Thinkbox has announced that linear TV viewing figures in the UK for 2011 equalled the record high set in 2010. The average viewer, it was revealed, watched four hours and two minutes of linear TV per day in 2011, equating to 28 hours and 14 minutes per week. Based on figures from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB), this strong … [Read more...]

With the Christmas festivities well underway we are growing ever closer to the big day, with only 5 advent doors standing between us and the big man in red! Consequently, we’ve been very busy elves here in the MEC Manchester workshop and have been working hard amid snowflakes and tinsel. The 2011 festive season has seen a number of incredible … [Read more...]

Ten years ago, Sky decided it was about time to introduce a new bit of kit to its satellite offering – and what followed could arguably have been one of the pivotal moments in the company’s history. Sky had established itself as a major force in television through its football and film coverage, but it was keen to find a way into more and more … [Read more...]

This weekend saw the start of the live X Factor shows in which contestants who survived boot camp got the chance to prove themselves in front of a live audience. The same can be said for a few advertisers too as they took advantage of large audiences to launch brand new TV campaigns. Whether you are a fan of the show or not, the commercial breaks … [Read more...]

The amount of time spent watching linear commercial TV channels in the UK during January to June 2011 increased to a new record for the period, according to a Thinkbox. The average TV viewer in the UK watched 18 hours, 9 minutes of commercial linear TV a week (2 hours, 35 minutes a day) during the first six months of 2011, according to new figures … [Read more...]

After weeks of tears, embarrassing auditions and several groups being formed ditched and then reformed - winter finally arrived on Saturday night with the first of the X Factor live shows. There was much to discuss about this weekend’s extravaganza, but perhaps one of the most interesting things is that for the second year running, dairy Brand … [Read more...]

England's opening match in the Rugby World Cup was watched by a peak of 4.8 million viewers on ITV1 on Saturday September 10th – an impressive start given the inconvenient scheduling times for UK-based fans. The event is now the third most watched sporting event in the world – behind the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics – and offers a … [Read more...]

While devices such as the iPod and the Kindle heralded digitally-driven changes in the consumption of music and printed media, the classic TV-watching experience has yet to undergo the same overhaul.  Despite the popularity of Youtube, "timewasting" video-viewing is still seen as more of an adjunct to traditional primetime viewing rather than … [Read more...]

Amid months of speculation, FIVE has been sold to Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell for £103.5m. Previous owner RTL says the deal with the Express owner is based on a fair evaluation of the channel's worth excluding advertising revenue. After a tough 18 months for FIVE, with advertising revenue and audience figures slowly coming out of … [Read more...]