Riots Ratings Boost For Broadcasters
British broadcasters have experienced a ratings boost as a result of the recent London riots. BBC1's Question Time attracted 3.6m viewers on Thursday with a debate on the riots – the show’s second summer spike after it debated the NOTW phone-hacking story (circa 3.8m).
ITV1 also attracted a big audience for a live special called Riots – The Victims' View. Aired earlier in the schedule, attracted around 3m.
News bulletins and news networks have generally seen strong ratings. On Tuesday, Channel 4 News hit 1.4m. Sky News and the BBC News Channel have also seen massive increases. On Tuesday, BBC News attracted a record daily audience of 13.1 million while Sky News attracted 9.28 million. That was almost double the number that tuned in during 9/11.
Not to be outdone, the BBC's news website also achieved its biggest-ever day in terms of UK audience on Tuesday with 8.1m unique users.
