Daybreak - the launch onwards

Sorry Stuart, but I feel I have to pick you up on that.

There’s no denying that Daybreak isn’t pulling in the overall audience numbers required by ITV, but in terms of selling commercial airtime, advertisers are specifically interested in time slots that can guarantee a certain number of viewers. That’s why its called spot advertising – commercials don’t run for the full duration of the programme afterall.

I realise this is a minor point in the scheme of things, and accept that there continue to be on-going issues surrounding Daybreak’s audience figures, but I think it’s a bit wide of the mark for you to suggest that it’s somehow disingenuous to ‘pick and choose 5 minute slots that suit you’ when quoting audience figures for a 2.5hr programme.

You only have to look at the weekly BARB reports that see that it’s common practice for both average and peak viewing figures to be quoted, especially for programmes that are scheduled across more than one 30-minute time slot, such as Daybreak. I’m sure both TV-AM and GMTV also saw fluctuations in viewer numbers during their programmes.

I do agree that Daybreak isn't yet delivering though ...

Actually it would be quite fitting to have Corrie stars hosting the show in character for the 50th birthday!

The advertisers are interested in the number of eyeballs of the right kind of people who will watch the advert when it is broadcast.

Therefore the demographics (who is watching) as well as the numbers (how many are watching) are very important to them. (No point advertising products aimed at young mums if your ad is being watched mainly by retired men - however many of them are watching...)

On a show like Daybreak - which runs for 2.5 hours with a significantly different audience level at the start than the finish - then the 5-minute or 15-minute audience/share during which your advert is scheduled is obviously of more interest than the average. (If your ad goes out at 0815, the audience at 0615 is not particularly relevant) Peak isn't hugely relevant to advertisers unless they are buying slots in the peak bit. If your advert isn't in a slot in the peak audience bit then that isn't of interest either...

Where peak audience figures ARE interesting is seeing which bits of a show pull in the highest ratings - useful for production teams (and that is also likely to influence an advertiser in chosing a spot in a show to buy)

However the overall success of a show - and thus the 'pull' of it to an advertiser is rated on averages throughout the TX slot - and any industry measures of audience and share are the pretty much universal way of comparing shows.

Advertisers are probably less interested in comparing ITV shows with their BBC rivals in relative terms, they are far more interested in the absolute numbers watching the breaks on ITV. If ITV aren't delivering the eyeballs (of the right type) promised to an advertiser when they bought the airtime - then the advertisers aren't going to be happy.

In other words, Anthony Cotton/Sean Tully, whether you like it not!

Surely no one else would do it would they? If Bradley Walsh had still been there, maybe, but I can't think of anyone else with 'presenting experience'? (Words used loosely in the case of Cotton!)

Thank you.

By the way, if people want to talk peak audiences, then Breakfast was at around 2.0 million at around the same time as Daybreak peaked at 1.2 million.

It's November - it's cold in the mornings!

Oh this reminds me:

John Stapleton returns to Daybreak on Thursday

That's for those who question where he is.

He was on this morning as well!

Where'd he go in the first place?

Yes I think I must of got something wrong there, I apologise I think it was just today,

He keeps having very long breaks, but I believe that's the whole point of 'Special Correspondent'

Remember that not all of the job of a correspondent takes place on the screen.

In my experience of special correspondents is that the job is someone who's off the daily reporter rota and working on feature or investigative stories.