Channel 5 expected to boost ad impacts among prized audiences

According to consolidated Barb figures for the year to 27 December 2012, the main Channel 5 channel increased its share of commercial impacts from adults in the ABC1 economic group to 6.6%, up 2.7% year on year.

The figures for Channel 5 include its time-shifted and high-definition channels. A commercial impact is defined as one person watching an ad once and is calculated using Barb viewing data.

Channel 5's share of all commercial impacts from young adults (16-to 34-year-olds) increased by an even greater percentage, rising to 6.0%, up by 4.7% when compared to the period 1 January to 27 December 2011.

The final figures for all channels’ share of impacts across 2012 will be available later this week, but these early figures, which cover the majority of the year, suggest Channel 5 will have bucked the declining terrestrial trend.

In terms of commercial impacts among all adults, Channel 5 kept its share steady at 7.1% in the year to 27 December 2012, down just 0.3% year on year in the year, despite pressure from the impact of switchover to digital television, which was completed during the year.

Meanwhile, between 1 January and 27 December 2012, ITV1 and its time-shifted and high-definition channels accounted for 24.9% of all commercial TV impacts, down 5.4% year on year.

Channel 4's main channel, including its high-definition, time-shifted and 4Seven channels, had a 10.4% share of all commercial TV impacts in the year to 27 December 2012, down 3.3% year on year.

Channel 5 increased its share of impacts from housewives with children, up 0.7% to 6.9%, while Channel 4's share of housewives with children declined slightly, down 0.6% to 11.1%; and ITV's share dropped 7.8% to 22.8%.

Although its year-on-year declines were sharper than the other terrestrial channels, ITV1 continues to have the greatest share of all impacts, as well as impacts from ABC1s, 16- to 34-year-olds, and housewives with children.

Channel 4's share of impacts from ABC1s declined by 3.5% and its share of 16- to 34-year-olds declined by 5.5%. The drop would have been steeper if the broadcaster had not launched spin-off channel 4Seven in July last year.

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This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk