At Easter 2004, the combined audience for non-terrestrial television channels exceeded each of BBC One and ITV1 in total television homes.

Sky One
Multichannel services, including Sky One, ITV2 and UK Gold, reached another landmark in March 2004, surging past each of ITV1 and BBC1 to take the largest share of the total TV audience.

This was the first time the multichannel networks had won the largest audience share outside the summer months, a traditionally weak period for the five main terrestrial networks.

In line with its ambition to be the home of top US programming, Sky One showcases a range of award-winning acclaimed shows such as ‘Nip/Tuck’, ‘24’, ‘Las Vegas’, ‘Cold Case’, ‘Tru Calling’, ‘Angel’, ‘Scrubs’, ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ and the world’s favourite animated family and the most successful animation series of all time, ‘The Simpsons’.

During the year, Sky One achieved some of its largest ever audiences. A peak audience of more than 2 million tuned in to watch Rebecca Loos give her side of the Beckham scandal in ‘Rebecca Loos – My Story’. In August 2003 David Blaine was suspended in a perspex box, and over 2 million viewers watched the climax of the 44 day event. ‘There’s Something About Miriam’ became a global story, as Sky One followed the exploits of six lads competing for the affection of Mexican beauty, Miriam. A reality series with a stunning twist, the show was a huge success in early 2004.

At the heart of the Sky One schedule is the commitment to commissioning and developing long-standing series like ‘Brainiac’; this is complemented with a growing reputation for fast turn around topical documentaries, such as ‘Rebecca Loos – My Story’ and ‘John Leslie – My Year of Hell’.

This autumn, Sky One will launch a new look and a raft of top quality acquired and original programmes. These include the critically-acclaimed HBO drama, ‘Deadwood’, the US ratings success ‘The 4400’ and ‘The Match’, a brand-new series, mixing football with a potent reality format. Returning series include the eighth season of Dream Team and a new series of Brainiac.

Sky One also provides user-friendly interactive services allied to individual programmes, which generate incremental revenues for Sky. ‘24’ and ‘Nip/Tuck’ fans were able to catch video recaps and previews of the plot, as well as to access additional information about the shows, and play quizzes and games.