ITV1 impacts up 23% in July as C4 suffers

ITV1 increased its all-adult viewing impacts by a massive 23% in July year on year, with a 30% share, leading to hopes that a strong autumn programming line-up could see the channel end 2007 with a positive contract rights renewal position for the first time.

The July growth is the highest since the contract rights renewal mechanism was introduced in 2004. In each year under CRR, ITV1 has lost audience share, allowing advertisers to reduce their spend on the channel.
ITV1's adult impacts have been up for the last three months in a row – in May they were up 4% and June 3%. In a complete turnaround of fortunes, ITV1 appears to be benefiting at the expense of Channel 4. Over the seven months to July, ITV1 increased its impacts by 0.6%, while Channel 4’s fell 5.4%.
Carat broadcast manager Dilshan Swaris, commented: "ITV has had a very buoyant July in terms of both advertiser revenue and viewing. This is largely due to July's terrible weather and viewer migration from Channel 4 during a bad Big Brother season. Lewis Hamilton helped too.”
ITV1 has also benefited this summer from canning reality show Love Island and replacing it with dramas.
Over the seven months, ITV1's market share declined by 4.6% as viewers continue to migrate to multichannel. However, its rivals fared far worse – C4’s share was down 10.3% and Five’s fell 10.2%.
The turnaround in ITV1’s performance extends across the most attractive advertising demographics. July impacts were up 2.3% among 16 to 34s, while C4’s fell 17.7%. Among ABC1s, ITV was up 24.5%, while C4 fell 15%.
ITV1 still has much to do to achieve a positive 2007 CRR position. However, some TV buyers believe such a feat, once thought impossible, might be reached.
One agency head of broadcast, said: "ITV1 has massively stemmed the decline, and it looks as if the least amount ever of share will be pulled out by advertisers at the end of the year. Last year, ITV lost a whole five points, this year it is likely to lose less than two."
Darren Lucas, TV director at Initiative, said: "This is the first signs of ITV putting a better programme schedule together and the effect of Michael Grade’s leadership."

ITV is still lacking a commercial director following the departure of Ian McCulloch. A search for a successor continues.
Meanwhile, ITV is currently "in dialogue" with Ofcom about a revamp of CRR, which could begin in 2008.