Neighbours ratings during the channel switch

intoxication · 28/03/14 - 08:37

I know Neighbours used to get higher ratings on BBC but I'd be interested to know what the viewing figures were on the last BBC broadcast to the first C5 broadcast and whether the viewers initially followed or whether it was a case of people not moving to C5 or just having BBC on in the background

[Deleted User] · 28/03/14 - 16:28

Perhaps Deschanel may be able to answer this - am not sure TBH.

Would be interested to find out, though.

[Deleted User] · 28/03/14 - 16:32

Can't answer the original question but ratings were at around 4 million I believe when it went to C5 and are now around 1.2 million. I think all soap ratings have fallen recently. If it were still on the BBC I think the ratings would be higher but not that much more if I'm honest. You'd get people tuning in before the news maybe but now CBBC isn't on BBC1 anymore kids/teens wouldn't just leave the TV on after Grange Hill etc like I used to.

The_abbott · 28/03/14 - 17:10

I remember the days Neighbours got 16million!

starry_rune · 28/03/14 - 17:42

I think the dip is more to do with the 2009 - early 2012 revamp. The show could not have got further away from its roots if it tried, the comedy and warmth vanished, we got Ramsay family, long established characters being ruined, Parkers shoved in our faces. No gripping cliffhangers, nothing.

Deschanel · 30/03/14 - 20:30

intoxication wrote: »

I know Neighbours used to get higher ratings on BBC but I'd be interested to know what the viewing figures were on the last BBC broadcast to the first C5 broadcast and whether the viewers initially followed or whether it was a case of people not moving to C5 or just having BBC on in the background

According to BARB, the first episode on C5 rated 2.45 million at 5.30pm. The show was rating under 4 million on the BBC at that time (as Neighbours wasn't cracking their top 30), but I remember reading it was getting around 3.75 million, give or take. This seemed to be stable for several years previous. In 2001 (during the same month), the show had a combined total of 8.30 million - you can see how it fell as the 2000s progressed.

So, clearly not everyone followed the show during the channel switch. I know some people said they wouldn't, just b/c it was C5. Channel snobbery, I guess. However, by the end of 2008, the show had dipped to 1.78 million. Some people didn't like the filmic effect that C5's copy had. It soon transpired that the BBC's copy was in plain old SD. So the drastic change in picture quality, from bright to dark, drove viewers away, too. The quality of the show was also taking a dive, now that Susan Bower's awful era was settling in: Parkers, teens, Unforgettable, Libby recast, evil Sam Fitzgerald...

The drop in ratings continued to slide in 2009, due to a continuation of poor storylines, horrible characters, teen overload, and a basic trashing of the show's identity. They've not recovered since, even though the show is slowly rediscovering it's identity.

[Deleted User] · 30/03/14 - 21:26

Thanks very much for this Deschanel.

Hope you'd be able to throw some light on this, and you've managed to provide some really interesting information, here TBH.

[Deleted User] · 30/03/14 - 22:49

the current ratings slide is worrying. it hasn't hit a million viewers, unless you add the lunchtime edition to the early evening slot for a while. 5 paid a lot to snatch neighbours from the beeb and desmond has tried to renegotiate the amount paid for the show. how long will neighbours air on 5, the huge amount paid for the show, is this value for money? it is now the 5th most watched soap. if 5 stopped showing neighbours, think of the money saved and what it could spend on new home grown drama the channel so badly needs!

Deschanel · 31/03/14 - 16:37

While it is worrying that they are struggling to crack a million viewers at 5.30, I don't think the show is performing so badly that it is a waste of money for C5. You have to consider that without Neighbours, C5 would come last in both timeslots. Just look at what happened when they axed Family Affairs: they struggled to find a suitable replacement show that pulled in the same numbers as FA. Without Neighbours, H&A's ratings would probably suffer slightly, and they most certainly would struggle to find a replacement show that would rate 800-900K at 5.30, when they have stiff competition from the game shows.

The current ratings may be in the basement, but C5 could very well be worse off without Neighbours. I'd say they probably need a strong marketing campaign that promotes the older cast, instead of the hot young cast that they think draws in eyeballs, the meaty storylines, instead of the teen love triangles that they think draws in eyeballs. I bet if they had bothered to promote the Lauren/Kathy baby reveal, they would have saw a small spike in viewers.

intoxication · 31/03/14 - 18:07

thank you all for your replies, particularly Deschanel. I do wonder what prompted people to stop watching when it moved to C5 and it does make me wonder whether people that have the BARB boxes were not particularly fans of the show but rather just left it on BBC1 during the afternoons.

Steady40 · 31/03/14 - 18:50

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2008 2.3 2.2 1.81 1.64 1.55 1.53 1.47 1.57 1.7 1.66 1.69
2009 1.66 1.72 1.63 1.5 1.51 1.39 1.42 1.39 1.43 1.53 1.58 1.51
2010 1.65 1.64 1.5 1.38 1.33 1.39 1.39 1.27 1.28 1.43 1.56 1.5
2011 1.34 1.39 1.28 1.26 1.3 1.31 1.27 1.19 1.22 1.21 1.36 1.37
2012 1.27 1.23 1.11 1.11 1.04 0.98 1.02 0.94 1.04 1.06 1.12 1.11
2013 1.12 1.05 1.07 1.09 1.04 1.01 0.96 0.93 0.94 0.96 1 0.97
2014 0.92 0.89

For anyone interested, these are the average monthly figures for 5.30pm showing.

As you can see ratings were consistent until 2011 where it started to drop, and never really recovered, and probably never will

[Deleted User] · 31/03/14 - 18:54

Deschanel wrote: »

While it is worrying that they are struggling to crack a million viewers at 5.30, I don't think the show is performing so badly that it is a waste of money for C5. You have to consider that without Neighbours, C5 would come last in both timeslots. Just look at what happened when they axed Family Affairs: they struggled to find a suitable replacement show that pulled in the same numbers as FA. Without Neighbours, H&A's ratings would probably suffer slightly, and they most certainly would struggle to find a replacement show that would rate 800-900K at 5.30, when they have stiff competition from the game shows.

The current ratings may be in the basement, but C5 could very well be worse off without Neighbours. I'd say they probably need a strong marketing campaign that promotes the older cast, instead of the hot young cast that they think draws in eyeballs, the meaty storylines, instead of the teen love triangles that they think draws in eyeballs. I bet if they had bothered to promote the Lauren/Kathy baby reveal, they would have saw a small spike in viewers.

All of this makes sense - agreed.

They had the same issue with FA in terms of promoting it - it seemed like they didn't know how to - and Family Affairs production wanted C5 to promote it more than they did.

They do some trailers - but focus on the young ones, when made the older characters would be better - as all the feedback has shown the Lauren/Kathy baby reveal SL to be really popular and to have really resonated with the viewers.

Pizzatheaction · 31/03/14 - 19:18

I don't think there's anything Channel 5 can do to increase the ratings. They just have to accept them for what they are. They still have almost two years on their contract, and if they have a first refusal clause (as the BBC had), and presumably no rivals for the rights, they don't have to hurry into a decision.

Deschanel · 01/04/14 - 16:57

intoxication wrote: »

it does make me wonder whether people that have the BARB boxes were not particularly fans of the show but rather just left it on BBC1 during the afternoons.

That could very well be the case, but I'm sure the ratings for Doctors (which took over Neighbours' 1.45 slot) saw a large drop on what that timeslot was pulling in before the move. There does seem to be a lot of factors at play.

Matthew_Howarth wrote: »

They had the same issue with FA in terms of promoting it - it seemed like they didn't know how to - and Family Affairs production wanted C5 to promote it more than they did.

They do some trailers - but focus on the young ones, when made the older characters would be better - as all the feedback has shown the Lauren/Kathy baby reveal SL to be really popular and to have really resonated with the viewers.

They really struggled to promote FA. I don't know why, as they are capable of promoting their prime-time dramas with ease and gusto every week. It isn't that hard to promote a soap. One of the theories as to Home & Away's continued success in Australia is the wall-to-wall promotion that Seven do - they make sure no-one forgets H&A exists. This is what C5 need to be doing: producing weekly promos - there's always something that can be dramatised each week - or even bi-weekly. When they promoted the hell out of the wedding explosion, it created buzz and got people taking notice of the show.

When C5 do promote the show, I think they do it well. But, I also think they sometimes put a lot of effort into the wrong stories. They promoted the Who Killed Robbo story, but this wasn't a popular story with viewers, as the ratings show, and the Gem/Georgia/Kate story, but not Rebecca's return or Lauren's baby reveal - two plots that could have drawn in viewers.

Pizzatheaction wrote: »

I don't think there's anything Channel 5 can do to increase the ratings. They just have to accept them for what they are. They still have almost two years on their contract, and if they have a first refusal clause (as the BBC had), and presumably no rivals for the rights, they don't have to hurry into a decision.

You're right, but networks aren't known for accepting the status quo of things. I can't see anyone else being interested in buying the rights to Neighbours, but I hope C5 renew their contract, and that FremantelMedia don't get too greedy with the price.

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