S4C failing to get enough viewers

It may be funded by the TV Licence but the regional channel for Wales S4C, effectively Channel Four for Wales, showed around two hundred programmes last month and because this channel is directed at the Welsh, it is easy to think that the viewing figures would be pretty substantial.

However, according to the broadcaster’s Audience Research Board the viewing figures for a week in February were so low that they actually failed to register.

Effectively S4C had no viewers for 196 programmes.

If this was a totally commercial venture nobody would be worrying as it would be down to the management and regulators to sort out, but S4C gets £100 million subsidy straight out of the TV Licensing fee.

According to the data only 139 programmes out of the channel’s entire schedule managed to attract just over 10,000 viewers.