CTV AND GLOBAL RULE

by Graham Hicks
Hicks on Six
EdmontonSun.com
Sunday January 20th, 2008

A definitive conclusion about local TV, based on ratings over the last 10 years.

Forget all that noise about fragmentation and the 100 channel universe.

CTV Edmonton and Global still rule the local roost.

At any given time, except for Oiler games and top sports casts on CBC, TSN or Sportsnet, the vast majority of Greater Edmonton TVs are tuned to those two stations.

CBC and CityTV, the other two "conventional" local TV shows are way behind, but would still have bigger audiences than ACCESS, Shaw Cable 10 or any other of those billion available channels.

When it comes to the 6 p.m. news, Global and CTV take turns sharing the lead.
CTV used to always be ahead, but Global has inched into what's now a virtual tie. Global's Lynda Steele and Gord Steinke are as equally recognizable in town as CTV's Daryl McIntyre and Carrie Doll.

Global claims it has the most overall news viewers. And Global's formula of lots of local news, lots of the time, is paying off.

But CTV counters with the "extended viewing area." Including all Northern Alberta, CTV's 6 p.m. news has far more over-all viewers.

And when it comes to the big advertising dollars from prime-time American shows, CTV is still ahead. What happened to the once mighty CBC and young CityTV? A story for another day.

Some more info...

- From Global's side:

For immediate release
January 10, 2008

Global Edmonton Newscasts Continue to Gain Momentum, Increasing News Viewers for All News Broadcasts

‘Morning News’, ‘Early News’, ‘News Hour Final’ and ‘Global National’ Dominate the Competition

“"We'd like to thank all the Global Edmonton viewers for their loyalty in 2007. The across-the-board ratings increases are a direct result of the hard work of the most experienced news team in Edmonton,” said Neill Fitzpatrick, Global Edmonton’s news director. “The Global 1 helicopter has also been a huge factor, bringing our viewers exclusive views of traffic jams and the city’s breaking news stories.  We're looking forward to another great year in 2008."

2007 Fall BBM Analytics, Extended Market Area, Average Quarter Hour Audience, A18+, Monday to Friday
October 18, 2007 - November 21, 2007

    * Global Edmonton's 6 p.m. 'News Hour' increased viewers by 23 per cent, averaging 116,400 viewers compared to Fall 2006, while CTV's decreased by four per cent.

    * In the major hub of the Edmonton Area (Central Market), Global Edmonton's 'News Hour' is the #1 6 p.m. newscast with 93,200 viewers compared to CTV's 88,100.

    * Global Edmonton's 'News Hour Final' broadcast was the #1 local late night news program in Edmonton. 'News Hour Final' increased viewers by 23 per cent, averaging 37,000 viewers compared to Fall 2006, while CTV's Late News decreased by 23 per cent.

    * Global Edmonton's 'Early News' broadcast was the #1 program in the 5 p.m. block in Edmonton. 'Early News' increased by nine per cent, averaging 63,700 viewers compared to Fall 2006, while CTV's Oprah decreased 17 per cent.

    * Global Edmonton's 'Morning News' broadcast was the #1 morning news program in Edmonton. 'Morning News' increased by six per cent, averaging 36,200 viewers compared to Fall 2006, three times the audience of all competitors' morning news combined

    * Global National was the #1 national newscast in Edmonton. Global National averaged 78,200 viewers, 130 per cent more than CTV National's 34,000.

    * Also, in June 2007, Global Edmonton introduced audiences to "Global One" - the city's first and only television news helicopter - providing traffic reports for the daily commute and covering the city's breaking news.

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- From CTV's side:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20080110/ctv_release_20080110/20080110

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PR hacks at work... let's hear it for the Comedy Channel.