Kaplinsky was poached by Five from the BBC in a pay package reported to be worth £1m a year. The former 'Strictly Come Dancing' winner is part of a new look for 'Five News', which also includes a redesigned set and music.
Five's first news bulletin yesterday, in which Kaplinsky ditched her usual smart suit for an open shirt in an attempt to look more casual, attracted a 7.4% share of the viewers, while the second edition drew a 1.8% share, according to unofficial overnight figures.
The audience figures for the new-look 'Five News' compare favourably with the previous six months. 'Five News' averaged 600,000 viewers in its former slot at 5.30pm, while the later edition averaged 283,000 viewers in an unchanged slot at 7pm.
'Five News' was backed by a heavyweight marketing campaign through advertising agency VCCP and media planning and buying agency Vizeum. The campaign activity included press ads, outdoor posters, bus T-sides and on-air trails.
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Earlier in the day, Australian soap 'Neighbours', another high profile win from the BBC at a reported cost of £30m over 10 years, is continuing to increase its audience from a slight dip last week as viewers gradually follow the show to its new home.
The lunchtime edition at 1.45pm was watched by 1m viewers and a 14% share, while the 5.30pm repeat attracted 2.2m viewers and a 13.3% share.
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