5th Floor, Holborn Gate, 330 High Holborn, London WC1V 7QG Tel: 020 7861 3080 Fax: 020 7861 3081 email: [email protected]
BBC Governors’ Licence Fee Bid Forum
Findings from a one day Citizens’ Forum conducted by Opinion Leader Research on 8 March 2006
Report prepared for:
March 2006 Opinion Leader Research contact: Monique Rotik Contents
Contents...... 2 1. Introduction...... 3 1.1 Background...... 3 1.2 Objectives...... 3 1.3 Approach...... 4 2. Executive Summary...... 5 3. Main Findings...... 7 3.1 General perceptions of the BBC...... 7 3.2 Knowledge of, and satisfaction with, how the BBC allocates resources...... 8 3.3 Prioritisation amongst existing services...... 9 3.4 Expectations of the BBC in a digital world...... 14 3.5 Prioritisation amongst new services...... 14 3.6 Prioritisation amongst combined (existing and new) services...... 17 3.7 Differences in priorities between different audience sub-groups...... 21 3.8 Where resources could be saved...... 22 3.9 Views on the resource allocation exercises and impact of the consultation...... 23 4. Appendix...... 30 4.1 Forum composition...... 30 4.2 Forum agenda...... 35 4.3 Forum handouts...... 45 4.4 Forum voting templates...... 55
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1. Introduction
1.1 Background The BBC’s vision for a digital future, as endorsed by the Government’s Green Paper in 2005, is for ‘high quality original content and services that will be universally available to everyone, irrespective of age or income’.1 The BBC’s manifesto for the future, ‘Building Public Value’2, outlines a series of proposals for the BBC in lead up to the digital switchover in 2012.
The BBC’s plans for building a digital UK includes developing infrastructure, transmitting content and services on mobile devices and via broadband, and providing content on demand to audiences. However, the BBC is also committed to continuing to invest in its existing services, creating British programmes and services which reflect UK culture, values and history, and which are renowned for their quality and range.
To achieve these objectives, the BBC has submitted its case to the Government for a new licence fee settlement. The licence fee bid was supported by audience research which showed:
§ Over 80% said it was important that the BBC develop digital infrastructure and services § 81% believe the licence fee represents good value for money § Over 40% are prepared to pay twice the licence fee or more3
Opinion Leader Research was commissioned to conduct additional research to explore audience preferences and priorities for the allocation of the (increased) licence fee.
1.2 Objectives The specific objectives of the research were to:
· Explore how audiences prioritise resource allocation to services, including preferences within existing services, new services and a combination of existing and new · Understand how price/value and other tradeoffs are being made · Examine how audiences are approaching this from both a consumer and citizen perspective · Provide insights into differences between low and high approver groups
1 BBC Press Release: ‘BBC launches case for new licence fee settlement’ (11 October 2005) 2 BBC Report: ‘Building Public Value: Renewing the BBC for a digital world’ 3 Human Capital and MORI research studies
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1.3 Approach The chosen method was a one-day Citizens’ Forum involving 100 people. This is a unique approach which combines qualitative and quantitative techniques with deliberation to enable citizens to give informed opinions and recommendations on complex issues. The sample size provides a high level of robustness and ability to represent different audience groups.
The Forum was held on Wednesday 8th March in London. Participants of the Forum were recruited according to quotas set to reflect the following:
§ Demographics of the UK population (gender, age, socio-economic grade) § A representative mix of approvers / detractors of the BBC (matching BBC’s tracking data) § National statistics of Internet usage § National statistics of digital TV usage
Full sample breakdown is contained in the Appendix.
The format of the day included a mix of plenary and smaller table discussions. In the table discussions, participants worked in groups of 10, each with a facilitator. Issues discussed followed an agreed framework. Participants were also periodically convened into plenary sessions to hear general briefings and feed back on the results of their own deliberations.
Each participant also had access to an individual voting key pad for a number of resource prioritisation and voting tasks. The results of each vote were relayed back to participants during the day, allowing for further consideration and comment.
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2. Executive Summary
Little knowledge of how the BBC distributes its money across services
Coming into the Forum, the majority felt ill-informed about how the BBC distributes its money across its services. In the discussions, audience members expressed their interest in knowing more and felt the BBC for should better publicise their resource allocation decisions.
Audience priorities amongst existing services broadly in line with current BBC spend
In the first resource allocation task, people were asked to prioritise resources amongst the BBC’s existing services according to how much they value these personally and for society. While results were broadly in line with current BBC spend, there were also some differences:
· BBC One was down-weighted compared to current allocation, but it still receives the highest allocation overall · BBC Two received a higher share of spend compared to current allocation, an audience decision designed to achieve greater parity between BBC One and Two · Local/national TV, radio and online were given less spend, reflective of lower priority placed on these services by London audiences · Radio was mainly down – particularly specialist digital stations which are perceived to be of only niche interest · Digital TV by comparison was all up – particularly News 24 · bbc.co.uk was also up-weighted
BBC plans for building a digital UK universally endorsed
Audience members are understandably mixed in terms of how much they personally know and how confident they feel about a fully digital future. However, people universally endorse the BBC’s plans for building a digital UK, including developing infrastructure and developing new services. They want the BBC to remain at the cutting edge of digital developments.
However, high quality programming is of utmost importance to audience members, and they equally want to see the BBC refocus on creating programmes which set the standard for their quality and range (and not to be diverted by its digital plans).
Broad agreement with projected distribution of spend across new services
Audience members were introduced to a number of proposed new BBC services and asked to prioritise resource allocation amongst these, again by considering the value of the service both personally and to society. No service received less than one point, indicating that all are endorsed to some extent. Key results of this prioritisation exercise were:
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· Local TV is the only service which was substantially down-weighted, consistent with audience views on existing local services · Digital infrastructure and HDTV also received slightly less than the planned allocation · By contrast, audiences gave more points to On Demand TV and radio and Open Archive
Some redistribution from existing to new services
In a final voting task, audience members were asked to prioritise resources across existing and new services combined. An interesting result from this exercise is that the public slightly upweighted new services compared to existing ones. This can be seen as further evidence of the BBC’s digital plans.
BBC should consider audience priorities even if there are fewer resources to spend
People were also asked (qualitatively) what could be cut if units needed to be saved. Many suggested that cuts should be made across the board to keep to the same overall prioritisation order. Other suggestions followed the same vein as deliberations in the previous tasks, however there were also some innovative ideas of how services could be re-jigged in order to deliver them more efficiently (e.g. cover BBC Parliament online rather than on TV).
Consistency across all audience groups
Examining findings by different sub-groups (low approvers vs. high approvers, digital vs. analogue users etc.) showed high levels of consistency in audience priorities across the board. No one group values any service significantly more or less than the average.
Consultation had a positive impact on audience views of the BBC
By the conclusion of the Forum, audience members felt they understood the BBC, its resource allocation between services, and future plans much better. Several commented that participating in the Forum had made them more favourable in their attitudes to the BBC. This was because they endorsed the BBC consulting the public in this way, and felt more reassured about the BBC’s plans for the future as a result.
Questions asked at the beginning of the day were repeated at the end of the day to gauge the impact of the event. These were:
· Overall evaluation of the BBC · Knowledge of resource allocation · Satisfaction with resource allocation
On all three there was a marked shift up the scale, with audiences feeling better informed about how the BBC spends its money, more satisfied with how it does this, and more approving of the BBC overall.
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3. Main Findings
This section summarises the key findings from the Forum, including both the quantitative results from the keypad voting tasks and the qualitative insights from table discussions and plenary feedback sessions. The structure of this section follows the agenda that was covered on the day:
· General perceptions of the BBC · Knowledge of, and satisfaction with, how BBC allocates resources · Prioritisation amongst existing services · Expectations of the BBC in a digital world · Prioritisation amongst new services · Prioritisation amongst combined (new and existing) services · Differences in priorities between different audience sub-groups · Where resources could be saved · Views on the resource allocation exercises and impact of the consultation
3.1 General perceptions of the BBC Audience members express strong opinions on the BBC, reflecting the high level of engagement the public has with their public broadcaster. The BBC is often referred to as a pioneer and British institution. These strong historic credentials represent a benchmark against which the BBC’s contemporary performance is evaluated.
A mix of low and high approvers of the BBC was deliberatively recruited to the Forum (based on BBC statistics) and this resulted in interesting debate about the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the BBC.
In general, the BBC is perceived to be strong on the ‘informing’ and ‘educating’ parts of its mandate. Factual content such as news and current affairs, documentaries and children’s programming, is highly regarded. Planet Earth in particular is widely mentioned as a showcase series for the BBC – one that the whole family can watch together and enjoy. BBC’s online services are also highlighted as a useful resource.
“The BBC talks to you as if you have a brain.”
Views are more mixed on the entertainment offer from the BBC, with some strong criticisms of TV entertainment in particular. As found in other research, audience members would like to see more original drama and comedy productions, of the calibre of Bleak House and Little Britain. They conversely call for fewer repeat, derivative (‘copycat’) programmes and ‘reality TV’ on the BBC. There is a perception that the BBC produces fewer memorable programmes now compared to years gone by, and this contributes to a perception that the BBC is less of a pioneer than it once was. Weekend viewing is particularly identified as an area for attention.
“At the moment they are a bit safe. There’s too much of the same thing. Channel 4 is coming up with different interesting cutting edge stuff.”
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“In the past the BBC has been at the cutting edge and I don’t see that anymore.”
Terrestrial TV dominates people’s thinking and criticisms largely emanate from dissatisfaction with the terrestrial television channels. BBC’s newer digital BBC TV services tend to be regarded more favourably by those who know them. More innovative content is perceived to be available on BBC digital TV.
Finally, there are some criticisms about the value for money provided by the BBC, particularly amongst lower approvers. The affordability of the licence fee for particular groups (e.g. pensioners and students) is also an issue for some.
3.2 Knowledge of, and satisfaction with, how the BBC allocates resources At the start of the day, three-quarters (76%) felt that they knew ‘nothing at all’ about how the BBC distributes its money across its services. A further one in four (24%) answered that they knew ‘a little’. No one had any higher knowledge than this. In the discussions, audience members expressed their interest in knowing more and criticised the BBC for not publicising their resource allocation decisions more.
“The BBC is not transparent about how it spends its money.”
Chart 2: How much do you feel you know about how the BBC distributes its money across all of its services?
80% 76%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 24%
20%
10%
0% 0% Nothing at allA littleA lot
BASE = All respondents
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Understandably, most could not comment at this stage on how well the BBC distributes its money. Almost three-quarters (73%) were unsure about this. An additional one in six (17%) stated that they were not satisfied (7% ‘not at all satisfied’, 10% ‘not very satisfied’), while only one in ten (10%) was ‘quite satisfied’. No-one said that they were ‘very satisfied’.
Chart 3: How satisfied are you with how the BBC distributes its money across its services?
80% 73% 70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%10% 10% 7%
0% 0% UnsureNot at all satisfiedNot very satisfiedQuite satisfiedVery satisfied
BASE = All respondents
3.3 Prioritisation amongst existing services In the morning of the Forum, a representative of the BBC Governance Unit explained the full spectrum of existing BBC services to audience members. This was followed with table discussions about the personal value of these services to audience members and their broader value to society. Audience members were also shown what relative share of BBC’s total spend (presented as 100 units) each service represents, together with an explanation of why some services cost more than others.
Audience members were then asked how they would themselves prioritise resource allocation to existing services by re-distributing the units allocated to each service. They were asked to consider the value of each service both to them personally and more broadly to society. After completing a paper template, each person then inputted their unit allocations on their key pads and the average results for the whole group were then fed back to participants.
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Charts 4 and 5 below show the average unit allocation that participants gave to existing services, with indicative current BBC allocation noted on the right hand side. Chart 4 shows the top 10 services in terms of the Forum’s unit allocation and chart 5 shows the remaining 10 services.
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Chart 4: Please enter unit value for each service (top 10 services) Current Change Allocation BBC One 24.5 28 -3.5
BBC Two 14.5 12 + 2.5 Local and National TV, radio and online 9.9 services 11 -1.1
bbc.co.uk 4.6 4 + 0.6
BBC Three 4.5 4 + 0.5
CBBC and CBeeBies 4.4 4 + 0.4
News 24 4.1 3 + 1.1
Five Live & Sports Extra 3.9 4 -0.1
Radio 4 3.8 4 -0.2
BBC Four 3.7 3 + 0.7
051015202530 BASE = All respondents Chart 5: Please enter unit value for each service Current Change Allocation Radio 2 3.0 3 0
BBCi 3.0 3 0
Radio 1 2.9 3 -0.1
Radio 3 2.8 3 -0.2
BBC Jam 2.2 2 + 0.2
1Xtra 1.7 2 -0.3
BBC Parliament 1.7 1 + 0.7
6 Music 1.7 2 -0.3
Asian Network 1.7 2 -0.3
BBC7 1.6 2 -0.4
051015202530
BASE = All respondents
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The main results of this exercise are as follows:
· BBC One was down-weighed compared to current allocation, but it still receives the highest allocation overall · BBC Two received a higher share of spend compared to current allocation · Local/national TV, radio and online were given less spend · Radio was mainly down – particularly specialist digital stations · Digital TV by comparison was all up – particularly News 24 · Bbc.co.uk was also up-weighted
The qualitative discussions help explain the main changes.
There was surprise initially at the current differential in spend between BBC One and Two. Audience members consider BBC Two to be an equivalent mainstream television station, and they do not want it to be a poor cousin of BBC One. As such, there was some redistribution away from BBC One and towards BBC Two to achieve greater parity between the two.
“I am surprised that BBC Two only gets half of BBC One. You see equally good programming on BBC Two.”
However, BBC One still received the highest resource allocation from audiences overall. Audiences regard it as the ‘flagship’ service of the BBC and therefore feel the highest share of resources is appropriate for BBC One. “BBC1 is like the ‘mothership’. It was always there. It’s the initial station that everyone’s grown up with and got to know. That should maintain the highest quality.”
The current spend for local/national services is also considered high in comparison to other services. Although London audience members like local news, they do not value it sufficiently highly to justify current spend. However, there was an expectation that other areas of the UK, particularly the other nations, would value local services more.
With the explanation that radio is cheaper to produce than television, there was some feeling that additional money could therefore be ‘saved’ on radio. Other research shows that there is strong loyalty of radio listeners to their own station, however the segmentalised nature of radio listening means that one person’s preference can be cancelled out by the next’s. As such, in the resource allocation exercise, radio as a category suffered compared to TV which has a more mixed viewership.
The digital radio stations are least valued as many have not experienced them yet. Some people also have an in-principle objection to ethnic minority stations, professing to prefer an inclusive approach to segregation or questioning why some ethnic minorities should get special treatment.
By contrast, BBC’s digital TV channels are valued more highly compared with current resource allocation. This is related to the expectation that BBC should be a leader in the provision of digital services and in building a digital UK.
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“I cut BBC1 and 2 and gave to BBC3 and 4 because they will be developing new stuff.”
BBC News 24 is particularly popular. Other research shows that people’s consumption of news has changed significantly in recent years, with younger consumers in particular having a ‘grab and go’ mentality, accessing news as and when they need it rather than at set times. News services such as News 24, along with online services, fit well with this approach to news consumption. The consultation also confirms the growing popularity of BBC’s website, which also receives more units from the participants than the BBC currently allocates.
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3.4 Expectations of the BBC in a digital world Audience members are understandably mixed in terms of how much they personally know and how confident they feel about a fully digital future. Digital developments are easier to grasp for those who are already familiar with recent developments such as Sky+ and listen again facilities online.
However, people universally endorse the BBC’s plans for building a digital UK, including developing infrastructure and developing new services. They feel that the BBC has historically been a pioneer and leader and want the BBC to remain at the cutting edge of digital developments as well.
That said, high quality programming is of utmost importance to audience members, and they equally want to see the BBC refocus on creating programmes which set the standard for their quality and range (and not to be diverted by its digital plans).
In addition, audience members feel that the BBC has a corollary responsibility with regards to its digital development efforts to:
· Communicate the technological developments and new services to audiences · Ensure the nation has full and equal access to the services
3.5 Prioritisation amongst new services Audience members were introduced to a number of proposed new BBC services through a presentation from a BBC Governance Unit representative. Participants were then given a handout further explaining 5 specific services plus the BBC’s infrastructure development plans.
As with current services, audience members were also shown what relative share of BBC’s total spend on new services (presented as 20 units) each element is projected to represent.
Audience members were then asked how they would themselves prioritise resource allocation to new services by re-distributing the units allocated to each service. They were asked to consider the value of each new service both to them personally as well as more broadly to society. After completing a paper template, each person then inputted their unit allocations on their key pads and the average results for the whole group were then fed back to participants.
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Chart 6: Please enter unit value for each service Projected Change Allocation Digital 6.8 7 -0.2 Infrastructure
On Demand TV and 5.6 5 + 0.6 Radio
Open Archive 2.5 2 + 0.5
Local TV 2.0 3 -1.0
High Definition 1.8 television (HDTV) 2 -0.2
Create your Own 1.0 (Archive) 1 0
051015202530
BASE = All respondents
As shown above, audience members’ resource allocation to new services was similar to the BBC’s planned allocation:
· No service received less than one point, indicating that all are endorsed to some extent · The audience’s ranking was broadly in line with the BBC’s intended spend · Local TV is the only service which was substantially down-weighted · Digital infrastructure and HDTV also received slightly less than the planned allocation · By contrast, audiences gave more points to On Demand TV and radio and Open Archive
The qualitative findings again help to explain these results.
Local TV is less valued largely for the same reasons as existing local and national TV, radio and online services. There is also some concern about how the BBC would ensure quality output across the 60 cities and counties proposed to be included.
“Local TV is expensive and it sounds ‘rubbish’. All it does is fill space and airtime.”
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With digital infrastructure, there was debate about what impact increasing/decreasing the spend would have (e.g. would increasing the spend result in better coverage or not?). While most feel it is vital for the BBC to invest in digital infrastructure to facilitate the new services, some see scope to reduce the BBC’s investment here (possibly for the investment to be shared by others e.g. other networks, Government).
“Digital infrastructure is a priority to make sure everyone has access.”
There was a concern expressed during the discussions that receiving HDTV broadcasts might incur an extra cost, but this was answered by a BBC Governance Unit representative. Some people regard HDTV as a lower order priority as it will not initially be universally accessible. It may also be that audiences do not currently appreciate what difference to picture quality HDTV will make as some already have the kit but the format is not operational as yet.
“It will only be for the rich who can afford the new sets.”
By comparison, audiences could envisage how On Demand TV and Radio would work as the service is perceived to be similar to existing Sky+ technology. The opportunity to view a missed programme up to 7 days after broadcast is perceived to be extremely useful. People value the flexibility and choice that a service like this would offer them.
“Great. I work nights and I could download something the next day. Setting the video is too much hassle.”
Open Archive is valued for much the same reasons. The analogy of a library helps people understand the service. Audiences feel that a service like this will appeal to all ages, and could also have an educational role.
“I love looking back at the past and for me this would be a rich source.”
The Create your Own (Archive) service is thought of as appealing to a particular segment, especially younger people. However, but most have difficulty imagining how they would personally use it.
“It’s beyond me. Quite specialised.”
“Is it like making a mix-tape?”
Audience members were also given the opportunity during discussions to raise any questions about the transition to full digital enablement, and the proposed BBC services.
Most questions related to the costs and impact of the changes rather than to the services themselves, e.g.:
· What will be the overall cost to the public? · How can it be made fair and affordable for everyone?
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· Will funds be redirected from existing services to pay for the new services (and will existing services suffer as a result)? · Would be licence fee differ depending on what services you use (differential fee/pay as you use)? · Will the overall licence fee increase as a result? · What impact would on demand services have on scheduling?
3.6 Prioritisation amongst combined (existing and new) services Towards the end of the day, participants were asked to allocate 120 units across both existing and new services combined. The results of this exercise are shown in the following charts. For ease of comprehension, results have been broken down by platform – TV (chart 7), radio (chart 8), other existing services – online, local (chart 9) and new services (chart 10).
Chart 7: Please enter unit value for each service (TV services) BBC Change Allocation BBC One 24.4 28 -3.6 Analogue TV BBC Two 15.1 12 + 3.1
BBC Three 4.6 4 + 0.6
CBBC & CBeeBies 4.1 4 + 0.1
Digital News 24 3.9 TV 3 + 0.9
BBC Four 3.2 3 + 0.2
BBC Parliament 1.1 1 + 0.1
051015202530
BASE = All respondents
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The key results for TV are:
· The redistribution between BBC One and Two remains · Digital TV services continue to be up-weighted, particularly News 24 and BBC Three (but not to the same extent as when audiences were only considering existing services)
“(I have) increased BBC 3 and 4 – they have more creative, new programmes.”
Chart 8: Please enter unit value for each service (Analogue radio services) BBC Change Allocation
Radio 4 4.0 4 0
Five Live & Sports 3.8 Extra 4 -0.2
Radio 1 2.9 3 -0.1
Radio 2 2.8 3 -0.2
Radio 3 2.4 3 -0.6
051015202530
BASE = All respondents
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Chart 9: Please enter unit value for each service (Digital radio services) BBC Change Allocation
1 Xtra 2.0 2 0
6 Music 1.6 2 -0.4
BBC7 1.5 2 -0.5
Asian Network 1.3 2 -0.7
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BASE = All respondents Key results for radio include:
· The down-weighting of radio relative to other platforms continues · Almost all radio services lose additional ground in this combined exercise · Exceptions are Radio 4 and 1 Xtra which were up-weighted to match their current allocation in the final vote
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Chart 10: Please enter unit value for each service (Local & National TV radio and online services, and digital and interactive services) BBC Change Allocation Local & National TV, radio & online 9.6 11 -1.4 services
bbc.co.uk 5.2 4 + 1.2
Digital & BBCi 2.7 3 -0.3 Interactive services
BBC Jam 2.5 2 + 0.5
051015202530
BASE = All respondents
Most current digital and interactive services were up-weighted compared with their current allocation, to an even greater degree than in the initial voting task. The exception is BBCi, which is perceived to offer lower functionality than online sources and lost more ground the final vote. Local/national services were also further down-weighted.
“BBCi is a waste of time. It is fiddly and slow. I would rather get the information online.”
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Chart 11: Please enter unit value for each service (New services) BBC Change Allocation Digital Infrastructure 7.1 7 + 0.1
On Demand TV and 5.7 Radio 5 + 0.7
Open Archive 3.0 2 + 1.0
High Definition 2.0 television (HDTV) 2 0
Local TV 2.0 3 -1.0
Create your Own 1.2 (Archive) 1 + 0.2
051015202530
BASE = All respondents
In total, the new digital services were given 1 additional point by audiences compared to their projected allocation. This is a clear endorsement of the BBC’s digital plans. In the final allocation, all services bar Local TV recorded a relatively higher allocation from audiences, although the difference is marginal for HDTV and infrastructure.
“Most of the stuff (new services) is pretty exciting. You need to embrace it.”
3.7 Differences in priorities between different groups
In addition to analysing findings for the whole Forum, we have compared different audience groups to determine whether there are major differences between any groups. We considered:
· High and Low BBC approvers · Freeview, pay-to-view and analogue users · Those with different household compositions (e.g. living with partners, living with children, living alone)
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In fact, there is remarkable consistency in views about services, with no group significantly varying from the total average. For example, none of the sub-groups values any new service significantly more or significantly less.
The same is largely true for existing services, with a few variations worth noting:
· High approvers (those who rate the BBC between 8 and10 when asked at the start of the day) were more likely to redistribute units from BBC One to BBC Two
· Lower approvers (those who came into the Forum rating the BBC between 1 and 5 out of 10) surprisingly value some existing BBC digital services (e.g. BBC News 24, 1 Xtra and bbc.co.uk) to an even greater extent than High approvers. However there is no particular service from which they are cutting units in order to up-weight these services
· Household composition seems to have no bearing on unit allocation. Even when examining preferences for resource allocation to children’s services, there is no significant variation between households with and without children. This indicates that audiences can appreciate the broader societal benefits of children’s television, irrespective of whether they have children themselves.
3.8 Where resources could be saved Finally, the issue of where resources could be ‘saved’ was explored during the table discussions. Audience members were asked to imagine that they needed to cut 20 units from the BBC’s overall spend and to come to some level of consensus in their tables where this saving should come from.
Many were happy with the final allocation that the Forum had agreed and thus suggested that the cuts should be made across the board to keep to the same overall prioritisation order.
Other suggestions followed the same vein as deliberations in the previous tasks, e.g.:
· Cut radio further (given that it has lower production costs compared to TV) · Some suggestion that specialist digital stations be cut completely · Cut existing local/national TV, radio and online services and new local TV service further · Some suggestion that Create Your Own (Archive) could be dispensed with, if necessary, because of its perceived niche appeal · A minority also recommended that HDTV spend be cut because this will only be available to the ‘privileged few’ to begin with
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There were also some innovative ideas of how services could be re-jigged in order to deliver them more efficiently: · BBC Parliament could be covered online or important clips be integrated into BBC News 24 coverage · BBC Asian Network could be replaced by a multi-ethnic station · BBCi could be cut as similar information is available on bbc.co.uk · BBC Jam could be incorporated into bbc.co.uk · BBC4 could be cut and the content incorporated into BBC2 · The number of TV channels could be streamlined, with the launch of on demand TV potentially reducing the need for so many channels
Overall, however, audience members were clear that any funding reductions to remaining services should not be at the expense of quality of the service.
3.9 Views on the resource allocation exercises and impact of the consultation
At the end of the day audience members felt they understood the BBC, its resource allocation between services, and future plans much better.
Several commented that participating in the Forum had made them more favourable in their attitudes to the BBC. This was because they endorsed the BBC consulting the public in this way, and felt reassured about the BBC’s plans for the future as a result.
“We are quite excited by the new features that the BBC has proposed, particularly the on-demand TV, and we are pleased that they are trying to stay ahead and lead in the digital field.”
“I didn’t realise how much they’d been working to our benefit, investing in new digital stuff for us. Other channels don’t care for us as much; they’re out for ratings and money.”
“Overall these implementations would make me feel more happy about the BBC…because it shows that the BBC is forward thinking and listening to the public.”
Three key questions were again asked of participants at the end of the day:
· Overall evaluation of the BBC · Knowledge of resource allocation · Satisfaction with resource allocation
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On all three, there was a marked shift up the scale, with audiences feeling better informed about how the BBC spends its money, more satisfied with how it does this, and more approving of the BBC overall.
Chart 12: [After today] Thinking about the BBC as a whole, can you tell me on a scale of 1 to 10 your general impression of the BBC? 1 means extremely unfavourable and 10 means extremely favourable)
50% 50% Mean at end of day: 7.8 Mean at beginning of day: 7
40% 34%
30% 27%
19% 20% 15% 16%
9% 10% 5%5% 3% 4% 4% 2% 2% 1% 1% 2% 1% 0% 0% 0% 12345678910 Beginning of day End of day
BASE = All respondents
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Chart 13: After today, how much do you feel that you know about how the BBC distributes its money across all of its services?
end of day beginning of day 29% A lot 0%
57% A little 24%
14% Nothing at all 76%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
BASE = All respondents
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Chart 14: After today, how satisfied are you with how the BBC distributes its money across its services?
80% Beginning of day 73% End of day
70% 66%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20% 17%
10%10% 10% 8% 7% 4% 5% 0% 0% UnsureNot at all satisfiedNot very satisfiedQuite satisfiedVery satisfied
BASE = All respondents
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Audiences also showed a high level of interest in being further informed about the BBC’s resource allocation, as is highlighted in the following chart:
Chart 15: How interested are you in how the BBC distributes its money across its services in the future?
70% 62% 60%
50%
40%
30% 25%
20%
10% 8% 5%
0% Not at all interestedNot very interestedQuite interestedVery interested
BASE = All respondents
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Overall, audience members enjoyed taking part in the Forum and considered this approach to be a good way of engaging with the public on key issues about the BBC’s future.
Chart 16: How would you describe the forum that you have just taken part in?
Interesting 95% 5%
Important 94% 6%
Informative 94% 6%
Enjoyable 80% 20% Yes No Easy 56% 44%
Hard work 49% 51%
Boring 22% 78%
Confusing 11% 89%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
BASE = All respondents
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Chart 17: Do you think that a Citizen’s Forum like today’s event is a good way of involving the public in important issues or not?
120%
100% 96%
80%
60%
40%
20%
4% 0% 0% Don't know / not sureNo, it is not a good ideaYes, it is a good idea
BASE = All respondents
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4. Appendix
4.1 Forum composition
Chart A: How old are you?
45% 42%
40%
35% 32%
30%
25%
20% 17%
15%
10% 9%
5%
0% 65-7445-6425-4418-24
BASE = All respondents
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Chart B: How would you describe your ethnic background?
White 75%
Other White 10%
Black 6% Caribbean/Caribbean
Mixed heritage 6%
Other 2%
Indian 1%
Pakistani 0%
Black African/African 0% Origin
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
BASE = All respondents
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Chart C: Which of the following most closely matched your household composition?
I live with a partner and 30% children
I live with other adults 24%
I live with a partner only 24%
I live alone 17%
I live with children only 5%
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%
BASE = All respondents
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Chart D: Which of the following digital services do you have in your household?
Freeview 29%
Sky 19%
Cable 18%
Other 11%
Don't have digital 23%
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%
BASE = All respondents
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Chart E: Have you used the internet in the past 3 months?
23%
No Yes
77%
BASE = All respondents
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4.2 Forum agenda
5th Floor, Holborn Gate, 330 High Holborn, London WC1V 7QG Tel: 020 7861 3080 Fax: 020 7861 3081 Email: [email protected] BBC GOVERNORS LICENCE FEE BID FORUM AGENDA
SESSION ONE: (9.30 for) 10-11.00am Aim of session: To warm up participants by exploring perceptions of the BBC currently
9.30-10.00am ARRIVE AND GET SETTLED · Registration, name badges, table allocation · Tea/coffee · Facilitators to input index number of keypad into their excel spreadsheet
10.00-10.20am INTRODUCTION (PLENARY) (20 mins) · Opinion Leader Chair (Monique) welcome – aim of the workshop, ground rules, housekeeping, outline agenda for the day · BBC Governors representative welcome – explain wider context (‘Building public value’ digital world vision) · Key pad training Ø Lead facilitator to introduce key pad & explain how it works · Participants to answer questions to establish Ø demographics (gender, age, ethnic background) Ø household composition Ø whether pay for licence fee Ø digital TV and internet usage Ø attitudes to BBC (overall rating, knowledge of and satisfaction with how it spends its money on services)
10.20-10.30am WARM UP (TABLES) (10 mins) · Table facilitator introduction (facilitator role, one at a time-fair say, taping/lap top, confidential, lots to do, breaks/lunch, keep hold of own key pads, filming permission etc.) · Paired introductions - who they are, where they live, what they would usually be doing
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10.30-11.00am EVALUATION OF THE BBC CURRENTLY (TABLES) (30 mins) · What general rating score did you give the BBC in keypad exercise and why? · What are the BBC’s strengths/what is it particularly good at? · What are the BBC’s weaknesses/where does it need to improve? · Participants asked to write down any ‘burning issues’ (or gripes) about the BBC on post-it notes for facilitators to post on burning issues board · What scores did you give the BBC for how it spends its money on services and why Ø Knowledge Ø Satisfaction · Which BBC services personally use and value most? Why? (unprompted) · Which BBC services are most important to society? (unprompted)
11.00-11.15am BREAK (Participants told 10 mins) (15 mins) Tea and coffee break
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SESSION 2: 11.15am-12.30pm Aim of the session: To evaluate how people prioritise resource allocation to existing services as a warm up to detailed exploration of new services after lunch
11.15-11.20 BBC GOVERNANCE PRESENTATION PART 1 (PLENARY) (5 mins) · BBC Governance Unit representative(s) to introduce prioritisation/resource allocation task [PRESENTATION AND SCRIPT – BBC to provide] Ø Explain the context of the licence fee bid, but that the objective of the rest of the day is not to debate the licence fee per se but to understand how people want to prioritise allocation of the fee between services Ø Briefly explain format - this morning will prioritise existing services, this afternoon will look at new services and a combination
11.20–11.45pm PRIORITISATION WITHIN EXISTING SERVICES (TABLES) (25 mins) [Throughout this session BBC Govs experts will circulate and be on hand to answer any questions from tables]
· Introduce HAND OUT 1 on ‘Existing BBC Services’ (list of services with explanations) Ø Participants to indicate which are most important to them personally (top 5) Ø Participants then to indicate which they consider to be most important to society generally (top 5) Ø Quick tally of responses and discuss why services have been selected (and omissions) · Introduce VOTING TEMPLATE 1 on ‘Prioritising Allocation on Existing BBC Services’ (list of services with current spent in units) Ø Reactions to cost – any surprises? Ø Why expect some services more expensive than others? · Introduce HANDOUT 2 on ‘Explaining what Different Services Cost’ Ø Understand better with this explanation? Ø Overall, has cost changed way feel about any services?
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11.45-12.10pm RESOURCE ALLOCATION (TABLES/PLENARY) (25 mins) · Table facilitators to explain ‘what should BBC spend’ task: Ø Participants to imagine that it is 2012 and everyone has digital access Ø Participants to fill in VOTING TEMPLATE 1 Ø Participants to think about themselves and society generally – the units must add up to 100 in total (use calculators on tables to check) Ø If have difficulty conceptualising, participants should think about an analogy such as having a bag of 100 tokens (each representing 1% of the total licence fee) to distribute amongst the services Ø Participants do not have to make changes to current BBC unit allocation Ø Participants should not confer, this is an individual task · Table facilitators to check each handout and explain that responses are to be inputted into key pads · Lead facilitator to announce the vote from the front at 11.55pm Ø The key pad will show a question number which corresponds to each BBC service (e.g. Question 1 = BBC 1) Ø For each source/question they must enter the number of units that they have allocated on their paper questionnaire Ø Voting to close at 12.00pm (lead facilitator to announce close of vote) · Table facilitators to discuss their table’s unit allocation Ø Any changes to existing allocation? Why Ø What (if any) has remained unchanged? Why? · Table facilitators to collect in completed voting templates
12.10-12.15 QUICK SUMMARY OF PRIORITISATION WITHIN EXISTING SERVICES (5 mins) (PLENARY) · Lead facilitator to go through quick summary of results of both votes Ø Top 5 existing services Ø Main changes from current allocation
12.15-1.00pm LUNCH (Participants told 30 mins) (45 mins) Participants to get buffet lunch from the foyer outside (can eat at their tables or standing in the foyer)
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SESSION 3: 1.00-2.45pm Aims of the session: · To explore perceptions of BBC in a digital world · To evaluate how people prioritise resource allocation to new services · To understand how price/value and other tradeoffs are being made · To examine how audiences are approaching this from both a consumer and citizen perspective
1.00- 1.30pm EXPECTATIONS OF THE BBC IN A DIGITAL WORLD (TABLES) (30 mins) · How has your life already changed since digital TV and broadband Ø How has your media usage changed? · Imagine how your media usage will be different in 2012 (NB: Remind that only 6 years away, same year as Olympics) Ø Introduce HAND OUT 3 on digital capabilities in 2012 Ø How expect to be using TV, radio, online Ø What other services (content and delivery systems) do you imagine will be available/you will be using · What would you expect from the BBC in the lead up to 2012? Ø What should their role be (spontaneous) Ø Introduce HAND OUT 4 on BBC’s manifesto for the future Ø Perceived importance of the BBC building a digital UK by developing infrastructure, transmitting content and services on new devices, providing on demand content to audiences Ø Importance also of continuing to invest in existing services, creating British programmes and services which reflect UK culture, values and history and are renowned for their quality and range Ø Initial indication of relative importance of new services vs. existing services – probe reasons fully Ø Facilitator to flipchart top 3 main priorities for the BBC and any questions about digital world / BBC’s role · Nominate a participant to feedback in plenary the top priorities for the BBC Ø NB: Lead facilitator to pick 3-4 tables to report back (ushers to rove around and help select); flip charts from all tables to be collected
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1.30- 1.45pm FEEDBACK AND BBC PRESENTATION PART 2 (PLENARY) (15 mins) · Spokesperson from 3-4 tables to report back their summary findings and any questions about digital world / BBC’s role · Response from BBC Governance Unit representative · BBC Governance Unit representative(s) to introduce prioritisation/resource allocation task for new services [PRESENTATION AND SCRIPT – BBC to provide] Ø Briefly explain format (same as previous task with existing services) Ø Briefly explain some new services that participants will be considering Ø Briefly explain that only 6 new services and will ‘cost’ less than 20 existing services, but for this exercise assume equivalent 20 units to distribute
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1.45–2.15pm PRIORITISATION WITHIN PROPOSED NEW SERVICES (TABLES) (30 mins) [Again BBC Govs experts will circulate and be on hand to answer any questions from tables] · Introduce HAND OUT 5 on ‘New BBC Services’ (list of services with explanations) Ø Facilitator to read descriptions of each service and group to discuss each in turn (specific questions to be gauged and fielded to BBC Govs experts if needed) Ø Participants to indicate which are most important to them personally (top 2) Ø Participants then to indicate which they consider to be most important to society generally (top 2) Ø Quick tally of responses and discuss why services have been selected Ø Discuss what has been omitted and any differences in the group · Present VOTING TEMPLATE 2 on ‘Prioritising Allocation On New BBC Services’ (list of services with current spent In units) Ø NB: Table facilitator to remind that this is indicative of what it could cost to provide Ø Reactions to cost – any surprises? Ø Why expect some services more expensive than others? Ø Has cost changed way feel about any services? · Table facilitators to collect in completed voting templates
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2.15-2.45pm RESOURCE ALLOCATION (TABLES/PLENARY) (30 mins) · Facilitators to remind on task: Ø Participants to imagine that it is 2012 and everyone has digital access Ø Participants to fill in VOTING TEMPLATE 2 Ø Participants to fill in how much money they think the BBC should spend on new services in units thinking about themselves and society generally – the units must add up to 20 in total (use calculators on tables to check) Ø Participants do not have to make changes to BBC unit allocation Ø NB: Allocation should represent value to them and society · Facilitators to check each handout and explain that responses are to be inputted into key pads · Lead facilitator to announce the vote from the front at 2.30pm Ø The key pad will show a question number which corresponds to each BBC service (e.g. Question 1 = On Demand TV and Radio) Ø For each source/question, participants must enter the number of units that they have allocated on their paper questionnaire Ø Voting to close at 2.35pm (lead facilitator to announce close of vote) · Table facilitators to discuss their table’s unit allocation Ø Any changes to existing allocation? Why Ø What (if any) has remained unchanged? Why? Ø What tradeoffs made?
2.45-3.00pm BREAK (Participants told 10 mins) (15 mins) Tea and coffee break
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SESSION 4: 3.00-4.40pm Aims of the session: · To explore how people prioritise resource allocation a combination of the existing and new services · To provide insights (at analysis stage) into differences between groups, including high vs. low approvers
3.00–3.10pm QUICK SUMMARY OF PRIORITISATION WITHIN NEW SERVICES (PLENARY) (5 mins) · Lead facilitator to go through quick summary of results of vote Ø Top 2 new services Ø Main changes from current allocation · Lead facilitator to explain the final exercise Ø Need to prioritise all (existing and new services) together Ø For this exercise existing services = 100 and new services = 20 and we have 120 units in total
3.10-3.30pm PRIORITISATION WITHIN COMBINATION OF EXISTING & NEW SERVICES (20 mins) (TABLES) · Introduce VOTING TEMPLATE 3 - ‘Prioritising Allocation on New and Existing BBC Services’ (list of services with current spent in units) · Participants to fill in how much money they think the BBC should spend on existing and new services in units thinking about themselves and society generally – the units must add up to 120 in total (use calculators on tables to check) Ø Participants do not have to keep 20 units for new services and 100 units for existing services (e.g. they can upweight or downweight new services) · Facilitators to check each handout and explain that responses are to be inputted into key pads · Lead facilitator to announce the vote from the front at 3.20pm Ø The key pad will show a question number which corresponds to each BBC service (e.g. Question 1 = On Demand TV and Radio) Ø For each source/question, participants must enter the number of units that they have allocated on their paper questionnaire Ø Voting to close at 3.30pm (lead facilitator to announce close of vote)
3.30 – 3.40pm DISCUSSION OF FINAL UNIT ALLOCATION (TABLES) (10 mins) · Each table to discuss their unit allocation Ø Has how they have allocated units now changed from how they have allocated previously? Why? Ø What tradeoffs made?
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3.40-3.45pm FEEDBACK ON PRIORITISATION WITHIN COMBINATION OF NEW & (5 mins) EXISTING SERVICES (PLENARY) · Lead facilitator to go through results of combined vote
3.45 – 4.15pm DISCUSSION OF AGGREGATE RESULTS (30 mins) · What does table think of aggregate results? Ø Do they agree with the services that got the most units and the services that got the least? · Those of you that gave the BBC a high rating, does this make you more or less satisfied with the BBC? · Those of you that gave the BBC a low rating, does this make you more or less satisfied with the BBC? · Prepare 3 points about what difference the results have made Ø Facilitator to flipchart · Discuss final scenario – what do to remove 20 units to get to total of 100 (in case BBC doesn’t have as much money to spend) Ø Participants individually to indicate in blank column on VOTING TEMPLATE 3 how they would remove 20 units Ø Group to discuss how they have removed units and to decide as a group which services they would remove units from · Facilitator to flipchart · Nominate a participant to feed back (1) 3 key points on aggregate results and (2) what they would do to remove 20 units · NB: Lead facilitator to pick 3-4 tables to report back (ushers to rove around and help select); flip charts from all tables to be collected
4.15 – 4.30pm FINAL PRESENTING BACK (PLENARY) (15 mins) · 3-4 tables to present back (1) 3 key points on aggregate results and (2) what they would do to remove 20 units · BBC representative(s) to respond to feedback and comment on day
4.30–4.40pm FINAL VOTES (PLENARY) (10 mins) · Participants to complete 5 more post workshop questions on their key pads in plenary Ø Knowledge of how the BBC spends its money on services after today (show result compared to initial knowledge vote) Ø Satisfaction with how the BBC spends its money on services after today (show result compared to initial satisfaction vote) Ø Overall approval of BBC after today (show result compared to initial satisfaction vote) Ø What they feel about the day (2 questions – do not show)
4.40 – end DISTRIBUTION OF INCENTIVES (TABLES) · Distribute incentives and thank for taking part
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4.3 Forum handouts
Handout 1
ABOUT EXISTING BBC SERVICES
Broad range of high-quality, British, popular programming covering all genres, aiming to offer something of value to everyone. Example programmes: Eastenders Bleak House Match of the Day Ten O’Clock News Holby City Question Time Songs of Praise Doctor Who Strictly Come Dancing
Original and entertaining programmes, including documentaries, the arts, current affairs, comedy, drama and history, bringing subjects to life in imaginative ways. Example programmes: The Apprentice The Culture Show Top Gear Jimmy’s Farm Bill Oddie Goes Wild Newsnight The Catherine Tate Show Winter Olympics coverage Cathedral
Original British content and talent aimed primarily at younger audiences. Mixed schedule of accessible news and factual programmes, cutting-edge drama and new British comedy. Example programmes: The Real Hustle House of Tiny Tearaways 60 Seconds news bulletins Honey, We’re Killing the Kids Glastonbury Two Pints of Lager…
Intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, an alternative to more mainstream programming with a mix of culture, arts, science, history, world cinema and current affairs. Example programmes: QI The World Storyville Our Friends in the North Climate Change
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Up to the minute BBC News, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Fast, comprehensive coverage of events as they unfold with specialist analysis to put the news in context.
The only UK channel dedicated to politics, offering comprehensive coverage of all the parliaments and assemblies which govern the political life of the United Kingdom.
CBBC is aimed at 6 -12 year olds, offering a broad mix of drama, entertainment, news and factual shows, with an emphasis on participation. Example programmes: Really Wild Show Blue Peter Tracy Beaker Class TV Xchange Kerching
CBeebies is dedicated to preschoolers, it offers 13 hours of new UK-produced programmes every day which encourage children to play along and learn. Example programmes: Teletubbies Bob the Builder Higgledy House Brum Balamory Tweenies
Aimed at young audiences, it aims to play the best new music, with exclusive interviews, live bands as well as providing tailored news, documentaries and advice campaigns. Example programmes: The Chris Moyles Show Jo Whiley Radio 1’s chart show Newsbeat Essential Mix Zane Lowe
Combines popular music and culture with a diverse range of specialist music, features, documentaries, light entertainment and live and exclusive recordings. Example programmes: Wake up to Wogan Jeremy Vine Jonathan Ross Parkinson’s Sunday Supplement Bob Harris Country Friday Night is Music Night
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Classical music, jazz, world music and arts news and debate, with daily live performances. Example programmes: Morning on 3 Late Night Junction BBC Proms Composer of the Week Performance on 3 Making Tracks
Speech based station offering in-depth news and current affairs, and seeking to engage and inspire listeners with a mix of factual programmes, comedy, drama and readings. Example programmes: Today The Archers The World at One Woman’s Hour The News Quiz Just a Minute
Dedicated to providing live commentary on News and Sport. Exclusive rights on the all the major sports including the Premiership, and up to the minute news and debate. Example programmes: Simon Mayo Sport on Five Up all Night Fighting Talk Worricker on Sunday 6-0-6
Sports Extra is a part time extension of Five live bringing a greater choice of action to sports fans.
Contemporary black music including R&B, Hip Hop, Garage, Dancehall and Drum & Bass. Plus news, guest mixes, interviews, documentaries and live music.
For people who are passionate about rock and pop music, it plays a mix of new emerging bands as well as classic artists and it also features session tracks from the BBC archive.
Speech based station offering comedy, drama and readings, mainly from the BBC archive. It is also the home of children’s speech radio with regular live programming for children.
Brings you the latest news, sport and issues from a British Asian perspective, with the
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… BBC Local Radio and Television aims to provide local and regional programmes and services that are valued by audiences throughout the UK, connecting them to their communities. There are local television and radio services across England and dedicated services for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (including Radio Cymru in Welsh and Radio nan Gaidheal in Gaelic).
Pressing the red button while watching any BBC channel on the digital television remote allows access to many features including: News headlines Latest sports updates Weather reports Entertainment and cinema listings Video clips
The BBC website places an emphasis on democratic and educational value available to all, and aims to provide a starting point to the internet and to be valued as a trusted guide.
BBC Jam is a free online service centering on the learner, providing interactive resources structured around key elements of the school curriculum for 5 to 16 year olds.
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Handout 2
EXPLAINING WHAT DIFFERENT SERVICES COST Why do some services cost so much more than others? The cost of a service reflects various factors including: · Number of hours broadcast (BBC One broadcasts 24 hours a day compared with CBeeBies at 13 hours a day)
· Television is more expensive than radio (studios, equipment all cost more)
· Type of programme affects costs. Drama costs far more than news or weather
· Original programmes cost more than repeats
· Artists' rights and talent costs vary for different types of programme The value of a programme is not just measured in terms of its overall cost but also in how many people watched / listened to it. This can give us a measure of cost per viewer / listener per hour. A relatively cheap programme watched by a small audience might have the same cost per viewer hour as an expensive programme watched by millions of people.
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Handout 3 DIGITAL CAPABILITIES IN 2012
Broadband will be Essential
· A broadband connection into our homes will be considered as essential as being connected to the gas and electricity - the lifeline for communications, entertainment and information.
· We'll be accessing these services on multiple screens and in multiple locations around our homes – watching television programmes and using the internet with the same system. On Demand
· We'll consume most media (especially television) in an ‘on demand’ way (choosing what we want to consume when).
· News, live sports events, other landmark events and reality TV will be viewed live.
· For everything else the preference will be to watch it at a time that suits us. Creating and sharing your own content
· Ordinary people visiting the internet today will be the ones making web content in the future.
· Audiences using the internet will be able to re-cut and re-mix audio and video content for their own purposes. So audiences will be completely changing their behaviour from just listening or watching programmes to actually producing programmes themselves.
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Handout 4 BBC’S MANIFESTO FOR THE FUTURE: BUILDING PUBLIC VALUE & RENEWING THE BBC FOR A DIGITAL WORLD
Background The BBC was founded last century to bring the benefits of broadcasting to everyone, free of the influence of commercial, political or other interests.
The BBC’s role in providing information, education and entertainment is enshrined in a Royal Charter which currently runs to the end of 2006 and is now under review.
The following is a summary of BBC’s vision for the future and its plans for the years ahead to increase the public value of the BBC.
Building a Digital UK BBC will continue to help more people get access to digital services, building on the work it has already done in this area (Freeview, new BBC digital channels).
In the next 10 years, BBC plans to: · Launch new digital and on-demand services · Continue to invest in digital infrastructure · Ensure everyone can access all BBC services · Support the UK’s progress towards becoming a fully digital nation by 2012
British Programmes and Services Which Build Public Value The BBC knows that people value it above all else for the quality and variety of its content. The BBC will continue to enrich people’s lives with programmes that inform, educate and entertain.
Future programmes and services will aim to add to the quality of life in the UK and to build public value by: · Supporting people being informed citizens through more emphasis on news and serious current affairs
· Reflecting British life through distinctive British comedy, drama and cultural programmes
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· Serving communities through local services and programmes which reflect Britain’s ethnic and cultural diversity
· Widening access to education through digital curriculum, new campaigns and linking learning opportunities to popular programmes
· Providing a global voice for the UK through global news and information service
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Handout 5
NEW BBC SERVICES On Demand BBC TV and Radio 1. Give audiences a chance to view television programmes they have missed, or wish to see again, at any time for up to 7 days after they were shown. Available via:- o broadband to computers and wireless mobile devices that are linked to the internet (e.g. mobile phones and iPods) o cable networks
2. Extend the existing ‘listen again’ facility for BBC Radio (the ‘Radioplayer’) by allowing audiences to download and listen to programmes on their computers and portable devices (e.g. iPods) for up to 7 days after they were broadcast.
3. Make its TV channels available live on the internet Open Archive
Make freely available to UK audiences tens of thousands of hours of TV and radio programming from the BBC’s archive for people to watch and listen to long after they were first broadcast. Certain types of programming would be offered commercially at first before entering the free archive.
Create your Own (Archive) Make thousands of TV and radio extracts available over the internet for people to use when they want and how they want.
Audiences will be able to view, listen to and download extracts from the BBC’s extensive archive, and go on to use them non-commercially to produce their own new works for themselves and share with others.
Local TV
A new local television news service allowing viewers in around 60 cities and counties across the UK to receive up to 10 minutes an hour of relevant local news and information.
Available via broadband, cable and satellite television, and (if spectrum capacity permits) Freeview. High definition television (HDTV)
Make available versions of BBC’s main TV channels (in peaktime) in the new High Definition format. High Definition delivers a marked improvement in picture and sound quality. Audiences require special equipment to receive it such as wide-screen televisions.
It is hoped that the HD content would be available on satellite, cable and, in time, Freeview.
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Digital Infrastructure
Make BBC digital TV and radio channels universally available. Investment will ensure that:-
- there will be near universal access to its digital TV channels throughout the UK using the digital terrestrial network (e.g. via Freeview) in time for the switch to digital TV in 2012 - at least 95% of UK homes will be able to receive BBC digital radio services using digital radio sets (via DAB)
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4.4 Forum voting templates
Voting Template 1
PRIORITISING ALLOCATION ON EXISTING BBC SERVICES BBC SERVICE CURRENT ALLOCATION WHAT YOU THINK THE BBC (IN UNITS) SHOULD ALLOCATE (IN UNITS) 1. BBC One 28
2. BBC Two 12
3. BBC Three 4
4. BBC Four 3
5. News 24 3
6. BBC Parliament 1
7. CBBC & CBeeBies 4
8. Radio 1 3
9. Radio 2 3
10. Radio 3 3
11. Radio 4 4
12. Five Live & Sports 4 Extra
13. 1Xtra 2
14. 6 Music 2
15. BBC7 2
16. Asian Network 2
17. Local & national TV, 11 radio and online services
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18. BBCi 3
19. bbc.co.uk 4
20. BBC Jam 2
TOTAL 100 PLEASE CHECK YOUR UNITS ADD UP TO 100
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Voting Template 2 PRIORITISING ALLOCATION ON NEW BBC SERVICES BBC SERVICE CURRENT WHAT YOU THINK THE BBC PROJECTED SHOULD ALLOCATE (IN ALLOCATION UNITS) (IN UNITS) 1. On Demand TV and Radio 5
2. Open Archive 2
3. Create your own (archive) 1
4. Local TV 3
5. High definition television 2 (HDTV)
6. Digital Infrastructure 7
TOTAL 20 PLEASE CHECK YOUR UNITS ADD UP TO 20
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Voting Template 3
PRIORITISING ALLOCATION ON EXISTING & NEW BBC SERVICES BBC SERVICE CURRENT / WHAT YOU THINK PROJECTED THE BBC SHOULD ALLOCATION (IN ALLOCATE (IN UNITS) UNITS) 1. BBC One 28 2. BBC Two 12 3. BBC Three 4 4. BBC Four 3 5. News 24 3 6. BBC Parliament 1 7. CBBC & CBeeBies 4 8. Radio 1 3 9. Radio 2 3 10. Radio 3 3 11. Radio 4 4 12. Five Live & Sports Extra 4 13. 1Xtra 2 14. 6 Music 2 15. BBC7 2 16. Asian Network 2 17. Local & national TV, 11 radio and online services 18. BBCi 3 19. bbc.co.uk 4 20. BBC Jam 2 21. On Demand TV and 5 Radio 22. Open Archive 2 23. Create your Own 1 (Archive)
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24. Local TV 3 25. High definition 2 television (HDTV) 26. Digital Infrastructure 7 TOTAL 120 PLEASE CHECK YOUR UNITS ADD UP TO 120
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