News 24 top for rolling news

After a busy month for news coverage in July 2005, BBC News 24 has claimed that it is top for rolling news.

The channel reached 15 million homes in July – 39% of the UK’s multichannel homes, compared to 13 million and a 34% share for Sky News and 8.8 million and a 23% share for ITV News.

Many major news stories occured in July, including the London Bombings (07/07), subsequent failed bombings and the police investigation as well as the announcement that London would host the 2012 Olympic Games, the G8 Summit at Gleneagles, and the IRA announcing an end to its armed campaign.

The week of the London bombings (ending July 10) gave BBC News 24 its most-viewed week of the year with 8.9 million people watching the channel compared to 8.3 million watching Sky News and 4.5 million tuning into ITV News.

For the year to date, News 24 has topped the rolling news channels every month, achieving an average monthly reach of 10.6 million compared to 9.5 million for Sky News and 6 million for ITV News.

BBC News 24 averages 5 million viewers a week, compared to 4.6 million for Sky News and 2.3 million for ITV News.