UKTV celebrates highest-rating year on record
05 January 2012
3rd January 2012 - Year-end ratings have confirmed 2011 as UKTV's highest performing year on record (according to BARB). UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks International - also enjoyed a highly successful holiday period with a 6.6% share of viewing on Christmas Eve and a 5.1% share on Christmas day, up 19% on Christmas Day 2010.
Christmas Eve was UKTV's highest rating individual day ever, with four of its channels: Watch, Gold, Dave and Yesterday realising in excess of a 1% share. It was also Dave's highest-rating day of the year.
Gold, the nation's favourite comedy channel, was the fifth most-watched TV channel on Christmas day with a 1.8% share, its best performance for four years. Yuletide favourites Morecambe and Wise gave the channel its highest performing programme of the year with 528k adults tuning in for the Gold commission, Morecambe & Wise: Greatest Moments.
Boxing Day also turned a strong performance with a 5.1% share and ratings up 10% year-on-year.
Weeks 51 and 52 were the highest rating weeks of the year for the network, averaging a 4.8% and 5.3% share respectively. Combined, the network averaged a 5% share of viewing, up 10% on the year-end period last year. The network's flagship Pay-only entertainment channel, Watch achieved its highest ever audience numbers during week 52, as Broadcast and National Television Award-nominated Dynamo: Magician Impossible and blockbuster movies lured audiences.
New Year's Day also reported strong growth, with a 5.3% share up 22% year-on-year. Ratings increased by 15%.
Source: BARB, All day, Adults. Data consolidated up to 26th December 2011.