‘A brilliant jewel in the UKTV crown’
The Dave brand spans more than just a channel – it offers also podcasts, comedy events and an entire personality which shines through its social media and advertisements. It is this ethos of being “more than a channel” which most impressed our judges – along with Dave’s commitment to new talent.
From its WriterSlam competition for new writers and the Rosie Jones-hosted Disability Comedy Extravaganza to Just Jokes, an all-Black comedy talent commission spun off from a series of promotional shorts, Dave is not only paving the way with new comedy talent, but also with diversity and inclusion.
Alongside this, the channel is known for its high-quality returning programmes such as Meet the Richardsons, Unforgiveable and the BAFTA award-winning Big Zuu’s Big Eats, so it’s no wonder that Dave is one of the most popular non-PSB-operated channels for 2022 amongst audiences.
Dave’s new series have also performed well for the channel, with a reboot of World’s Most Dangerous Roads launching 108% above slot average. Once again the series showcased Dave’s talent-first ethos, mixing established and new talent.
Winning the category by a landslide, judges called Dave “a brilliant jewel in the UKTV crown” and praised its unique, topical and comedic programming.
SHORTLISTED
With a returning slate featuring Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Glow Up and Bad Education, the dedicated 16 to 34s channel could have rested on its laurels. Instead BBC3 pushed forward with its distinct documentaries, entertainment formats and critically acclaimed dramas. Celebrity takes on big subjects such as sex and eating disorders were just as popular as the latest Sally Rooney adaptation and the return of Bad Education.
The dedicated pre-school channel is a staple for children growing up in the UK thanks to its core principles of lighting up little learners, playtime all the time and everyone’s welcome. CBeebies aids both learning and social development in children, while entertaining kids and parents alike.
“Guilt-free pleasure” was E4’s motto this year, a rallying cry against reality television’s reputation as a guilty pleasure. Married at First Sight UK led the charge to become the second highest rating show on digital channels, supported by the likes of Made in Chelsea and Celebs Go Dating. Across E4’s linear channel and All 4, audiences supported guilt free pleasure to give E4 its best year on record.
More 4 firmly targets the ABC1 audience through its concentrated commissioning and scheduling. Talent in the form of Matt Baker and Amanda Owen drew a slot average of 0.6m (138%) and ABC1s up 105% on slot average. Meanwhile, escapist fare such as The Big Tiny Design Challenge and a foreign drama slate from Walter presents also proved fruitful for the channel.
In a busy news year which featured the war in Ukraine, a cost-of-living-crisis, a major earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the downfall of two prime ministers and the death of monarch, Sky News more than faced to the challenge of being watched by more than 10 million people.
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