jamiewordsley
23-07-2013, 05:43 PM
Thanks to Big Brother, Channel 5 has become the country’s fourth most watched channel.
Channel 5 last week overtook Channel 4, with a higher viewer share throughout the whole week for the first time in history.
It’s a funny twist of fate, with Channel 4 having ditched Big Brother, the show which has helped boost Channel 5 no end.
Channel 4 meanwhile has struggled, with its “creative renewal” in the aftermath of Big Brother’s axe hardly winning over viewers.
While it enjoyed success last summer with the Paralympics, one event every four years is hardly going to keep the company going.
Even former popular shows, such as Gypsy Weddings and Million Pound Drop, have seen viewers tune out due to overexposure.
“They had an excellent week, in the summer with Big Brother it is always a period they get closer to Channel 4 and the Ashes highlights have gone great guns for them,” a “media agency executive” told the Guardian newspaper. “They can be rightly chuffed with their performance but it should be put in context.”
“We’ve been working really hard to give viewers what they want and we are really glad that they have been enjoying our progress,” said the Channel 5 director of programmes, Ben Frow, who joined the company just this year.
Channel 4 last week saw some record lows for its shows, as it failed to pull in over a million viewers on some nights.
But a spokeswoman for the channel commented: “Channel 4 has a unique remit which is quite different to that of Channel 5, it requires us to broadcast distinctive programming which appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society.
“Over 2013 the channel has been the home to wide range of critically acclaimed programming, including recent hits like the Murder Trial, Skint, Dates and The Returned. This content has both delivered to the remit and achieved audience success.”
Channel 5 last week overtook Channel 4, with a higher viewer share throughout the whole week for the first time in history.
It’s a funny twist of fate, with Channel 4 having ditched Big Brother, the show which has helped boost Channel 5 no end.
Channel 4 meanwhile has struggled, with its “creative renewal” in the aftermath of Big Brother’s axe hardly winning over viewers.
While it enjoyed success last summer with the Paralympics, one event every four years is hardly going to keep the company going.
Even former popular shows, such as Gypsy Weddings and Million Pound Drop, have seen viewers tune out due to overexposure.
“They had an excellent week, in the summer with Big Brother it is always a period they get closer to Channel 4 and the Ashes highlights have gone great guns for them,” a “media agency executive” told the Guardian newspaper. “They can be rightly chuffed with their performance but it should be put in context.”
“We’ve been working really hard to give viewers what they want and we are really glad that they have been enjoying our progress,” said the Channel 5 director of programmes, Ben Frow, who joined the company just this year.
Channel 4 last week saw some record lows for its shows, as it failed to pull in over a million viewers on some nights.
But a spokeswoman for the channel commented: “Channel 4 has a unique remit which is quite different to that of Channel 5, it requires us to broadcast distinctive programming which appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society.
“Over 2013 the channel has been the home to wide range of critically acclaimed programming, including recent hits like the Murder Trial, Skint, Dates and The Returned. This content has both delivered to the remit and achieved audience success.”