BBC Audience Council Northern Ireland Advice to the BBC Trust Service Review of CBBC and Cbeebies February 2013

BBC Audience Council Northern Ireland Advice to the BBC Trust Service Review of CBBC and CBeebies February 2013 A. Introduction The Audience Council Northern Ireland’s advice to the Trust is informed by feedback from a range of parents, educationalists and other adults working with children, as well as some indirect feedback from children through schools, families and relevant organisations. The evidence base is described more fully in Section D. The Council received less feedback on CBBC than CBeebies – which may be because of the nature of the groups we spoke with, the wider choice for this age group, and the fact that adults tend to be less closely involved with older children’s viewing. The Council therefore believes that is very important that this review is informed by the views of children, and welcomes the Trust’s plans to seek a diverse range of children’s views through a consultation process and audience research. B. Executive Summary Quality, distinctiveness and range: CBBC, and CBeebies in particular, are generally regarded as high quality and distinctive services for children. Audiences all placed a high value on the fact that the services are safe and free of adverts, and that they promote the BBC’s Public Purposes – particularly, but not exclusively, with regard to education. The commitment to programmes made in, and reflecting, the UK is particularly appreciated, as is the general high quality, range and appeal of the programmes. There is, however, a notable proportion of parents who do not place a premium on the BBC channels, and are content for their children to switch to commercial stations, which they increasingly do as they get older and gain more control over their viewing choices, especially in multichannel homes. The Council notes that audience reach for both channels is lower in Northern Ireland than other parts of the UK and it suggests that some of the issues raised below are key to connecting with audiences in Northern Ireland. Online content: The websites are highly regarded by those who use them, but many people are not aware of the wealth of content aimed at children or their parents. The 1 Council suggests that more could be done to promote the websites off air – for instance in targeting specific sections of the audience - such as teachers and parents - in relevant ways, and doing more to promote the services elsewhere in the online environment. Also, more and more people use tablets and phones to access online content, and the touchscreen is much more accessible to young children and some children with special needs – yet the BBC’s offer on these devices – particularly for CBeebies - is much more restricted. The Audience Council sees this as a priority for development. Audio content: There is a considerable lack of awareness of audio content online and – especially - on Radio 4 Extra. The Audience Council considers that there is a latent demand for some audio content, and significant benefits for children – for instance in developing their listening skills. It asks that the BBC develops its strategy for audio content to stimulate demand and support children’s development, and to do more to explain the benefits and opportunities to adult audiences. The strategy also needs to take account of distribution options, as the children’s content on Radio 4 Extra does not appear to be reaching its audience. Relationship with BBC One and BBC Two: The Audience Council recognises the reasoning behind the BBC’s decision to move children’s content to the digital channels. However, it also notes some downsides, especially in children losing out on the experience of watching a mainstream channel, perhaps with other members of the family. It asks that the BBC gives thought to how these potential downsides might be mitigated. Different age groups: There was a consensus that more needed to be done to help children transition from CBeebies to CBBC, and to better meet the needs of the older (10– 12 years) CBBC audiences. The Council sees this as a particular priority. 7 pm closedown: The CBeebies bedtime hour is highly valued by parents of younger children. However, the 7 pm closedown is less relevant to older children and some parents feel they have no choice outside commercial channels at this time. The Audience Council understands that there are constraints on extending CBBC’s hours, and asks that more thought is given to how the BBC might meet the needs of older children through other channels. Education: The Audience Council considers that CBBC and CBeebies make a strong contribution to children’s education and development, across the range of topics and skills. However, teachers appear to make limited use of content in the classroom, even though they consider it relevant and of high quality. The Audience Council asks that further thought is given to releasing this aspect of public value more fully. Language development: A number of people in different groups thought that the ‘babyish language’ on programmes such as In the Night Garden and Baby Jake was not helpful and would prefer programmes which used real speech models. The Audience Council believes it would be helpful for a clearer statement of the basis for this approach so that parents can make informed choices. Diversity and inclusion: There is a strong consensus that the BBC channels deliver very strongly at promoting diversity and inclusion, for instance in terms of ethnic groups and 2 disability. They also make a very important contribution to some groups with specific needs, such as children with disabilities, who may not be well served elsewhere. The Audience Council recognises this public value and asks that it is sustained and developed. It considers that the channels could build on this strength by offering even wider portrayal across its output, thinking in particular of older people – both male and female. Reflecting nations, regions and communities: Audiences in Northern Ireland place a very high value on programmes which reflect life in Northern Ireland, and believe that there could be more of this. The Audience Council is mindful of the costs of delivering this value at a time of diminishing resources. It asks the Trust to ensure that the channels continue to invest in and develop this important aspect of their services, noting the particular value they add in Northern Ireland where both CBBC and CBeebies achieve a lower audience reach. Merchandising: There is a notable consensus that it is acceptable and appropriate for CBBC and CBeebies to offer merchandise, on the basis that profits are ploughed back into programmes and also because there is demand for products such as toys, comics and tickets to shows. The Audience Council agrees with the view that the BBC must nonetheless act responsibly and honour the trust which audiences place in it. It considers that audiences would tolerate greater commercial exploitation of the brands – especially through international sales - providing profits are reinvested in the UK channels and commercial activities do not interfere with the public service remits which drive the channels. The Audience Council would prioritise three of these issues : · work to better serve the older age group and children transitioning from CBeebies to CBBC · continued investment in reflecting diverse communities around the UK · development of the online offer for mobile devices. C. Key Themes and Audience Council Advice to the Trust Overall, we received more feedback on CBeebies than CBBC and the points below refer to the service for the youngest children unless otherwise stated or implied. Quality and distinctiveness: Feedback from audiences was very positive, with the vast majority of people regarding CBBC, and CBeebies in particular, as high quality and distinctive services. Audiences placed a very high value on the fact that both services are safe and free from adverts. Other distinctive qualities included the strong educational theme, the commitment to indigenous UK content and the promotion of other aspects of the BBC’s Public Purposes, relating to creativity, citizenship and reflecting different communities and ways of life around the UK. Parents and adults working with children particularly liked the interactive elements of programmes which engaged and involved children, and the focus on real life characters and situations. However, it was also apparent that, as children increasingly took control of their own viewing, other channels became more appealing. This may be because of the popularity of certain brands such as Disney, as well as content differences: some saw commercial 3 channels as ‘brighter and louder’, more humorous or lighter and more entertainment focused. It was also suggested that some older children are sensitive to content broaching issues and solutions when they would prefer more entertainment, or perhaps a different approach to issues which concern them. It was notable that a not insignificant proportion of parents we spoke with did not place any particular premium on the BBC services, and were content that commercial services could meet their children’s needs. There were also some parents who preferred that their children did not watch television or kept their viewing to a minimum. The Audience Council notes that audience reach for both channels is lower than other parts of the UK and it suggests that some of the issues raised below are key to connecting with audiences in Northern Ireland. Range of programmes: Most groups were able to identify a significant range of programmes on CBeebies and CBBC that their children watched and enjoyed. They appreciated the breadth of content, covering for instance arts, hobbies, science, health, natural history, news, sport, comedy, literacy, numeracy, communication and social development. As we would expect there were a number of different views about how this range might be extended.

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