THE two networks that have traditionally dominated British television viewing for decades, BBC1 and ITV1, claimed less than half of the primetime audience last year.
Phone-in and other scandals may have taken their toll, as their share of viewers dropped below the 50 per cent mark for the first time.
But industry figures for 2007 reflect the continuing rise of digital channels, along with the looming mar
ch of on-demand television and the internet.
For anyone worried about the unsettling choices shaking up old-fashioned television, however, there was comforting news. The top 100 British programmes last year showed some familiar favourites.
The biggest audiences of the year were for EastEnders and Dr Who, both on Christmas Day, justifying BBC1's "big guns" approach to the Christmas schedule.
The EastEnders 8pm episode attracted a staggering 14.38 million viewers and the appearance of Kylie Minogue with the timelord was seen by 13.31 million, adding four million to its usual audience.
The third most popular programme was the Rugby World Cup Final, with 13.13 million. That was well ahead of the biggest football matches in the year.
In the past, owning a single television was an indicator of wealth and class; now they are upstairs and downstairs. The average UK household has 4.7 sets, recent studies show; seven out of 10 children have a TV in their rooms and half a DVD player too.
Only five years ago the combined BBC1/ITV1 primetime share in 2002 was 59 per cent. Viewing of digital channels in primetime was 16 per cent, compared to 29 per cent now.
The figures were revealed by industry journal Broadcast and based on official ratings by the audience research organisation, the BARB.
"It's not so surprising that the two big channels should be eroded," said Philip Reevell, a Broadcast columnist. "Multi-channel choices will only increase as five-channel analogue television is phased out," he added.
Charles Fletcher, of Caledonia Media, said ITV's schedule in particular has been "back to the future".
"It's going back to what's tried and trusted. The old staple of the one-hour drama has returned, and a news bulletin has returned to the 10pm slot," he noted.
BBC1's share of the peak time audience fell from 24.22 per cent in 2006 to 23.43 per cent last year but ITV1 did even worse, falling from 26.82 per cent to just 25.32 per cent.
The BBC served up 53 of the year's most popular programmes, with all but one, Top Gear, on BBC1. Top Gear's phenomenal success helped BBC2 become the only channel to increase its audience, slightly, last year.
ITV broadcast only 45 of the 100 most watched programmes of 2007 and Channel Four provided two – Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother.
The top ranked reality TV show was the results night for the X Factor final in sixth place while Britain's Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing also made the top ten.
The most-watched "multi-channel" programme was the Carling Cup Final on Sky Sports 1 with 2.38 million viewers.
HOW NATIONAL AUDIENCE IS FRAGMENTINGPhilip Reevell, ratings analyst for Broadcast magazine LOOKING at that table, to be a hit programme these days you have to get an audience of about 5 million people. It's not so long ago you had to get an audience of ten million. You wonder where we will be in a year's time.
This time next year broadcasters will be beginning to start the digital switch-over, so analogue TV will be switched off. The pressures we've seen on the big terrestrial networks in the last 18 months as the audience fragments will accelerate in 2009 and 2010.
It will act as a great leveller, because more people will be watching multi-channel digital television as those with older sets have to make the switch.
It's not so surprising that the two big channels are being eroded, given where we are, in terms of what's already being offered on digital TV. There's an awful lot of choice, though some of those digital channels are provided by the same broadcasters.
People are streaming or downloading programmes from broadcasters' sites or internet protocol television (IPTV) offerings.
In music, people are going back to live music and live events. With television people like to see things they can talk about, at the time they are broadcast, but a lot of other programming they can take it or leave it. Where there's something like the Dr Who Christmas special, that's a must-see on the day. An episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks or Family Guy or The Sopranos, those programmes become a bit disposable in digital form as opposed to when they were watched in the old-fashioned way.
When you've got something that people recognise – Dr Who, a big soap story line, a big football game, something like the final of X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing – they will watch those in big numbers. But in other areas the numbers are not quite so startling.
I would have to put Cranford down as my surprise, it's a costume drama that did pretty well. I would have to put Top Gear in there, a really strong programme. Top Gear is a real veteran warhorse, made over. It's more popular than ever.
The full article contains 898 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
