23 November 2005
The BBC's digital TV channels have reported their highest viewing figures yet - a bright spot amid an otherwise worrying series of results for the year so far.
BBC Three and BBC Four experienced their best months to date in October, and the organisation's total digital output now has an almost three per cent share of total viewing - a 0.7 per cent increase on the equivalent period of 2004.
The overall picture, though, is not a rosy one. The BBC's two flagship channels have seen the largest ratings declines experienced by any main public-service broadcaster this year, with 6.1 per cent and 6.3 per cent declines for BBC One and BBC Two respectively.
A BBC spokesman, though, gave a positive outlook when he explained that the diversity of the network's services acted as a more important barometer than bare figures.
He said: "BBC1 and BBC2 have held up incredibly well in such a competitive environment. As audiences fragment and consumption changes, reach and appreciation are absolutely critical.
"What is most important is that the BBC's portfolio of services and channels work as a whole to reach everybody - through radio, TV, online and interactive. It's not just about the performance of individual channels, and nor is it just about share."
Channel Four was the only one of the five main networks not to experience a decline in audience share - though ITV expects its own to pick up before the end of the year.
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