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BBC reveals audience increases with new Live +7 figures
MUMBAI: BBC has published the first two months‘ figures for its new Live +7 data and has confirmed plans to publish audience appreciation information later this year.
These new measures will combine to provide the BBC with its most accurate assessment of programme value to date.
As revealed by former Director, BBC Vision Jana Bennett last November, Live +7 measures the total audience consuming content across all platforms, including live, recordings, narrative repeats, BBC iPlayer and HD for seven days after transmission.
The system makes use of Barb data and collates these ratings relating to a particular programme or episode alongside BBC iPlayer stats.
The results, to be published monthly, show that some of the BBC‘s most watched shows experience an increase of over four million viewers when measured over seven days. Crucially however, in the case of smaller shows, particularly on digital channels, the total audience for a show can increase by several hundred percent. These figures demonstrate that whilst overnight viewing figures are still extremely important, they increasingly tell only a part of the story.
Highlights from the first set of Live +7 figures published show the following programmes increased their audience as follows:
- Come Fly With Me (BBC One 01.01.11) up 40 per cent to 10.1 million
- Question Of Sport (BBC One 10.01.11) up 210 per cent to 6.6 million
- Top Gear (BBC Two 30.01.11) up 97 per cent to 10.6 million
- Madagascar (BBC Two 16.02.11) up 79 per cent to 6.0 million
- junior Doctors (BBC Three 22.02.11) up 190 per cent to 3.5 million
- How To Live With Women (BBC Three 28.02.11) up 387 per cent to 1.35 million
- The Brain – A Secret History (BBC Four 06.01.11) up 127 per cent to 983,000
- Romancing The Stone: The Golden Ages Of British Sculpture (BBC Four 09.02.11) up 198 per cent to 502,000
BBC Vision head of audience research David Bunker said, “The new Live +7 measure is very important to us as it helps us to see the total audience watching a show. Whilst these figures do not represent a replacement for the overnight information, it will be a very useful additional piece of data.”
The BBC has also confirmed that it will publish quality data from later this year though the start date and for this has yet to be confirmed.
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De Beers launches ‘A Diamond Is Forever’ centenary book
Visual retrospective traces 100 years of iconic slogan and cultural impact.
MUMBAI: De Beers just dropped a century’s worth of sparkle between two covers because when a four-word line becomes forever, even the book needs a forever title. De Beers Group has released A Diamond Is Forever: The Making of a Cultural Icon 1926–2026, a landmark visual retrospective celebrating 100 years of shaping the modern perception of natural diamonds. The book traces how the brand transformed diamonds from elite heirlooms into universal symbols of love, commitment and personal achievement, with rare archival material, campaign highlights and cultural commentary.
At its core is the legendary 1947 slogan “A Diamond Is Forever,” penned by N.W. Ayer copywriter Frances Gerety. The four words redefined diamonds as eternal promises, earning the title of the 20th century’s greatest advertising slogan from Advertising Age in 1999. The book explores how this idea and others like the “Two Months’ Salary” guideline and the “Right Hand Ring” influenced social rituals, female independence and consumer behaviour worldwide, including in India, where diamonds shifted from gold-centric traditions to emotionally resonant milestones.
Beyond marketing, it showcases collaborations with artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Raoul Dufy, alongside icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Later campaigns, including the 1990s “Shadows” series set to Karl Jenkins’ Palladio, reinforced diamonds as timeless and unique. The narrative also addresses today’s focus on provenance, sustainability and ethical stewardship, positioning natural diamonds as symbols of both enduring love and responsible luxury.
The book arrives as De Beers marks a century of innovation in luxury marketing, from the Great Depression to the era of conscious consumption, offering a rare window into one of advertising’s most enduring brand stories.
In a world where trends fade fast, De Beers didn’t just sell diamonds, it sold forever, and now it’s bound the proof in pages that will outlast even the hardest carat.
