Thinkbox executive chair Tess Alps insists YouTube is not displacing TV as summer viewing figures are announced
European TV viewing figures notched up good results over the summer, according to industry leaders, despite the lack of the major sporting tournaments 2012 enjoyed.
Figures: Alps said YouTube was 'complementary' to TV
In the UK, more than 14 million people watched Andy Murray win the men’s singles at Wimbledon and around the same number tuned in for the final of Britain’s Got Talent. The birth of Prince George recorded combined viewing figures across four UK channels of around 11.9 million.
However, despite the industry’s upbeat attitude the figures still pale in comparison to 2012’s events. Last year’s Olympics opening ceremony, for example, peaked at 27.3 million while a peak audience of 23.2 million saw England knocked out of the Euro 2012 football tournament.
Figures were positive in Italy, with Italians watching 3.5 per cent more TV compared to last summer, while 26 million Germans watched a pre-election debate between Chancellor Angela Merkel and challenger Peer Steinbrück and 23.7 million watched the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortumund.
Philippe Delusinne, president of the Association of Commercial Television (ACT), said: “Across Europe, broadcasters are achieving astonishing levels of innovation in technology and we are constantly developing new ways to deliver our content to consumers: HD, Ultra-HD, on-demand.
“Crucially, we are doing this with very high levels of linear TV viewing and high growth in additional, non-linear TV viewing. As and when the European economies return to growth, this will be translated into increased advertising and subscription revenue to be reinvested in future programming – a real virtuous circle for European business and consumer.”
Tess Alps, executive chair of Thinkbox, added that the summer viewing figures in the UK and across Europe at least showed that YouTube was less of a threat to linear TV than some quarters in the industry claim.
“Whenever a commentator glibly announces that YouTube has ‘displaced’ TV we should ask for their impartial evidence. In the UK, according to official sources, for every minute spent on YouTube, the average person spends nearly an hour watching linear TV.
“We’re delighted to discover from cooperating with our sister organisations that this pattern is replicated across all the major European markets.
“This is not to denigrate YouTube in any way,” she continued. “It is complementary to TV and it is going to grow, but the assumption that time spent on YouTube will inevitably cannibalise linear TV time is flawed and not borne out by analysis of real consumers.”
Alps’ figures come from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) but do not include YouTube viewing figures on mobile devices. According to YouTube’s own figures, a quarter of global views come from mobile devices.
Content created with:
Thinkbox
Thinkbox is the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, in all its forms. It works with the marketing community with a single ambition: to help advertisers get...
Find out more