Queen’s funeral may break TV records – but it’s no cash bonanza for media industry

theguardian.com:

The death of the Queen and coverage of her funeral will top the ranks of the most-watched broadcasts in British television history, while newspaper publishers have seen an unprecedented boost in sales as mourners seek commemorative copies. And yet the biggest national event in decades will not provide a commercial bonanza for media firms.

ITV has planned its largest ever outside broadcast, with all of its channels simulcasting ad-free blanket live coverage for the first time in history. The day of the funeral will also be the first time in Channel 4’s four decades on air that it has instituted a 24-hour ad block across its channels.

The BBC, which as the nation’s favourite for coverage of major events is expected to capture the lion’s share of the 10s of millions of viewers, has turned over flagship channels BBC1 and BBC2 to broadcast the day of the funeral. Channel 4, Sky and Channel 5 are also committing significant resources and airtime.

This all means the event’s total national reach, the number of individual viewers who watch at least some coverage, could surpass that of two of the most-watched live TV events ever – England’s 1966 World Cup win and Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997.

Viewing will be further boosted by the ceremony being held on a hastily announced bank holiday, especially given there will be a semi-national closure of businesses reminiscent of lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic with businesses from cinemas and supermarkets to Primark and McDonald’s staying shut.

“There is no way it is not going to be huge,” says Boyd Hilton, entertainment director at multimedia magazine Heat. “It will go on so long, so many will get a chance to see at least some of it, and there will be a peak moment that will be in