UKTV, has achieved its best-evershare of commercial impacts (SOCI) and network share for its portfolio of free to air and subscription channels, as well as growing views on its on-demand service.
The BBC Studios owned company operates the Dave, Drama, Gold, Yesterday, W, Eden and Alibi channels in addition to the UKTV Play streaming service.
2021 saw the network achieve a record network SOCI of 8.52% – a 5.7% year-on-year growth – and grow its viewing share by 4% to 4.80% (up from 4.63% in 2020), marking the highest share to date for its current portfolio of channels.
Its first-run UKTV Originals continued to perform strongly, accounting for six of the top 10 shows in 2021. Drama Annika headed the pack, becoming Alibi’s top performing title of all time (1.32m Total Consumption). Other strong performers included Meet the Richardsons (Dave), Hornby: A Model World (Yesterday), Bangers and Cash (Yesterday) and Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable (Dave).
Monetisable views on UKTV Play and pay platforms were up 34% year-on-year, and UKTV Play added 1m registered users to reach 5.45m.
UKTV‘s CEO, Marcus Arthur, said: “UKTV experienced strong growth in 2020 and to continue that momentum through 2021 is an incredible achievement.”
“As we look forward to 2022, we will continue UKTV’s growth trajectory by working closely with domestic and international production partners, investing smartly in content, and expanding the footprint of our much-loved brands.”