UK Gold to relaunch as ratings slip
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Your support makes all the difference.UK GOLD, the satellite channel run by the BBC and Thames TV, is to be relaunched less than three months after going on the air, writes Jason Nisse.
The shake-up has been prompted by disappointing viewing figures in December for the channel's output of repeat TV series. The number of people watching the most popular shows fell to less than 200,000 from a peak of more than 400,000 when UK Gold was launched in November.
Despite showing programmes such as Dr Who, The Onedin Line and The Duchess of Duke Street, the channel's share of viewers who own satellite dishes - around 2.5 million households in the UK - fell to 2.1 per cent in the last week of December and first week of January, though UK Gold claims it has since made a recovery. The best viewing figures tend to be between 6am and 10am on weekdays.
Derek Lewis, the former Granada chief executive, launched UK Gold but left it shortly afterwards to become head of the prison service. The channel shows 'classic television' drawn from the programme libraries of Thames and the BBC, which own 15 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. The rest is owned by Cox Enterprises, which underwrote the pounds 35m launch costs. UK Gold is Thames' only remaining broadcast interest, after its bid for the new Channel 5 service was thrown out by the Independent Television Commission, which regulates commercial TV.
The shareholders are now becoming restless because of the fall in UK Gold's ratings. A source at Thames said the channel needed a relaunch to put it in a position where it could support itself financially.
Bruce Steinberg, who was brought in from cable music channel MTV to run UK Gold after Mr Lewis's departure, wants to make changes to the programme formula to sharpen up the service.
Sources close to UK Gold suggested that among the programmes to go may be the repeat showings of BBC soap operas such as Neighbours and EastEnders.
There is also a feeling that UK Gold may buy in some new programmes.
Mr Steinberg said that once he had the right schedule, there would be a new promotional campaign for UK Gold.
(Photograph omitted)
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