Vizeum

Monday, 2 February 2009

Top Up TV strikes content deal with CBS

Top Up TV, the pay TV service on Freeview, has beefed up its content offering by striking a deal with CSI producer CBS Paramount International Television.

The deal will provide subscribers to the VoD service Top Up TV Anytime with drama, comedy and reality shows, such as selected shows from the CSI crime drama franchises, America's Next Top Model, Britain's Next Top Model and Numb3rs.And from 4 February, Top Up TV subscribers will also be able to enjoy US drama series such as Medium and NCIS plus Frasier and Sex and the City.The deal was brokered by Dianne Walker at Top Up TV and Guy Petty at CBS Paramount International TV. Top Up TV customers will initially enjoy eight hours of programmes from CBS Paramount every week, rising to 11 hours a week within months.Top Up TV Anytime offers viewers a range of shows for £9.99 a month.

Source: BrandRepublic

Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Five US to be rebranded

US content-based channel Five US is to be renamed FIVE USA as part of the broadcaster's move to undergo a branding refresh of all of its properties.

The rebranding, which will take effect from 16 February, will give the channel a new look and comes as FIVE USA unveils a number of new programmes.

The RTL-owned broadcaster said it has secured the UK premiere of The Beast, staring Patrick Swayze, and said it will also be showing the second series of comedy 30 Rock along with the seventh and final service of his series The Shield.

The move follows the change to sister channel, Five Life, which rebranded to Fiver in March last year, in an effort to make the channel appeal to a younger audience.

Five was the subject of speculation yesterday (January 21) following the release of the Ofcom report into public service broadcasting, which recommended that a potential merger or partnership with Channel 4 could aid the future provision of PSB content.

Source: BrandRepublib

New 'Skins' pulls in 833,000

Over 800,000 viewers tuned in for the new series of Skins on Thursday night, according to early figures.

The third series of the teen drama, which introduced an almost entirely new cast, averaged 665k (4.1%) for E4 in the 10pm hour, picking up an additional 169k (1.9%) on E4+1.

The figures are down around a third on the premiere of series two, which managed 1.06m (6.7%) and 237k (2.9%) on February 11, 2008.

The first series premiered to 1.48m (9.7%) and 301k (3.7%) on January 25, 2007.

Other popular multichannel programmes on Thursday night included More4's ER, with 558k (2.6%) in the 9pm hour, and ITV2's American Idol, which drew 507k (2.4%) from 8pm.

Hollyoaks picked up 1.9m (9.3%) for Channel 4 and on Five, Neighbours had 1.62m (10.1%) and Home & Away had 1.11m (5.8%).

Fiver's first-look Home & Away managed 663k (3.7%) at 6.30pm, outrating the 585k (3.1%) for E4's Hollyoaks.

A Dispatches investigation into the manufacture of cheap food products brought in Channel 4's top numbers of the day, with 3.05m (12.8%) watching in the 8pm hour. The programme outrated Celebrity Big Brother, which followed at 9pm with 2.67m (11.1%).

Source: DigitalSpy

Tuesday, 20 January 2009

CSI back with 3.9m

Five's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation made a cracking start to its ninth run with 3.9m viewers (16.4% share) at 9pm yesterday, the channel's highest audience since 16 June 2006.

The hour-long episode of the long-running US crime drama series peaked at 4m (16.8%) at 9.30pm. The show was a sizeable 70% over the channel's slot average for last year of 2.3m (9.8%).

The last time the UK's youngest terrestrial channel got a higher audience was on 16 June 2006 when an episode from the same show pulled in 3.9m (17%) in its usual 9pm slot. The highest rated edition of the show last year averaged 3.8m (16.3%) on 12 February.

The episode last night also made reasonable headway in the commercially sensitive upmarket and youth audiences. Of those watching the programme 33.2% were from the ABC1 demographic, while 21.1% were aged between 16 and 34.

Five found itself in the rare position of outperforming all other channels except BBC1.

Channel 4's latest events from Celebrity Big Brother, also at 9pm, had 3m (12.6%) over the hour, with 267,000 watching on C4+1 an hour later. Channel 4 pushed ITV1 into fourth place as Extreme Slimmers could only interest 2.4m (10.3%) in the same slot. The show was down by two million on the slot average.

Source: BroadcastNow

3.2m see Blumenthal take on 'Little Chef'

Heston Blumenthal's new series for Channel 4 got off to an encouraging start in the ratings last night (Monday), early figures show.

Big Chef Takes On Little Chef, which sees the celebrated chef attempt to turn around the fortunes of the ailing restaurant chain, averaged 3.18m (13.1%) in the 9pm hour.

It was Channel 4's most-watched programme of the day, outranking traditional ratings winner Celebrity Big Brother. The daily BB highlights show - broadcast at the earlier time of 8pm - took just 1.7m (6.8%) for the hour, a new series low, however a sizable 513k (2.3%) watched Channel 4+1's 9pm repeat.

A second show, which featured the surprise eviction of Michelle Heaton, had a much more respectable 2.99m (16.5%) between 10pm and 10.50pm.

Channel 4's average primetime share rose more than two points to 9.5%.

Source: DigitalSpy

Tuesday, 13 January 2009

Rivals call for halt to Kangaroo launch

Virgin Media, as well as online VoD services Babelgum and Joost, have called for planned VoD venture Kangaroo to be prohibited from launching.

Submissions from the three companies to the Competition Commission’s provisional report into Kangaroo last month all called for the planned venture to be shelved.

Last month, the commission ruled that Kangaroo would restrict competition and added that it intends to bind the venture to a series of conditions, before clearing its launch.

In a statement that left the launch prospects of Kangaroo in the balance, the commission said the planned VoD service, backed by BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel Four, "will restrict competition in the supply of VoD services in the UK".

In its response, Virgin Media said: "The CC has no realistic alternative but to prohibit the proposed transaction." It argued that Kangaroo would concentrate "so much attractive content" into one entity, that it would be able to "dictate the form and structure" of the VoD market. Virgin concluded there were no alternative remedies.

Meanwhile, Joost urged the commission to "consider seriously" prohibiting Kangaroo on the basis that the relevant parties could compete effectively in the VoD market without having to combine. It argued that allowing the venture to proceed would have a detrimental effect on consumers and other participants in the VoD market, with "no tangible benefit to anyone other than [Kangaroo’s backers]".

Joost argued that the commission might permit Kangaroo to launch on the condition that one party ceases to be involved. It claimed that Kangaroo would still retain access to sufficient high quality content to build a successful business with only two backers.

Babelgum also called on the commission to block Kangaroo’s launch, arguing that that is the only decision that addressees all of the competition concerns raised by the CC. While it preferred a prohibition of Kangaroo, Babelgum did conclude, however, that limiting Kangaroo’s ability to wholesale its content to third parties would partly address its concerns.

The CC is now holding further hearings with the main interested parties before publishing its final decision by 8 February.

Source: BrandRepublic

ITV in VoD deal with Virgin

ITV has signed a deal with Virgin Media to make its most popular shows available on Virgin Media's VoD service.

The agreement will give ITV its largest potential on demand audience with Virgin Media's 3.5 million TV customers able to view more than 40 hours of programming from ITV 1, 2, 3 and 4 each week.

Shows such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be made available for seven days after being broadcast as part of Virgin Media's Catch-up TV service.

There will be 500 hours of ITV programming to watch at any time on demand. A selection of ITV's high definition programming will also be available.

According to Virgin Media figures, total views of all on-demand programmes exceeded 357 million by the end of the first nine months of 2008 and averaged 45 million views each month in the third quarter.

In addition, Virgin Media and ITV have agreed that Virgin Media TV subscribers will be able to watch ITV content online via their computers, providing further viewing options.

Source: BrandRepublic

Pinder's eviction pulls in 3.5m

Almost 3.5 million tuned in to see Lucy Pinder become the first celebrity to be evicted from Big Brother on Friday.

An average of 3.45m (14%) tuned in for the latest update show, which included the announcement of Pinder's eviction, in the 9pm hour on Friday, with a further 311k (1.8%) watching on Channel 4+1. Pinder's subsequent post-eviction interview drew 2.23m (13.3%) between 10.35pm and 11.10pm, with 114k (1.4%) watching on timeshift.

Big Brother lost out in the 9pm hour to Trial & Retrubution, which began its 11th series on ITV1. The returning crime drama pulled in an impressive 5.83m (23.6%) to comfortably win the slot.

BBC One had 4.34m (17.2%) for a new series of QI, then a Vicar of Dibley repeat kept 3.07m (12.7%) until 10pm. BBC Two's Around The World In 80 Faiths managed 1.27m (5.1%).

Five had an impressive 2.38m (9.6%) for the first episode in a new season of NCIS at 9pm, then the premiere of Numb3rs season five appealed to 1.34m (6.9%).

Channel 4's new comedy Plus One - starring Duncan From Blue as himself - made a reasonable start at 10pm, drawing 2m (9.7%) between instalments of Big Brother.

Earlier in the evening, ITV1's Tonight programme - following a reporter living as a tramp - received a ratings boost, with 4.03m (16.3%) tuning in at 8pm.

DigitalSpy

Dancing on Ice back with 8.4m

ITV1 ratings banker Dancing on Ice returned for a new series last night with a strong 8.4m viewers (32.4% share) at 7pm, slightly down on last year.

The initial 90 minute show, scheduled slightly later than last year's run, peaked with an impressive 9m (33.5%) at 8pm. It was up by 44.8% on the channel's slot average for last year of 5.8m (24.8%).

While the show – now in its fourth series - remains one of the commercial network's key formats, last year's opening edition fared slightly better, attracting 8.9m (36.1%) in an earlier slot of 5.50pm on 13 January.

Yesterday's show improved its standing with both of the commercially sensitive demographic groups. Upmarket ABC1 viewers made up 37.5% of last night's show compared with 36.9% for the equivalent show last year. Similarly, viewers aged between 16 and 34 accounted for 17.9% of those watching yesterday, compared with 17.5% for last year.

The talent show had a comfortable victory over its nearest rival BBC1 at the time. The corporation's Antiques Roadshow lost 1.5m viewers from last week to average 6.4m (24.9%) over an hour from 7pm. Lark Rise to Candleford at 8pm also felt the impact of ITV1's show, losing 600,000 from last week with 5.7m viewers (21.7%).

ITV1 remained in poll position at 8.30pm with the return of another old favourite, Wild at Heart. The fourth series of the drama kicked off with a solid 7.2m (27.5%) over an hour.

Dancing on Ice then returned at 9.30pm for the half-hour results show with 6.7m (26.2%) watching as Graeme Le Saux was the first contestant to be voted out of the competition.

Source: BroadcastNow

Tuesday, 6 January 2009

6.4 million watch Celeb BB launch show

peak of over 6.4 million viewers tuned in to watch the launch of a new series of Celebrity Big Brother last night (Friday), according to early figures.

The opening show, which saw stars such as Ulrika Jonsson, La Toya Jackson and Verne Troyer enter the BB house, averaged 5.27m (21.8%) for Channel 4 between 9pm and 10.15pm. The peak audience of 6.42m (26.9%) came at 10pm.

The figure is down significantly on the last run - broadcast in January 2007 - when 7.1m, and a peak of 8m, tuned in to see the likes of Shilpa Shetty move in.

E4 spinoff show Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth, fronted by new host Jack Whitehall, followed the Channel 4 show with 793k (4.3%) over 50 minutes. E4's live streaming from the house then kept up a decent 345k (4.7%) until 2am, peaking with 695k (5.6%) at 11.20pm.

Channel 4's average share in primetime was 12.1%, up significantly from last week's 5.2%.

On ITV1 at 9pm, a repeat of Midsomer Murders delivered a healthy 5m (22%) until 11pm. BBC One's tribute show Morecambe & Wise: The Show What Paul Merton Did averaged 3.66m (14.9%) and BBC Two's new religious travelogue series Around The World In 80 Faiths launched to 1.21m (4.9%). Five had 921k (3.7%) for NCIS.

Earlier, BBC Two's Natural World - this week about the Great White shark - drew 1.72m (7.1%) for the 8pm hour, while on C4, a new series of A Place in the Sun: Down Under notched up 1.58m (6.5%). Five picked up 1.43m (5.9%) for World's Strongest Man.

Coronation Street drew the day's best numbers of any channel, with 8.94m (37.9%) at 7.30pm and 9.28m (38.3%) at 8.30pm. EastEnders was second on 8.97m (37.4%), while Emmerdale had 7.88m (35.5%) for third.

A double-bill of Hollyoaks brought in 1.43m (6.9%) to Channel 4 in the 6pm hour, then E4's first-look had 570k (2.9%) at 7pm.

ITV1 finished first in primetime with an average share of 27.6%, up from 23.4% last week. BBC One tumbled from 32.4% to a disastrous 16.6%. Channel 4 was third, then BBC Two had 6.9% - down from 10.4% - and Five rose from 2.9% to 3.8%.

Source: DigitalSpy

Above Suspicion delivers a killer 6.7m

Above Suspicion, Lynda La Plante's latest thriller, pulled in an impressive 6.7m viewers (27.6%) for ITV1 yesterday at 9pm.

The opening 90-minute episode held a largely stable audience while on air and peaked with 6.9m (26.5%) at the beginning. The show was up on the channel's slot average for last year of 5.4m (22.8%).

BBC1 didn't have much of a response at the time, with Swarm: Nature's Incredible Invasions picking up 5m (19.3%) over an hour. The news at 10pm took 4.8m (21%).

BBC1 had the early part of peaktime sewn up though. The stellar performance of Antiques Roadshow continued at 7pm, with 7.9m (31.2%) watching for an hour. It was followed by the return of Lark Rise to Candleford at 8pm on a steady 6.3m (23.8%).

ITV1 had a respectable audience at the time but couldn't really compete. A highlights compilation of Harry Hill's TV Burp managed 5.5m (21.2%) for half an hour and The Royal interested 5.4m (20.3%) at 8pm.

Sunday Night Project

BBC2 and Channel 4 were neck and neck at 10pm last night. BBC2's film Kinky Boots picked up 1.5m (9%) for nearly two hours. The return of Channel 4's Sunday Night Project, also at 10pm, entertained 1.5m (8%) for 65-minutes.

Five's film Eraser thrilled 1.2m (5.4%) at 9pm.

Celebrity Big Brother was Channel 4's big hit of the day with 2.9m (11.1%) tuning in at 9pm. The show then picked up another 394,000 on C4+1. BBC2's documentary The Antiques Rogue Show managed 2.2m (8.7%).

Source: BroadcastNow

Monday, 15 December 2008

Elf gets a spritely 5.3m for C4

Channel 4's festive film Elf pulled in the viewers yesterday, with an impressive audience of 5.3m (27.3%) at 6.15pm.

The 2003 movie starring Will Ferrell hit a high of 6m (24.8%) at 7.15pm. Elf then picked up an audience of 500,000 on C4+1 an hour later.

The film had a larger total audience than when it premiered on the channel on 2 December last year, when 5.4m (22.5%) tuned in.

The Channel 4 film not only had more viewers than its nearest rivals but also ITV1 too.

The commercial network managed 3.6m (18.2%) for its film Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones at 4.05pm. Its teen drama series Britannia High slipped to a new low at 7pm with just 1.8m (7.3%) watching for an hour.

Whilst Elf was on air BBC2 made steady, if unspectacular, progress. Long Way Down at 6.10pm attracted 1.7m (7.5%) which was followed by a repeat of Natural World at 7.10pm with 1.9m (7.7%).

Five's action movie Firefox gained a respectable 1.4m (6.2%) from 5.15pm. Its news update at 7.45pm had 1.1m (4.3%).

BBC1 initially struggled against Channel 4 with its repeat showing of the last two episodes of Little Dorrit gaining 2.8m (13%). The corporation took a commanding leading at 7pm with with two hour Sports Personality of the Year bringing in 6.6m (25.7%).

Peter Kay

Comedian Peter Kay proved his worth to Channel 4 as 2.7m (10.2%) watched a repeat of his popular satire Britain's Got the Pop Factor between 8pm and 9.55pm.

ITV1 was in a much stronger position at 8pm with its hospital drama The Royal on 4.8m (17.9%). BBC2's repeat of Coast at 8pm had 2m (7.5%). Just a little way behind BBC2 at the time was Five's 2004 movie 50 First Dates with 1.8m (6.8%).

Source: BroadcastNow

The X Factor hits new heights

ITV1's The X Factor gained its highest ever peak audience on Saturday, attracting a whopping 14.6m viewers.

The main show at 7.10pm was also a record breaker, gaining the shows highest ever average audience of 13.2m viewers (50% share) for 90-minutes.

The programme featured guest performances from Boyzone, Westlife and Beyonce and the 14.6m (54%) peak came at 8.10pm.

The hour-long results show at 9.40pm picked up a similar 13.2m (53%), hitting a high of 14.2m (58%) as Alexandra Burke was named as the winner at 10.25pm.

Saturday's X Factor audience is the most watched entertainment show on any channel since Christmas Day 2003, when BBC1 aired a festive special of Only Fools and Horses. It is the most watched UK TV programme since BBC1's EastEnders on Christmas Day last year.

Over the series, the talent contest gained a sizeable average of 9.9m (42.5%), higher than any of the previous four series and an increase of 1.6m on the previous year when it gained a series average of 8.3m (38%). The series in 2006 averaged 8m (36.2%).

Between the two X Factor shows the commercial network also stole a march on the competition with a hefty 8.1m (38%) tuning in for 60-minute The Girls Aloud Party at 8.40pm.

Under ITV1's definition of peaktime, running from 7pm to 10.30pm, the channel secured a sizeable share of 44.1%. Over the same time period BBC1 had to settle for 21.4%.

Source: BroadcastNow

Tuesday, 9 December 2008

BBC set to offer iPlayer to Channel 4 and ITV

The BBC is considering plans to offer ITV and Channel 4 the free and open use of its online video catch-up service iPlayer.

The move is thought to be part of the BBC's response to Ofcom's public service broadcasting review - the BBC Trust is expected to make a presentation to Ofcom later this week, according to reports.

If the plans go ahead, other broadcaster's VoD services, such as Channel 4's 4oD, would be re-branded as iPlayer.

Last week, ITV announced already announced plans to re-brand its catch-up TV service as ITV Player, in order to make it an instantly recognisable VoD brand.

The BBC believes that its iPlayer technology is better than the technology used in the private sector, so it would make sense for it to become industry standard across broadcasters.

However, Ofcom will need to decide what technology is of a higher standard and whether the deal would provide the PSBs with enough meaningful assistance.

ITV and Channel 4's views on the proposed iPlayer deal will also be critical.

Both broadcasters would have access to the BBC's high-speed digital post-production network if the move goes ahead, which would also potentially help reduce programme-making costs for the corporation.

Source: MediaTel

'34th Street' movie draws 4.7m

A rerun of Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street drew almost 5 million viewers to Channel 4 early on Sunday evening.

The 1994 remake, starring Richard Attenborough as Santa Claus, pulled in an average of 3.89m (15.4%) between 6.20pm and 8.30pm on Sunday, with a peak of 4.73m (19.3%) at 7.20pm.

It wiped the floor with ITV's Britannia High, which hit a new low of 1.95m (8.2%) at 6.30pm. A Sunday night edition of Coronation Street followed at 7.30pm with a below-par 5.79m (22%).

Another popular Sunday movie was Macaulay Culkin comedy Home Alone, which averaged 2.84m (13.2%) for Five from 5.10pm. The Pink Panther followed with 1.54m (5.7%) from 7.05pm, then Sean Connery thriller Just Cause had 1.12m (5.1%) at 9pm.

After 34th Street, Channel 4 struggled through the rest of primetime. A repeat of Bring Back... Dallas put in 0.73m (2.7%) between 8.30pm and 10pm, then actioner Bulletproof Monk delivered 1.03m (7.4%).

Also on ITV1 last night was Take That Come To Town, a one-off special featuring performances from the band. It averaged a healthy 4.24m (14.8%), up significantly on the 2.67m (9.4%) managed by Here Come The Boys in the same 8pm slot last week.

The final edition of I'm A Celebrity - update show Coming Out - averaged a decent 5.81m (23.8%) between 9pm and 10.30pm.

On BBC One, a Little Dorrit omnibus brought in 4.36m (18.9%), then Antiques Roadshow put in 7.16m (27.3%). The Strictly Come Dancing results show - in which Austin Healey was voted off - delivered 9.43m (32.5%), the day's best numbers on any channel, at 8.15pm.

At 9pm, the second episode of Wallander held on to a decent chunk of its debut audience, notching up 5.65m (23.2%) over 90 minutes.

BBC Two's Top Gear brought in 6.68m (23.2%) in the 8pm hour, then the concluding half of Louis Theroux: Law and Disorder in Johannesburg averaged 3.23m (12.9%).

BBC One led primetime overall with an average share of 26.1% (last week: 28.1%) to ITV1's 18.1% (17.6%). BBC Two was third with 14.1% (15.3%), followed by Channel 4 on 8.5% (6.4%) and Five on 5.5% (5.9%).

Sky Sports 1 coverage of Everton vs Villa pulled in the top multichannel audience of the day, with an average of 902k (5.8%) between 3.30pm and 6.30pm.

A new episode of The Simpsons on Sky1 was second, with 772k (3.7%) from 6.30pm. More4's Come Dine With Me marathon put in the usual high standard, peaking with 624k (3%) at 6.25pm.

ITV2's screening of the first Police Academy movie had a strong 540k (2.7%) from 9pm (+1: 103k, 0.8%). Earlier, 438k (2.3%) had watched a repeat of Saturday night's the X Factor.

E4 peaked with 417k (2.4%) for a new episode of Desperate Housewives in the 10pm hour (+1: 188k, 2.2%), while BBC Three's top audience was 422k (2.5%) for Family Guy at 10.25pm.

Source: DigitalSpy

Over 9m watch Swash win I'm a Celebrity

The marathon final of ITV1's I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! was another monster ratings hit at 8.30pm on Friday as 9.1m viewers (39.4% share) saw Joe Swash crowned King of the Jungle.

The two-hour show peaked at 9.7m (41.8%) at 10pm. The commercial network's reality show was up by 86% on the channel's slot average for the year so far of 4.9m (22.3%).

Friday's final was up by nearly a million viewers on last year's show, which pulled in 8.2m (35.5%) on 30 November, 2008, in a 9pm slot. In 2006, the final delivered 9.5m (41.6%) on 1 December.

This year's run of the popular reality show, hosted by Ant and Dec, has been a big hit for the channel with a series average of 8.1m (33.6%), the most popular series since 2005.

Last year's run averaged 7m (29.4%) while in 2006 it gained a series average of 7.7m (33.3%). This year's series though was some way behind the 9.3m (39.6%) that saw the 2005 series.

This year's series once again managed to bring in both upmarket and younger viewers to the commercial network. Of those watching the show based in the Australian jungle, 37.1% were from the ABC1 demographic while 22.6% were aged between 16 and 34.

BBC1's best response, whilst I'm a Celebrity was on air, was Have I Got News for You with 4.4m (18.3%). The channel's following Gavin and Stacey at 9.30pm had 2.9m (12.2%).

Source: BroadcastNow

Blinkbox extends content offer

Online video service blinkbox is expanding its content offer, striking deals with 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures, as well as extending its partnership with Warner Bros.

Archive and new Warner Bros shows, such as Smallville and Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, will be available online the day after broadcast in the UK. Other programmes such as Friends and Gossip Girl, will be available on a download to own basis.

The agreement with Sony Pictures will make a selection of Sony films available through blinkbox, as well as edited versions of classic Sony Pictures TV shows such as Bewitched and Charlie’s Angels.

The 20th Century Fox films to be available on blinkbox.com include Juno, Moulin Rouge, Ice Age and Fantastic Four.

Jamie McCabe, executive vice-president, worldwide PPV, VoD & EST, 20th Century Fox, said the company continues to look for innovative outlets such as blinkbox that increase the availability and awareness of Fox content to consumers.

Source: BrandRepublic

ITV's Catch Up rebranded ITV Player

ITV has renamed its video-on-demand offering, Catch Up, as ITV Player.

The player allows customers to watch a selection of ITV shows online for 30 days after their initial broadcast.

Ben McOwen Wilson, director of online at ITV, said the new branding was part of ITV’s aim to create a recognisable and consistent brand for video-on-demand content across the web and TV.

McOwen Wilson said the rebrand was part of ITV’s overall ambition to make its content widely available for audiences through whichever platform suits them.

The re-brand will be promoted through an on-air campaign using a new logo from December 19.

ITV said the player will be branded ITV Net Player and referred to as the ITV Network Player in branding and communication around programming intended for consumption across the UK.

Yesterday, BSkyB launched a new paid-for service, Sky Player TV that enables subscribers to watch live Sky TV and Sky video-on-demand online without the need for an existing TV-based package.

On Wednesday (3 December) the Competition Commission provisionally concluded that Kangaroo, the project to show BBC, ITV and Channel 4 content via a single online player, "will restrict competition in the supply of VOD services in the UK".

Media agencies told Media Week the commission’s fsuggested remedies could mean lower advertising rates, although there are fears some could also dilute the strength of its proposition.

Source: BrandRepublic

Wednesday, 3 December 2008

Britney serenades 391,000

Sky 1's 90-minute profile of Britney Spears averaged a respectable 391,000 (1.8%) at 8pm, overshadowing most of the competition.

The documentary Britney: For the Record, which saw the singer talk openly about her recent troubles, managed to hit a peak of 463,000 (2.1%) at 8.30pm.

The show was also a big hit with both upmarket and younger viewers. Of those watching 53.7% were from the ABC1 demographic while 53.4% were aged between 16 and 34.

Sky 1 capitalised on the show by airing an episode of The Simpsons featuring the singer, which pulled in 576,000 (2.8%) at 7.30pm.

The show was up by 57% on the channel's slot average for the year so far of 249,000 (1.2%).

Whilst the Spears programme was on air, Sky 1 had more viewers than any of its closest entertainment rivals.

ITV2's Kids Do the Funniest Things at 8pm had 330,000 (1.5%), which was followed by Cops with Cameras at 9pm on 345,000 (1.6%).

ITV3 also put in a respectable performance. Its new series The Story of Costume Drama kicked off with 320,000 (1.5%) which was followed by Persuasion on 367,000 (2.0%).

E4's usual double helping of Friends got underway at 8pm with 230,000 (1.1%) - and another 119,000 on E4+1 at 9pm. The second instalment at 8.30pm grabbed 217,000 (1%) with 148,000 watching on the timeshifted option.

BBC3 wasn't up to much at the time with Clone at 8.30pm picking up just 132,000 (0.6%) and a repeat of Little Britain at 9pm on 198,000 (0.9%).

Top of the multichannel pile though at the time was Setanta Sports with its live coverage of Liverpool's 0-0 draw against West Ham in the Premier League. The broadcaster's entire coverage between 7pm and 10.15pm averaged 502,000 (2.4%) with a high of 884,000 (4%) at 8.15pm.

Source: BroadcastNow

'X Factor' hits 12.8m ratings high

The X Factor hit a new audience high last night (Saturday) as the competition reached the quarter finals stage.

The latest performances show, which featured the final five contestants taking on the songs of special guest Britney Spears, averaged a mammoth 11.88m (46.1%) between 7.35pm and 9.15pm. The audience is up significantly on the 9.42m (38.5%) who saw the equivalent episode in 2007.

Last night's X Factor peak was 12.78m (49.2%) at 8.15pm. The later results show, in which Spears performed her new single and Ruth Lorenzo was voted off, pulled in 10.69m and a remarkable 50% audience share.

ITV2's The Xtra Factor logged a live stage series best of 1.38m (10%) in the hour from 10.45pm. The pre-results show averaged 622k (2.9%) against I'm A Celebrity on ITV1, which was up to a healthy 9.63m (40%).

Before The X Factor, New You've Been Framed! averaged 5.01m (21.1%) and Harry Hill's TV Burp had a laudable 6.7m (26.8%).

On BBC One, Strictly Come Dancing continued to perform respectably. This week's performances show averaged 9.8m (41.7%) between 6.05pm and 7.35pm, down slightly on last week's 10.16m (42.6%) series high. The peak audience was 11.17m (44.4%) at 7.15pm.

After Strictly, Merlin put in a decent 5.93m (23.1%) opposite The X Factor, but was down around 500k week-on-week. The National Lottery draw had 4.52m (17.8%) at 8.20pm, then Casualty notched up 4.68m (18.1%). Comedy Outnumbered followed at 9.20pm with 3.17m (13%).

ITV1's primetime share averaged out to 41%, up from 37.5% last week, while BBC One fell from 21.9% to 21.1%.

On BBC Two, new documentary After Rome: Holy War and Conquest - fronted by Boris Johnson - had a reasonable 1.81m (7%) from 8.05pm, then an extended edition of Have I Got News For You amused 2.23m (9%). The channel's share lifted from 6.2% to 6.5%.

Five's NCIS double bill brought in 900k (3.5%) and 1.26m (4.9%) from 7.25pm, then CSI: New York delivered an all-day high of 1.38m (5.8%). Law & Order: Criminal Intent followed with 997k (5.5%). The channel's overall share dropped from 5.1% to 4.5%.

Channel 4 had another disastrous night, dropping from an average share of 3.2% to just 2.6% in primetime. The concluding half of Animals in the Womb drew 0.54m (2.1%) from 7.05pm, then A Time Team Special: The Lost Dock Of Liverpool averaged 0.78m (3%). A repeat of Civil War drama The Devil's Whore picked up 0.62m (2.6%).

Source: DigitalSpy

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