Election Night 2005

Sky News enjoyed a 1.06% share of viewing on Thursday 5 May, the day of the General Election, compared to 0.82% for BBC News 24 and 0.20% for the ITV News Channel.
Sky News peaked at 2245-2300 with 219,000 viewers and a 1.77% share, while BBC News 24 peaked at 2100 – 2115 with 158,000 viewers and a 1.07% share.

Throughout the campaign (Tuesday 5 April to Thursday 5 May) Sky News has proved to be the most popular 24-hour news channel, averaging a 0.62% share of viewing compared to 0.54% for News 24 and 0.13% for the ITV News Channel.

All three news channels have improved on the last Election Night, on 7 June 2001. Four years ago Sky News’ average share was 0.89%, compared with 0.44% for BBC News 24 and 0.06% for ITV News.

Source: Barb live overnight figures in multichannel homes.

Sky press release: Sky News leads news channel viewing on Election Night

Last night's general election coverage failed to pull in the viewers, with fewer than 7 million voters watching BBC1 and ITV, over a million down on the last election and 4 million fewer than watched in 1997.

ITV suffered particularly low ratings, averaging fewer than 2 million viewers between 10pm and 1am, according to unofficial overnight figures.

Despite a healthy inherited audience of 5.5 million viewers from Footballers' Wives, ITV could only muster a 14% share of the viewing and fewer than half the viewers who tuned in to the BBC's coverage.

BBC1 averaged 4.7 million viewers between 10pm and 1am, more than double ITV's figure but still 700,000 fewer than watched in 2001.

Its ratings peaked at 6 million at 10.45pm, when the first result for Sunderland South came in.

ITV had just 2.3 million in the same timeslot - fewer than watched a repeat of comedian Peter Kay's stand-up show on Five.

Five's decision to delay the start of its election coverage until 11pm paid off with Peter Kay winning nearly 3 million viewers.

But its election results coverage, simulcast with Sky News from midnight, brought in just 200,000 viewers, a 3% share of the terrestrial viewing.

On Channel 4, Bremner, Bird and Fortune's satirical take on the election pulled in 1.1 million viewers.

The Secret Election, artist Alison Jackson's take on the three main party leaders, managed just 400,000.

I was expecting (though in hindsight I could have checked in all the listings, which were more detailed than they usually are) them to changeover at 6am. There was a lingering shot of Big Ben at that point which I thought signalled a change of gallery staff as well - find it difficult to believe you could produce / direct / vision mix for more than 9 hours, but perhaps they did.

I think the ratings are a shame for ITV because they did put on a good show, the BBC's show wasn't bad either and it just shows the general public just aren't into it like we are. If people treated it more like political Eurovision and watched the results come in with a few friends and snacks they'd enjoy it alot more.

Does anyone have a cap video of BBC Election Night starting?

Not sure if any videos have been posted, haven't been able to follow the thread. A little late, but here are my captures from the opening of the programmes, first with Sky at 9, BBC at about 9.50, and finally ITV at just before 10 o'clock.

SKY - 4.9 MB

BBC - 4.7 MB

ITV - 4.4 MB

Well it didn't work for ITV, even with all their celebs (well they were only d-list)