Annual report and accounts
When S4C launched in 1982, there were only four channels. Today, there are hundreds, and our strategy and priorities reflect the significant transformation that all broadcasters face today, as audience expectations increase in how they want to watch and choose their content, within a sea of content for them to choose.
It is encouraging to see that the priorities of our new strategy – attracting new and younger audiences to the service – are already succeeding, with many of these measures having increased significantly.
While viewing of linear TV is falling across all channels, we have seen an increase in take-up of S4C. Our weekly reach was at its highest for five years, up 8% on last year. The contribution of the 16-44 age group to our viewing hours increased significantly, which is now at its highest for a decade.
Indeed, over the past five years, as the average audience profile of the six public service media channels in Wales gets older, the age profile of S4C’s audience has become younger.
At the same time, the socio-economic profile of the S4C audience has deviated away from the C2DE group at a slightly faster rate than the average for the public service media channels. As a result, our content strategy over the next period includes offering programmes that will appeal to this important group.
