Channel 5 has firmly established itself in the nation’s viewing
repertoire but almost two thirds of people still say that they wouldn’t
be disappointed if they could no longer receive the channel.
The findings are published in a survey by Ammirati Puris Lintas,
designed to track Channel 5 viewers six months after its launch.
According to the survey, which questioned a national sample of 1,027
adults at the end of last month, 67 per cent of people consider Channel
5 when planning to watch television, particularly younger viewers.
Thirty-five per cent of respondents claim they watch a Channel 5
programme regularly.
More women than men felt that Channel 5’s programmes were aimed at them,
and, true to the channel’s ’modern, mainstream’ positioning, more than
half of 15- to 24-year-olds felt its programming targeted their
needs.
Yet when asked if they would be disappointed if they could no longer
receive Channel 5, 56 per cent of the sample answered ’no’.
Paul Longhurst, the media director of Ammirati Puris Lintas, said:
’Although Channel 5 has been at pains to claim it has created a
meaningful brand in consumers’ minds, little evidence exists to support
these claims. Channel 5’s audience is largely delivered by films and
football and these could potentially appear on any channel.’
The study also found that 30 per cent of viewers still felt the picture
quality of Channel 5 spoiled their viewing. Longhurst argues that, in
view of this, it is unacceptable to base the value of ad campaigns on
Channel 5 on the total Channel 5 universe.
Nick Milligan, Channel 5’s sales director, last week wrote to
advertisers and agencies with his overview of performance so far.
Milligan said Channel 5 has helped to push commercial TV’s audience
share up to 57 per cent and was attracting younger viewers.
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