Annex
BBC1'S SIX
O'CLOCK NEWS
CONTINUES TO
BE THE
UK'S MOST
POPULAR NEWS
PROGRAMME
Following the traditional seasonal drop in total
television viewing (all channels) across the spring/summer period
(particularly across early peak), BBC1's Six O'clock News has
reasserted itself as the largest volume attracting news programme
on television (first two weeks of October 1998).
BBC1'S SIX
O'CLOCK NEWS
PERFORMANCE
— In 1998, BBC1's Six O'clock News
witnessed typically low audience levels across the spring/summer
period (May-August), entirely in line with 1997 seasonal trends.
During the spring/summer, extra daylight and good weather conditions
results in a fall in viewing to television viewing (all channels),
hitting BBC1's Six O'clock News particularly hard.
— The Six O'clock News attracts its
largest audiences in the winter and autumn months of the year,
during which time volume levels to television viewing (all channels)
are at their highest.
— Year on year comparisons for news
programming transmitted in the autumn are complicated by distorted
TV viewing in September last year following the death of Diana.
Any year-on-year comparison of news data must consider the "Diana
factor".
— Earlier indicators are that the performance
of BBC1's Six O'clock News is improving and is currently outperforming
ITV's News at Ten (see below).
RECENT NEWS
PERFORMANCE (OCTOBER
1998—AVAILABLE DATA
FOR 28 SEPT-11
OCT)
The table below gives the performance of BBC1's
Six O'clock News in October this year compared with the same period
last year. Using October avoids the "Diana factor" and
allows for a fairer analysis past the spring/summer period. For
comparison I have also included the performance of ITV's News
At Ten in the same period.
|
| 28 Sept-11 Oct | 1998
| 1997 |
|
| BBC1's Six O'clock News | 5,729,600
| 5,990,920 |
| ITV's News At Ten | 5,329,450
| 5,753,020 |
|
| | |
— The most recent published data (28 September-11
October 1998) indicates that BBC1's Six O'clock News is out in
front again as the UK's most popular news programme with an average
400,150 more viewers than ITV's News At Ten.
— BBC's Six O'clock News has increased its lead
over News At Ten compared with the same period last year (in the
same two weeks in October 1997 the Six O'clock News averaged 237,900
more viewers than News At Ten).
— In the first two weeks of October, BBC1's Six
O'clock News was down 261,320 viewers year on year while ITV's
News At Ten witnessed a decline of 423,570 viewers.
|
