TV since 1981

Events in this year Top 10 programmes 338 reported channels
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2018

January
Barb publishes a new white paper, The SVOD Report: Charting the growth in SVOD services across the UK.
February
Blue Peter airs its 5000th episode.
March
Thanks to the Beast from the East, total viewing to Barb-reported channels is 8.4% higher in the week ending March 4th than in the equivalent week in 2017.
April
Barb confirms next stage of Project Dovetail; consultation reveals industry expectations for future development.
May
Nine Barb-reported channels cover Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s wedding, with a reach of 27.7 million individuals.
June
13.6 million tune in for England’s first World Cup group stage match against Belgium.
July
20.7 million watch as England’s World Cup journey comes to an end after they lose to Croatia in the semi-final of the tournament, making it the most-watched programme of the year.
August
The Great British Bake Off starts with 9.2 million viewers.
September
Barb launches multiple-screen audience reporting, producing programme viewing figures for TV sets, tablets, PCs and smartphones for the first time.
The final episode of Bodyguard is the most-watched drama programme of the year, attracting 14.3 million TV set viewers, with an additional 866k viewers on non-TV devices.
October
Doctor Who regenerates with its thirteenth doctor to an audience of 10.5 million on TV sets, with a further 425k watching on PCs, tablets and smartphones.
November
13.7 million TV set viewers tune in for the first episode of I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here! on TV sets, with a further 479k watching on non-TV devices.
December
Call the Midwife is the most-watched Christmas Day programme, with 8.7 million TV set viewers and 223k non-TV device viewers.