Uphill ratings task for Five

Extraordinary People

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Ratings analysis: Chief executive Dawn Airey's new benchmark for Five's peaktime shows of at least 1 million viewers looks like it is going to be a huge mountain to climb.

Speaking at Doc/Fest in Sheffield, Five senior programme controller Chris Shaw said: "Dawn has said she doesn't want any shows in prime time that don't start with a one. I think she means 1 million [viewers]… [Airey] wants all of our primetime to rate above 1 million and that is quite tough."

Across the whole of peaktime (6pm to 10.30pm) Five has averaged so far this year and audience of 1.1m (5%).

The channel though has underperformed in the earlier parts of peaktime. Between 6pm and 7pm it has averaged 859,000 (4.7%) while between 7pm and 8pm it manages just 642,000 (3.1%) so far this year. Five's audience though picks up significantly between 9pm and 10pm with an average of 1.6m (6.7%).

While most of its key shows like its US drama series CSI and its shock doc strand Extraordinary People have easily surpassed that benchmark the UK's youngest terrestrial channel has had a much tougher time with some of its less high profile peaktime shows with some shows struggling to hit half a million viewers.

Five's half hour peaktime news summary at 7pm has averaged just 338,000 (1.7%) this year and attracted just 133,000 (0.7%) on 19 September.

The food show Cooking the Books couldn't do any better with a series average of 332,000 (1.5%) earlier in the year in a 6.30pm slot with the edition on 2 February bringing in just 258,000 (1.2%).

The recent wildlife show Lights Camera Animals, also in a 6.30pm slot has only averaged 332,000 (1.7%) and hit a low of 252,000 (1.3%) on 16 November.

The channel has had some significant hits this year but still is reliant on the popular CSI strand to bring in suitably big audiences. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on 12 February managed an impressive 4.4m (17.7%) in a 9pm slot. Not too far behind was CSI: New York on 2 February pulled in 3.8m (16.2%).

Five has also made an impression with viewers with its homegrown commissions. The travelogue Paul Merton in India, which ended this week, averaged 1.5m (6.9%) over five episodes. Half Man Half Tree, part of Five's Extraordinary People documentary strand, pulled in 3.4m (12.9%) on 14 April.

A Five spokesman said: "While we want our programming to be watched by the widest possible audience, ratings are not the sole criteria of success - revenue generation and audience profile are equally important indicators."