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CUMBRIA VIEWERS TURN TO TV NEWS CHANNELS AFTER FLOOD DEVASTATION
Issued: November 23, 2009
TV news channels have become a vital source of information over the last three days, after floods devastated parts of Cumbria. Industry figures show that the audience for Sky News and BBC News rose sharply in the Border region as viewers tuned in for the latest information and pictures from across the affected area.
Between Friday and Sunday, the rolling news channels accounted for 5.61% of all TV viewing in the Border region, a five-fold increase from the figure of 1.12% during the same period of the previous week.
Sky News was the most-watched news channel in the Border region over the three days, with 3.30% of the total TV audience, compared to 2.31% for BBC News.
On Thursday November 19 during the 11pm newshour, when Sky News was broadcasting live from Cockermouth ahead of any other news channel, Sky News' audience had more than two and a half times the number of viewers than BBC News (an average of 127,000 for Sky News v. 49,000 for BBC News).
Sky News Online over the weekend also saw an increase in usership.
Friday Nov 20:
Page views 6.3 million (up 35pc on average comparable weekday figure)
Unique users - 539,000 (about average for weekday)
Saturday Nov 21:
Page views 4.7 million (up 40 per cent on average weekend figure)
Uniques - 323,000 (up 20 pc on average weekend figure)
Sunday Nov 22:
Page views 4.5 million (up 40 pc on average weekend figure
Uniques - 348,000 (up 20 pc on average weekend figure).
Picture gallery and video figures were also up on each of these days by around 20 per cent.
Highlights of Sky News coverage:
Friday Nov 20:
0816 Sky News first broadcast news channel to have live picture of RAF helicopters evacuating people from their homes.
1013 Sky News first to film live from rescue centres.
1134 Sky News presenter Colin Brazier first to anchor Sky News' live coverage from Cockermouth with Andrew Wilson presenting Live at Five from Cockermouth later in the day.
Sky News also brought viewers the latest updates and pictures on the search for missing policeman Bill Barker following the collapse of the bridge in Workington and the subsequent recovery of his body.
1338 Skycopter deployed to show pictures of the flood damage and aftermath.
FIRST INTERVIEW Environment Secretary Hilary Benn
Saturday Nov 21:
FIRST INTERVIEWS Sky News had the first interviews with Floods Minister Huw Irranca-Davies in Bridgend; Chief Constable Craig Mackey live for update on emergency operations and Aiden Kerr, of the Environment Agency.
1059 Sky News first to broadcast pictures of Prime Minister Gordon Brown visiting the flood zone.
Sunday Nov 20:
0900 Sky News first with the news that the Calva bridge had dropped by a foot.
1059 Sky News first to broadcast pictures of Prime Minister Gordon Brown visiting the flood zone.
Users and viewers have been sending in photographs and video of the affected areas while Sky News has been updating them on travel disruption - including road and bridge closures and school closures, with advice from the Environment Agency, the Highways Agency, Cumbria County Council and other bodies. It has also been posting regular weather warnings from the Met Office.
SKY NEWS LIVE AT FIVE TONIGHT
Live at Five tonight will, once again, be presenting live from Cockermouth with Colin Brazier with reports on location from around the region.
Sky News North of England Correspondent Tom Parmenter will be looking at the clearing up operation as people return to their homes.
Sky News Midlands Correspondent David Crabtree will be live from Workington looking at how local services – such as GPs, schools etc – are affected by the Calva bridge closure.
Sky News will continue to bring viewers the latest updates with Sky News reporters on the ground are Tweeting the latest updates and users of Twitter can follow them: @Skynewsnorth and @Skymanchester. Sky News reporter Tom Parmenter is also filing video footage on Qik.com and direct from his mobile phone to skynews.com.
NOTE TO EDITORS
Dates
Sky News and BBC News
Total Sky News
BBC News
20/11/2009
7.41
4.18
3.23
21/11/2009
4.29
2.42
1.88
22/11/2009
5.13
3.31
1.81
20/11/2009 to 22/11/2009
5.61
3.30
2.31
Dates
Sky News and BBC News
Total Sky News
BBC News
13/11/2009
1.61
0.82
0.79
14/11/2009
0.99
0.27
0.72
15/11/2009
0.84
0.31
0.53
13/11/2009 to 15/11/2009
1.12
0.44
0.68
Y-o-Y
Sky News and BBC News
Total Sky News
BBC News
Friday
360%
410%
309%
Saturday
333%
796%
161%
Sunday
511%
968%
242%
Friday-Sunday
401%
650%
240%
Source: BARB/TNS, Live+VOSDAL Overnights Data, Based on Individuals in ALL HOMES, Network Panel
SKY NEWS
Since its launch in 1989, Sky News has established itself as a formidable and innovative force in the world of news broadcasting. It now provides news to around 145 million people in 36 countries in Europe alone, with distribution across Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
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Sky News won a Golden Nypmh at the 2009 Monte Carlo Television Festival for Best 24 Hour News Programme for its coverage of the Mumbai terror attacks. Sky News was also named Best News Service at the Broadcast Digital Awards 2009 and Skynews.com won the Association of Online Publishers award for website of the year, 2008.
Issued by:
Stella Tooth
Sky News Publicity
020 7800 4289
07802 754877
And
Charlotte Reed
Sky News Publicity
020 7705 3417
07920 027829
And
Francoise Frost
07824 834825
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