UK viewers 'seeing more adverts'

Commercial channels saw a 4% rise on the same period last year

UK audiences saw more adverts between January and June than in same period last year, according to figures from ratings measurement company Barb.

In the first half of 2008, UK viewers watched 2.4 billion broadcast TV ads a day - a 6% rise on 2007.

Figures show people watch three hours and 46 minutes of broadcast TV a day, seven minutes more than a decade ago.

The news will be welcomed by ITV, which saw its profits fall 28% in the first half of the year.

Barb's report precedes new Ofcom regulations that will allow adverts to be shown more often during films from 1 September onwards.

Popularity

Commercial channels have seen a 4% rise in viewing figures compared to the same period last year, with audiences tuning in for an average of two hours and 20 minutes a day between January and June.

According to industry body Thinkbox, Barb's figures "underline the great strength and resilience of commercial TV".

The body claims that the popularity of online catch-up services like the BBC's iPlayer have not stopped people watching broadcast TV.

Launched in 2005, Thinkbox is the television marketing body for the UK's main commercial broadcasters.