Ten's profitability is partly because by limiting its audience target most of the time, it can operate cheaply. Nine and Seven clearly believe it is worth paying extra to reach a wider audience. The reasons include high youth unemployment and the fact that many in the demographic spend an inordinate proportion of the small incomes they receive on necessary rather than discretionary spending. They are leaving home and enjoying their independence, but recognising that for the first time in their lives they have to make their own decisions. They have to choose a credit card, a washing powder, a car, a health insurance fund, and where to shop for everything from groceries to furniture.
Older viewers tend to be more set in their ways.
They already have a loyalty to a particular bank, a supermarket chain, an airline and a make of car, says Blackley. Young viewers are yet to develop such habits. Ten thinks its Big Brother -led strategy is the right one. But Ten is looking to expand its target audience. For too long, says Blackley, Ten has been known as the network for teenagers and very young adults - mainly the 16s to 25s.