BBC flagship channel BBC1 drew a 26.8% share of the audience compared with ITV's 26.7%. The news will bring little cheer to the commercial broadcaster, which faces another significant shortfall in advertising revenue.
The figures from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board put the BBC ahead of ITV in all hours. However, ITV hit back by saying that the figures counted day- and night-time viewing, but not the important peaktime viewing slots where the commercial broadcaster says it still leads.
A spokesman for the BBC said: "What a way to celebrate the New Year. It's fantastic to see that public service broadcasting can be so strong in the competitive multichannel world."
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