The most recent research available from several markets indicates that BBC World, the corporation's commercially backed channel, is increasing its reach and share around the world.
In Australia, audience share has multiplied seven times -- the fastest growth of any channel surveyed; in South Africa, audience share for BBC World in multichannel homes has quadrupled; and in India, the audience reach doubled in the first few days of the conflict, according to the BBC.
While BBC World has made gains internationally, at home BBC News 24 has been soundly beaten by rival Sky News, whose reporting of the war has been seen as more positive and coverage more engaging.
Sky claims to have beaten the BBC to breaking news on numerous occasions during the war and, overall, Sky News is beating BBC News 24 by an audience ratio of three to one.
ITV has also benefited from its decision to run a 9pm bulletin, winning its highest average audience figures for an ITV news bulletin since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
On the day of the "shock and awe" bombing of Baghdad, it managed a 9.2% share of viewing, while BBC News 24 took a paltry 2.9%, but it is the ITV News channel that no one is watching -- it scored 0.9%.
Around the world, 20 terrestrial broadcasters are now carrying breaking news from BBC World, increasing the number of homes receiving the channel by 77.4m.
In Australia, where BBC World is now available in 1.5m homes across all platforms, the latest research by AC Nielsen (March 23-29) shows that audience share has increased by 750% in just two weeks.
Audience reach is also at record levels with research showing it is 44% higher than the previous record, which was the week of September 11 2001.
In India, recent research by TAM indicates that BBC World's audience reach went up to 10m in one three-day period (March 20-22), more than double the usual number. During this period, the channel's market-share equalled that of CNN and CNBC.
Jonathan Howlett, director of airtime sales at BBC World, said: "This latest data demonstrates that international events are important for a growing proportion of people and that substantially more viewers are turning to BBC World for its balanced and impartial reporting of unfolding events in the Gulf."
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