Commercial TV viewing and impacts in December 2011 decreased on the record level set in December 2010 due to the severe winter weather with very low temperatures and significant snowfalls that the UK experienced in December 2010.  

Commercial TV impacts in December 2011 decreased by 5.6% on December 2010. However, commercial impacts for December 2011 were up 11% on the five year average for the month, according to figures from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board.

Commercial TV slightly increased its share of total linear TV viewing in December to 64.3%, up from 62.7% last year.

Commercial TV viewing in December has decreased year on year with a drop of 49 minutes a week (7 minutes a day) to a weekly average of 19.7 hours (2.81 hours a day). Nevertheless, commercial viewing time remained 9% higher than the representative five year average for December of 18.08 hours a week (2.58 hours a day).

Across the key advertiser audiences, weekly viewing of commercial TV remained considerably higher than the five year average, with some year on year decreases. Men watched 19.11 hours a week, 6.3% higher than the five year average but 8.8 minutes down a day on last year, whilst ABC1 adults watched 16.08 hours of commercial TV a week, down 8.5 minutes a day. Viewing amongst 16-34s remained relatively static year on year with a slight decrease of 3.9 minutes per day. Housewives with children watched 21.72 hours of commercial TV per week, an increase of 9.6 minutes year on year.

Although total linear TV viewing in December (including BBC channels) decreased on last year by 2 hours 10 minutes a week, it retained an impressive average of 30.62 hours (4.37 hours a day). This remains substantially higher than the five-year average for total viewing in December of 29.14 hours a week.

Linear TV viewing is now stabilizing after record growth in recent years and the fact that this is the first year on year comparison of viewing time since the new BARB panel launched in January 2010. The new BARB panel more accurately captures linear viewing (particularly that via second sets). Average daily viewing broke through the 4 hours a day mark for the first time in 2010 [link to press release]. 

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