[Omah]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

That doesn't mean that they're all younger people though

Well, that's who the current 5 series is targetted at, according to business sources :

http://www.allresponsemedia.com/blog/item?id=229

09/08/2011

So, the Thought Police are back and, heaven preserve us, on Channel 5 from September! 2011’s big TV news is the purchase of the BB franchise by Richard Desmond’s Channel 5. Amongst the PR smokescreen of column inches filled and hundreds of millions paid for the show, the move has ramifications for Channel 4, Channel 5 and, crucially, DRTV advertisers.

In recent years BB’s popularity has waned. 5 years ago each show averaged 2.18 million adult viewers, airing every night on C4, with over 1 million of these falling into the 16–34 demographic. By 2010 this had fallen to 1.55 million adults and 632,000 16–34's. The drop in ratings convinced C4 against re-commissioning after the initial 10 year run, allowing Desmond to sweep in and pick up the pieces.

"How has this affected my DRTV schedule?". I hear you cry. Well, because of BB’s success in peak, C4 were able to easily deliver deals with brand advertisers. In turn, this freed up air time in daytime, particularly on C4’s digital extension, E4. The glut of impacts allowed us to trade C4’s digital portfolio at bargain pricing in a highly targeted environment, resulting in high ROI campaigns.

C4 have a raft of shows to replace BB including drama (This Is England/Shameless) and old favourite - the ever pregnant Sarah Beeny and the charmingly condescending Kevin McCloud, with Grand Designs. E4 welcomes back The Inbetweeners and new commission Beaver Falls. However, none of this will replicate the nightly success of BB, particularly amongst the key 16–34 demographic. This means less short term availability across C4 for DRTV.

The picture on C5 is different. C5’s peak schedule traditionally struggles to capture the imagination… particularly amongst younger viewers. Its average peak share of 16 – 34s hovers around 10%, including 5* & 5USA (C4 share is about 32%). Introducing BB to the schedule will increase 16 - 34 share and boost C5’s adult audience. Furthermore, C5 is likely to stream live BB on 5*. The audience increase will allow C5 to deliver its deals with brand advertisers leaving the remnant inventory to be snapped up. C5 is already a DR heartland, offering cheap CPTs and national coverage. The increased audience supply in peak will create more opportunity for DR.

C5’s silver lining is C4’s cloud, with BB on C5 appealing to viewers who would generally watch C4. Bringing BB on air over the busy Autumn trading period will create opportunities for nimble advertisers to capitalise upon. Conversely, C4 will struggle to replace BB and many of its 16 – 34 viewers will migrate to C5 for their BB fix. Interesting times ahead in the world of DRTV, and all attributable to the movement of one key show