Investors

ITV1

ITV1 is the UK’s largest commercial television network and broadcasts some of the most popular programmes on UK television, including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, News at Ten, This Morning, I’m A Celebrity, The X Factor, Dancing on Ice, Britain’s Got Talent, Downton Abbey, Law & Order: UK, Benidorm and Harry Hill’s TV Burp, as well as many live Sports events such as the Champions’ League, FA Cup and England International football matches, the IPL cricket league and the Rugby World Cup.

On-Screen Performance

ITV1’s share of viewing was down 4% in 2010 but the Family of digital channels rose by 11%. The ITV Family’s share of commercial impacts (SOCI) in 2010 was broadly flat compared to the previous year at 39.8%. Within this, ITV1 adult SOCI was down 4%, but actually increased in the key demographics of ABC1 adults and 16-34 year-old adults, resulting in a significantly improved audience profile for advertisers.

Highlights from the 2010 on screen performance include the airing of the historic first Election debate which attracted 9.7 million viewers and the X Factor series final which achieved its best rating episode ever with 19.8 million viewers. The 2010 Football World Cup also performed well for ITV1 with the England vs. Algeria match achieving the highest peak audience of the year with 21.3 million viewers and a 71% viewing share.

Revenues

In 2010 ITV outperformed the television advertising market by 1%, with the ITV Family of channels’ share of total television advertising increasing from 44.7% to 45.1%. Our strongest performance year-on-year was in June, due to the increased demand for advertising on ITV1 around the Football World Cup.

Schedule cost

In an increasingly fragmented market we must invest in quality programming and refresh schedules to strengthen all of our channels. In 2011 ITV1’s network programme budget will be around £800 million, which represents a small reduction on the budget of £820 million in 2010 but the 2010 figure included the cost of the Football World Cup. The key for us is investment in long-running returnable series, which also travel well internationally, particularly in entertainment and drama.

Further information

For more information on ITV1 please see the 2010 annual report or click here to visit the channel’s website.