2008 were at their highest level since 2004, standing at 3.9 hours per individual.

The IPA's latest Trends in TV report also reveals that non-terrestrial TV channels continue to erode the terrestrial channels' share, achieving 40% of viewing in Q4.

Patronage levels - defined as the percentage of the population tuning into a channel for at least three minutes during the week - are higher for Five than at the same period a year earlier. However, patronage for BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4 were down over the year.

In a further boost to the multichannel sector, patronage of the non-terrestrial channels is established at nearly 80%, the IPA said. Patronage of non-terrestrials had increased from 60% in three years, according to the IPA.

In terms of audience shares by demographic, the terrestrial channels have retained largely the same pattern they have held for some time. Non-terrestrial channels' audience pick up more 16 to 34-year-olds than the terrestrials, while more ABC1s (62.4%) watch terrestrial channels than non-terrestrial channels (37.6%).

Including digital channels, its share in GMTV and ITV1, ITV captured 39.9% of commercial impacts in Q4, down from 41% in Q4 2007. Channel 4's share of commercial impacts rose from 17.5% in Q4 2007, to 18.1% in Q4 2008. Sky Media and Five managed to increase their share of commercial impacts, by 0.5 and 0.3 percentage points respectively.

Separately, media research firm Ebiquity forecasts UK TV ad spend will be down 10% year on year in 2009, and will total less than £3bn for the first time since 1998.

Source: BrandRepublic