UKTV says its Originals topped the 2018 ratings on six of its branded channels; Dave, W, Gold, Drama, Yesterday and Really.
The Top three shows on UKTV’s network were all UKTV Originals – Taskmaster, Death on the Tyne and Murder on The Blackpool Express.
Darren Childs, UKTV CEO, said: “Our strategy of creating distinctive, ambitious and compelling new shows is continuing to pay off. I’m incredibly proud that for the first time, UKTV Originals were the top rating shows on six of UKTV’s channels and on UKTV Play last year. The breadth and depth of our channels offer a rich mix of opportunities for advertisers, and UKTV Play, which generated over 140 million views and attracted 1.8 million registered users in 2018, provides a data rich environment for targeted advertising.”
Meanwhile, on demand platform UKTV Play saw a 36% increase in views year-on-year, generating over 140 million views in 2018 and attracting 1.8 million registered users. UKTV Originals also performed well on Play with episodes of Taskmaster, Judge Romesh and Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier taking the top three spots.
Distribution increased with launches on Now TV and Roku streaming players, Freesat, Samsung TV and Go Media.