Digital TV continues to eat away at terrestrial ratings

LONDON - The proliferation of digital television channels is continuing to eat away at audience figures for the terrestrial networks, according to the latest television figures, with BBC One and BBC Two's viewing levels falling to an all-time low.

ITV1 has also suffered as multichannel television recorded a bigger share than the biggest terrestrial stations, taking a 26% share of viewing.

BBC One is reported to be on track to seeing its audience share slip below 25% for the first time, if the last few weeks of the year continue in the same way, while BBC Two could slip under the 10% mark.

According to Broadcasters' Audience Research Board figures, BBC Two has seen its audience figures fall by 9% between January 1 and December 9, hit by the shift of 'The Simpsons' to Channel 4 earlier this year.

BBC One has seen audiences switching off from traditional hits such as 'EastEnders', and now faces the prospect of its annual percentage share of viewing falling below the 25% mark for the first time. Last year, it had an audience share of 25.6% for the year, down from its 1989 peak of 39%.

At the same time, the figures showed that only six programmes this year managed to draw an audience of more than 15m, and three of these were England football matches during Euro 2004.

Even the one of the biggest hits this year for the BBC, 'Strictly Come Dancing' attracted 11.2m viewers, but that still managed to beat the final of ITV's 'X Factor', which racked up 9.9m.

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