Research & Insight at Channel 4
In Research & Insight we look at what, why and when people watch TV and provide
audience insight to help our commissioning teams and schedulers understand our
viewers.
This presentation is a summary of key insights of our performance, reputation and
consumer understanding.
A Brief History of Channel 4
The schedule
This is the most recent example of what Channel 4 is currently
putting on air:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
17:00
17:30
Early peak Hobbies/Leisure ( CDWM/Coach Trip/Jamie/4 in a Bed)
18:00
The Simpsons
18:30
Hollyoaks
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:30
Science / Nature
/ Human
I nterest Docs
Lifestyle &
Entertainment
Lifestyle Series
Contemporary factual /
features
23:00
Stripped Factual and Entertainment
23:30
*The schedule is subject to change
Current Affairs
Factual
Commissions
Channel 4 News
Factual
commissions
Aquired Factual,
Entertainment &
Lifestyle
Current affairs
docs
UK/US Entertainment/Drama
( Jamie/CDWM)
Time Team
Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News
Current Affairs
CDWM stacks
Channel 4 News
19:00
19:30
Lifestyle stacks
Aquired and
commissioned
series
Feature films
Feature films
Channel Share
Over the past decade, the television industry has seen a sharp growth in the digital market and share of
viewing to digital channels is now 44%. Channel 4 has averaged a 7.0% share in 2010.
50
Individual share
YTD 2010
16-34 share
YTD 2010
ABC1 share
YTD 2010
7.0%
9.3%
7.4%
Digital channels
45
43.9%
40
35
30
25
BBC1 20.7%
ITV1
20
16.6%
15
10
C4 7.1%
BBC2 6.9%
FIVE 4.6%
5
0
2001
2002
BARB, 2001-2010 (up to 31st Oct 2010), Network homes
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010 YTD
Our Portfolio
Channel 4 kept its competitive edge in the growing digital market by launching four new digital channels that have
continued to grow and helped to maintain a strong portfolio performance. Now amongst 16-34s, E4 can outperform
Channel Five in certain timeslots.
11.0
10.1
BARB, 2001-2010, Network homes
10.6
10.3
10.5
12.1
11.9
11.8
11.5
11.5
Channel 4 viewers are younger and more upmarket than other
commercial broadcasters
The profile of the Channel 4 audience throughout the day
16-34
ABC1
40
36
Female
58
55
42
45
C4 Total
Total
Commercial
35-44
45-54
C2DE
52
55
Male
55+
C4 Total
Age
BARB, Jan-Oct 2010, Network homes, C4 Total.
Social Grade
Total
Commercial
Sex
Research also shows that Channel 4 is renowned for creating new and
exciting content and for covering ground other channels wouldn’t
Channel 4 is the most talked about
commercial TV channel for 16-34s
(TGI 2009)
Channel 4 is watched by 21
million ABC1s every month
(Barb Jan-Nov 09)
Channel 4 is a distinctive and thought provoking channel
% of people saying each channel is best for…
BBC1
BBC2
I TV1
Channel 4
40%
11%
6%
36%
10%
8%
five
Being provocative
11%
10%
12%
6%
Covering ground other channels wouldn't
33%
31%
17%
13%
5%
Trend setting
Source : C4 Image Tracker, 2010. Base: 4,000 UK Adults
8%
10%
11%
8%
9%
Taking a different approach to subjects
E4 is more than just an entertainment brand, it’s a
lifestyle
“Targeted for teenagers, brilliant
comedy” Female Inbetweeners viewer, age 15. Taken
from E4 focus groups.
E4 is the favourite digital channel
of 16-34’s
(TGI Q4 2010)
E4 viewers are young, upmarket and female.
Profile of the E4 audience, throughout the day
10
16-24
27
12
ABC1
36
41
Female
16
25-34
21
35-44
15
C2DE
54
45+
55
62
55
47
Male
45
38
25
E4 Total
Age
BARB, Jan-Oct 2010, Network homes, E4 Total.
Total
Commercial
E4 Total
Total
Commercial
Social Grade
E4 Total
Total
Commercial
Sex
More4 has a unique appeal to intelligent, affluent and
informed viewers
Watched by nearly half of all
ABC1 adults every month
(11.3million)
(Barb Jul-Sep 10)
More4 has an older, upmarket following
Age
16-34
20
Profile of the More4 audience, throughout the day
Social Grade
21
ABC1
35-44
16
16
45-54
19
17
C2DE
55+
39
37
More4 Total
Total
Commercial
BARB, Jan-Oct 2010, Network homes, More4
Total.
Sex
40
55
More4 Total
36
Female
57
55
Male
43
45
More4 Total
Total
Commercial
55
Total
Commercial
Programme Highlights over 2010
My Big Fat
Gypsy Wedding
Thurs, 22:00
Inds: 6.4m
ABC1 Profile: 47%
(3 profile points above
average of 44%)
the YTD
Grand Designs
One Born Every Minute
Wednesday, 21:00
Tues, 21:00
Inds: 4m
Inds: 3.8m
ABC1 Profile: 57%
16-34 Profile: 34%
(13 profile points above
(6 profile points above YTD
average of 28%)
the YTD average of 44%)
Source: BARB YTD2010 Series Averages. VoD Views 7 days post tx,.
Programme Highlights over 2010
The Million Pound Drop (all
eps YTD)
This Is England 86
Mon-Sat, 22:00
Inds: 3.2m
Inds: 2.3m
16-34 Profile: 44%
16-34 Profile: 28%
(16 profile points above
(Matching the YTD
the YTD average of 28%)
Monday, 21:00
average of 28%)
The Inbetweeners
Shameless
Mon, 21:00
Tues 22:00 (C4)
Inds: 4.1m
Inds: 3.1m
16-34 Profile: 59%
16-34 Profile: 40%
(An impressive 31 profile points
above the YTD
(12 profile points above the
YTD average of 44%)
average of 28%)
Our target audiences have a strong relationship
with Channel 4
Emotional Connection (Average scores from 1-100)
How close do you feel to each of these channels?
16-34s
ABC1s
44
45
45
24
46
34
23
66
20
30
75
47
41
59
56
57
70
61
40
37
56
31
23
40
Source : Hall & Partners tracking, September 2010. Base: 1,042 Adults; 345 16-34s; 601 ABC1s
43
42
Keep me in touch with our
youth audience
What is it?
Contemporary youth culture is changing fast and UK tribes is our way
to get a hold on it all.
UK Tribes is a massive study of 16-24 year olds. Using qualitative
research methods we identified 25 “tribes” from Indie Scenesters to Boy
Racers.
We then surveyed 4,000 16-24s online to find what makes each tribe
unique, their loves and hates, music tastes, favourite brands and top
telly shows. We update the research as often as we can to keep it fresh
and we have found that new tribes pop up and grow whilst other tribes
evolve, divide and sometimes disappear altogether.
Click here to find out more…
Keep me up to date with the latest trends
We offer research about what’s going on out there and what new trends are emerging so we
know what the public are interested in, and what they want to see on their TV screens…
Consumer Insight Newsletter
Foursight
A trends newsletter put together by the Research and Insight
department scanning all types of media for emerging trends
happening around us.
Foursight
RESEARCH & INSIGHT
TRENDS NEWSLETTER
This is a biweekly newsletter looking at what's happening
around us now. It focuses on what is dictating the
nation’s habits and interesting insights into the catalysts
of these changes. Click on the link below to find out
more…
Consumer I ntelligence
22 nd October 2010
Research & I nsight
“New normal” Continues to Take Shape in the UK
A survey
by the
Future’s
Company found that 57%
peopleBryce
agree with the
For more info please contact
Leonie
Hodge
(lhodge@channel4.co.uk)
orofLaura
statement “I find myself thinking twice before making even the smallest day-to-day
This is an increase of 42%since last November. Similarly, 53%of adults
(lbryce@channel4.co.uk) purchase”.
think that “the recession will change consumer behaviour forever”.
Keep me in the know
A powerful research resource
Propeller is an independently run panel of over 1,000 nationally representative 16-54 year olds. Every three weeks,
Channel 4 submits an online questionnaire to the panel, covering anything from their shopping or media habits to
brand attitudes. Propeller can be used for pre and post campaign testing and as it’s online, visuals like adverts can
be tested.
Did you know…?
•A quarter of 16-34 year old women would consider cosmetic surgery
•69% of people have a Facebook profile
•43% of people have played on a Nintendo Wii
Keep me in touch with what
our viewers want
CASE STUDY: Qualitative research into the 5pm slot.
We wanted to find out what was going on between 5-6pm in the new era of multiscreen households. What are people doing? What mood are they in? Who is around?
What is going on in the house? In particular, we wanted to find out what role TV
played for the different people in the house at this time of day.
Through this, we found out what was actually going on in a household at 5pm, and the
events that different family set ups experienced. This is imperative for planning new
programmes and how well the viewers respond to them at this time of day.
The next thing we needed to establish was what programmes people were looking
for at this time of day. Did they tend to stick to old favourites, or look for
something new?
We also wanted to know whether viewing in the household was active or passive
at this time of day, and did the viewer choose what they wanted to watch or did
other people choose for them (such as children.)
Using qualitative research methods these questions were put to 40 respondents,
who were also asked to watch the pilot programmes intended for the 5pm slot in
the comfort of their own homes at around that time to test their engagement at
that time of day, as well as their general thoughts and feelings about them.
For more info please contact Leonie Hodge
(lhodge@channel4.co.uk)
If you’re a producer and want to find out more about the
research we do, please contact cnewman@channel4.co.uk
for further information.