Coronation Street faces challenges in maintaining viewership among changing audiences. ITV aims to sustain the soap's relevance through maintaining its dominance in the genre, leveraging existing programming, and reinventing itself for digital audiences. Coronation Street attracts loyal fans through its emphasis on character over plot and portrayal of working class life in a realistic yet entertaining manner.

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CTM Sponsorship Research
January 2013
By Jessica Ezeogu

2. Coronation Street’s Appeal

3. Contents Page
Coronation Street’s Appeal
4 - Coronation Street’s Challenges
6 - How ITV plans to sustain its relevancy
8 - The Soap
17 -The role of Coronation Street
24 - Coronation Street archetypes
28 - Coronation Street’s off-line /digital presence

4. Coronation Street’s challenges
Corrie is the most powerful brand owned by ITV Studios, with international sales to 40 countries
and merchandising and sponsorship opportunities that deliver revenues direct to the
broadcaster
How Corrie maintains relevant
• Corrie prides itself on the importance of character over plot, . The most important character in
Corrie is the ‘The Street’, and then individual characters.
• When Corrie needs to innovate or freshen up the soap. It introduces new individual characters,
to help the soap reflect changes in society, for example, gay couples, transsexual civil partnerships
or ethnic families
Coronation experienced a decline in viewers compared to Eastenders
• In the 1990s, critics accused the soap of being complacent, bland and out of touch with
contemporary Britain
• In 2000 Coronation Street was revamped to include stronger characters, brilliant comic set pieces
and better writing
• Today, Eastenders continues to receive criticism for its negative and far fetched storylines , Corrie
remains no.1
Terrestrial television viewer figures will never be the same
•In 2011 ‘Coronation Street’s live’ show garnered 14m viewers in comparison to ‘Hilda Ogden's farewell
to the Street ’ which draw 27m viewers in 1987.
•Time-shifted viewing, digital competition and the reluctance of younger viewers to follow a linear
television schedule are challenges to Corrie, which demands regular attention with up to five episodes a
week

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Coronation Street’s challenges… Continued.
Watching Corrie on catch-up will NOT be enough to secure another 50 years of dominance
•Web viewing has helped Corrie retain soap-viewing loyalty with the soap getting 1.6m catch up
views a week on the ITV website
•ITV needs to understand the importance of recommendations and sharing through FB and Twitter
•They should look to providing people with different types of content e.g. in short form for their
iPhone
To attract younger, digital audiences, Corrie should watch younger rivals such as teen soap Hollyoaks
•The Hollyoaks audience understands how different platforms complement each other, e.g. they may
use the 4OD to watch episodes again or visit the website for spoilers or music playlists featured in
the show
•Hollyoaks partnered with Matalan to create a new-multi platform ‘Hollyoaks Music Show’ on E4,
which helped drive viewers back to the show

6. How ITV plans to sustain its relevancy
ITV are the most powerful single advertising medium in the UK. Its competitive advantage lies
in its ability to deliver linear, free to air programming, and monetizing that content
Maintain dominance in the soap opera sector
•ITV’s soaps continue to dominate the genre with Coronation Street, consistently the most popular
programme on UK television, attracting an average audience of 12m viewers and a 50.9% share and
Emmerdale with an audience of 9.5m viewers, regularly beating Eastenders’s 6m viewers.
Leveraging existing programming
•ITV is no longer content to simply sell advertising spots but aims to create value for advertisers through
the ‘Total Value Creation initiative’, which will maximise commercial value from ITV programmes, such as
Coronation Street and Dancing on Ice
Future Proof it business
•ITV’s ‘Total Value Creation’ initiative aims to focus more closely on customers, advertisers and
consumers in a bid to ensure ITV evolves as a ‘global multi-platform company and continues to grow its
TV sales business by building a two-way relationship with viewers online
Reinventing itself for changing audience
•Traditionally, in the early years of Corrie it was firmly targeted towards Stay-at-home moms, but with
more women joining the workforce, their appeal has waned. Many women still at home are tuning into
cable programs, which aren’t limited by the same time restrictions

7. "... tell the truth and show society as it
really is..."
Phil Redmond, producer of Brookside & Hollyoaks (1990) [On what he
believes soap opera means]

8. The Soap

9. Coronation Street’s appeal
Coronation Street features a strong sense of community, a strong emphasis on humour, and
slow-developing storylines, as opposed to the rapid turnover of characters, and rapid speed of
storylines, in EastEnders.
In the beginning Now
Focus was on a small, close-knit working Focus is ‘social realism’ characters reflect
class community where everyone knew society as it is today, not all the neighbours
everybody's business and people were know each other well. As, family and
always there to help in times of crisis personal relationships are much more
fragmented

10. Coronation Street portrays ‘social realism’
Corrie’s viewers admit to gain pleasure from social realism, as storylines are reflective
of real-life that holds few certainties for anyone
Corrie, maintains a mundane portrayal of the lifestyles of characters on screen to evoke
a sense, that their life's are not so vastly different from our own. Corrie producers
claim the soap is ultimately designed to represent the realities of working class life and
confront social problems
Definition: Social realism is… “The realistic depiction in art of contemporary life, as a
means of social or political comment” Oxford Dictionary (2013)

11. Coronation Street is known for its mixture of drama and comedy, usually
shying away from the sensationalist and far-fetched plots like Eastenders
Dramatic storylines provide suspense and cliff-hangers
Comedic characters bring humor, entertainment and lightness to dramatic plot lines

12. Why Coronation Street is so popular…
• Its‘realist aesthetic’ appeals to the masses. It allows viewers to escape into a
fantasy world, one easy for viewers to relate to. Because it’s very British and
(down-to-earth)
• Various themes and issues are dealt with in Corrie, including: social class and
mobility; gender relationships; desire and wrongdoing (what you'd like to do,
what you try to get away with, and what you get punished for)
• Emphasis is placed upon the family, public situations and more often than not
the community. This gives viewers a sense of belonging and provides a
substitute family and social life for the lonely
• Coronation street is undemanding by nature, emphasis on domesticity, family-
life and gossip

13. The Platt Family Tree : Inter-relationships of characters
Corrie storylines are based largely on the problems encountered within personal
relationships and family life
Originally
Soaps would introduce independent
characters but found it difficult to (a)
get viewers to emotionally connect
with them and (b) integrate
characters into the soaps general
structure
Now
Soaps tend to ensure that characters
are in some way linked to other
families/characters.
Independent characters, entering the
soap , for example (Lloyd Maloney,
best friends with Steve McDonald),
will eventually be joined by their
family, marry or be connected
through parent-hood

14. Coronation Street fan profiles
The pleasure of seeing a ‘realistic’
portrayal of working-class life in Britain Thirst for Corrie Knowledge
Elizabeth, lives in Canada originally from Manchester Hannah 15 from Dorset
•Has been watching Corrie since the first episode •Began watching the Corrie with Mum and Dad
•Watches Corries online ‘It’s a great thrill to hear local •Has been a fan for 5yrs, not missing an episode
•Loves reading on/off-line and watching spoilers
towns, stores, football teams etc. mentioned’
•Favourite characters in the beginning were Annie, Elsie •Favourite characters are Carla Conner and Peter
and Dennis which drew her to the street, today it is Barlow
•Favourite storyline is Blanche and the AA meeting
Hayley and Roy Cropper
•Favourite storyline “loved the Vera and Jack plot lines •Visits the Manchester set to autograph hunt
over the years and in particular how their passing was
handled”

15. How women engage with Coronation Street
1. Pick favorite characters and take pleasure in knowing as much as
possible about each character
2. Gain a reactive pleasure in seeing other women express their
feelings and are free to gossip about the characters because they
know there is no harm in doing so
3. Formal conventions of life can be viewed from a safe distance
4. They enjoy the element of suspense in Coronation Street and gain
great pleasure in successfully predicting plot developments
5. They enjoy viewing the soap in an intense manner without
interruption

16. A source of female strength
Men play sensitive roles in soaps and this provides comfort to women whose real-world roles
are often publicly silenced. The pleasure for women viewers, is the ability to escape into a
fantasy world where they can watch men suffer and their authority undermined
MANS WORLD SOAP LAND
Corrie value women's lives and by including paternity plots, give female characters the power
to keep the name of the father of their child secret if they wish to do so. Women gain
reactive pleasure from the soap opera by recognising their oppression and reacting to it

17. The role of Coronation Street

18. Belonging vs. Alienation
Fans of Corrie become united in the spirit of common interest/ non- Corrie fans can
find watching it an extremely alienating experience
Viewers enjoy sharing the soap secrets that only few like-minded people have access
to, and being in a position to pass moral judgement on the behaviour they witness

19. Reflects social trends and shapes culture
In todays society gossiping is regarded as active participation in the meaning-making
that constitutes our very culture…

20. Coronation Street stars participating in popular culture

21. Coronation Street draws viewers into its culture –
Online spin-off show
To coincide with the departure of childhood soap star Rose Webster, Corrie launched an internet special,
which followed Rosie as she attempted to make it in the modelling world. The show achieved 1.6m page
views and 203,351 people watched the special online episodes
Lorraine
Loose Women
"We know that Corrie fans enjoy playful digital experiences around the characters they
know and love, and this adventure with Rosie Webster is a great example of innovative cross
platform commissioning at ITV."
Ben Freeman, ITV's head of soap and drama (2011)

22. Generating ‘Watercooler’ moments
There is a correlation between viewing soaps and gossiping. Females actively participate
in soaps by talking about what they watched the previous evening
Female viewers claim talking about Corrie is as pleasurable as actually watching it,
debates include:-
- Future anticipation
- The significance of certain events
- Analysis of character behaviour and motives
- Relation of the fictional Corrie world to real-life

23. Viewing Corronation Street has social rewards
Viewing Corrie becomes increasingly more meaningful, with pleasure being derived
from a certain degree of mastery/ expertise in the subject
Viewers feel positively empowered when pitted against someone less knowledgeable
than themselves

24. Coronation Street archetypes

25. Grandmother (female archetype 1)
A wise old person, usually female. This character helps others with their problems with advice
and support. He/she has lots of contact with many of the other characters. Sometimes the
character will not be related to any others, but will still serve this function
The Mother The Spinster The Battle-axe
Gail McIntyre is represented as Blanche Hunt is represented as a
the 'all powerful'; the family Emily Bishop is represented as
battle-axe, regularly tormenting her
source of strength. She a highly moral woman
son in law (Ken Barlow). Outspoken
provides the emotional and (saintly), whose a good
- often delivering brutally honest
financial support needed to neighbor, regularly taking in a
put-downs, with great comic timing
keep her family 'afloat’ number of lodgers
at will . Main hobby - attending the
court hearings and funerals of
strangers

26. The Married Women (female archetype 2)
An independent, powerful, aggressive woman. She can usually be found at the center of
conflicts. Often, this hard, aggressive woman will be revealed to have a soft side that she
keeps hidden
Mature/Sexy Villain Bitch, with a heart
Stella Price is referred to as Kirsty Soames is referred to as Kylie Platt is referred to as a
being a mature and sexy being manipulative and feisty young female, who loves
marriageable woman, who is controlling her family. Being devious is
sharp and cynical but romantic her full time job
at heart

27. The Single Women (female archetype 3)
Spinsterly Mother Princess
Mary Taylor is represented as Fiz Brown, is represented as being a Eva Price is represented as a
an eccentric spinster and good hearted young woman who has feisty princess. She's been
competition addict made many puzzling decisions and is spoiled rotten, so she's high
often unlucky in love maintenance and a bit of a
drama queen

28. Coronation Street’s off-line /digital
presence

29. Coronation Street’s off-line demographic profile
Demographics Reg Coronation St CTM users (who buy Reg Coronation St Reg Coronation Street
viewers a product) viewers who reg. viewers who buy
use comparison prods from CTM
websites
Sex Women 136/70% Slight skew to men Women 129/66% Women 122/63%
108/53%
Age groups 45+ but with a skew 25-44 age group which 45-64 age group Mix of ages a third are
to 65+ 121/25% is just over half of CTM which is 42% of this between 25-34
customers group 189/31% and 45-54
23.6%/140
Marital status Separated/divorced/ 124/75%are married or 114/69% are 130/79% are married or
widowed living as married married or living as living as married
married
Social grade C2DE 123/57% ABC1 116/61% Equal mix of ABC1 Equal mix of ABC1 and
and C2DE C2DE
Working Retired 122/30% but Mostly full-time Mostly full-time Half work full-time
status many are also 152/56% but also 16% 108/40% but also 139/51% or part-time
working part-time are working part-time 17% are working 166/22%
part-time
Family salary Low family income up Healthy family income Healthy family Mix of family incomes
to £17k from £23k+, index income from £23k - most fall into £23k-£30K
highly in the £40k an £50K and £50k+ bracket
£50k+ brackets
Income mgmt 22% are finding it 22% are finding it 24% are finding it A third are finding it
difficult on present difficult on present difficult on present difficult on present
income income income income
Home 134/20% rent from 152/51% buying their 130/43% buying 146/49% buying their
ownership the Council and a home their home home
third own their house
outright

30. Demographics Reg Coronation St CTM users (who buy Reg Coronation St Reg Coronation
viewers a product) viewers who reg. Street viewers who
use comparison buy prods from CTM
websites
Children in 70% have no children 124/36% have children 117/35% have 137/40% have
H/H in the H/H in the H/H children in the H/H children in the H/H
BARB region Border, North East A mix of regions A mix of coverage North East, North
North West and but North East and West, Yorkshire and
Wales Wales do index Wales
higher
Lifestage Senior Sole Decision Nest Builders, Unconstrained Nest Builders,
Makers and Hotel Unconstrained Couples, Couples, Primary Playschool Parents,
Parents Playschool Parents and School Parents, Secondary School
Secondary School Secondary School Parents and Hotel
Parents Parents and Hotel Parents
Parents

31. Coronation Street’s online demographic profile
Sentiment Gender
Top Countries

32. Coronation Street’s digital hub -
A ‘Content Honeytrap’
Digital Hub
Immediacy and
updates Forum stimulating
gossip

33. Twitter – Immediacy and updates
Followers: 201,742
Twitter content
•Spoilers – Exclusive video previews, picture
galleries and interviews with characters
•Storyline updates
•Tweets directly from cast
•Retweets from Corrie fans
All links lead to the Weatherfield
Gazette (itv.com)

34. Facebook – Forum stimulating gossip
Likes: 1.7m
Facebook content
•Photos and videos
•Events – announcements/reminders, i.e. new programme
times, character weddings and special episodes
•Spoilers – exclusive video previews, picture galleries and
interviews with characters
•Storyline updates
•Behind the scenes look at filming of dramatic scenes etc.
•Promotion of television awards i.e. voting, nominations and
wins
•Introduction of new characters and nostalgic look backs at
old characters
•Much discussion by fans is centred around plot line
predictions and expressing opinions on characters
All links lead to the Weatherfield
Gazette (itv.com)

35. Facebook Game – Corrie Nation
Allows players to build their own Weatherfield, using real currency to buy "virtual products".
However, it has been taken offline for further technical work amid grumbling from early
adopters. ITV claims its in beta-testing phase.

36. Coronations Street main communication hub
ITV.com content
•Spoilers - watch previews of upcoming
episodes
•Backstage – go behind the scenes of the latest
stories
•Picture Previews of episodes
•News – read/subscribe to ‘The Weatherfield
Gazette’ online
•View characters
•View and stay up-to-date with current storylines
•Corrie Bingo
•ITV Player

37. ITV Player is Corries most popular mobile app
ITV Player is an online video on demand service
Viewers can watch Corrie on either
the ITV website or via range of
platforms such smartphones and
games consoles
Corrie is not syndicated to other
content providers such as YouTube.
Making ITV Player the only place to
catch up on missed episodes

38. iOS/Android App
Coronation Street - Mystery of the Missing Hotpot
This is described as an entertaining hidden-object game! Users a challenged to help Betty
locate all the pieces of her famous hotpot recipe, before they fall into the wrong hands.
Game Price : £1.99
Game Content
•24 Corrie themed hidden-object levels
•8 varied mini-game puzzles and challenges
•Fun and light-hearted storyline
•Features all the well-known characters from the TV show
•Visit iconic Coronation Street locations including The
•Rover’s Return, The Kabin, Roy's Rolls and the Garage…

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