C4, Five would benefit, ITV would lose from more ads

Ofcom has published a study into the UK TV advertising sector as part of an ongoing review of the market, which shows Channel 4 and Five would financially benefit from showing more ads while ITV would lose out.

The UK communications regulator is about to decide whether common rules regarding advertising minutage and how airtime is sold should be applied across all UK channels.

It said that its economic modelling shows that if UK broadcasters Channel 4 or Five were to increase the amount of advertising they made available their cost per thousand eyeballs would fall slightly, but overall revenues would increase.

Conversely the modelling showed that if the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, ITV, increased commercial impacts then its cost per thousand would fall to the extent that its overall advertising revenues would decrease.