BBC Television Services Review Quantitative audience research assessing BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four’s delivery of the BBC’s Public Purposes Prepared for: November 2010 Prepared by: Trevor Vagg and Sara Reid, Kantar Media Telephone: 020 7656 5061/ 020 7656 5401 Email: [email protected] / [email protected] Part of Kantar Media UK Limited/ 45109318 Kantar Media is ISO9001:2000 and ISO 20252 accredited. Table of Contents 1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................3 1.1 Objectives ..............................................................................................................4 1.2 Methodology ..........................................................................................................4 1.3 Explanation of Public Purposes and performance gaps.................................6 2 Overall summary of key findings.....................................................................................8 3 BBC One.......................................................................................................................18 3.1 Executive summary of research among the BBC One audience................18 3.2 Views on programme genres on BBC One and across the BBC portfolio of television channels ........................................................................................................20 3.3 Approval of BBC One.........................................................................................24 3.4 Perceived value for money of BBC One .........................................................25 3.5 BBC One performance on its purposes and priorities ..................................28 3.6 Creativity purpose - stimulating creativity and cultural excellence.................. ...............................................................................................................................33 3.7 Citizenship purpose - sustaining citizenship and civil society......................40 3.8 Global purpose - bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK ....48 3.9 Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities purpose........50 3.10 Education purpose - promoting education and learning...............................60 3.11 Digital purpose - encouraging use of new communications technologies .62 3.12 Overall summary for BBC One .........................................................................64 4 BBC Two.......................................................................................................................66 4.1 Executive summary of research among the BBC Two audience................66 4.2 Views on programme genres on BBC Two and across the BBC portfolio of television channels ........................................................................................................67 4.3 Approval of BBC Two.........................................................................................71 4.4 Perceived value for money of BBC Two .........................................................74 4.5 BBC Two performance on its purposes and priorities ..................................76 4.6 Creativity purpose - stimulating creativity and cultural excellence.................. ...............................................................................................................................81 4.7 Citizenship purpose - sustaining citizenship and civil society......................88 4.8 Global purpose - bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK ....95 Kantar Media Report: BBC Television Services Review – Audience Research 1 4.9 Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities purpose........97 4.10 Education purpose - promoting education and learning.............................108 4.11 Digital purpose- encouraging use of new communications technologies 110 4.12 Overall summary for BBC Two .......................................................................112 5 BBC Four ....................................................................................................................114 5.1 Executive summary of research among the BBC Four audience .............114 5.2 Understanding the BBC Four audience ........................................................115 5.3 Approval of BBC Four ......................................................................................116 5.4 Perceived value for money of BBC Four.......................................................117 5.5 BBC Four performance on its purposes and priorities................................119 5.6 Creativity purpose - stimulating creativity and cultural excellence.................. .............................................................................................................................122 5.7 Citizenship purpose - sustaining citizenship and civil society....................127 5.8 Global purpose - bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK ..130 5.9 Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities purpose......132 5.10 Education purpose - promoting education and learning.............................134 5.11 Digital purpose - encouraging use of new communications technologies136 5.12 Lapsed BBC Four viewers...............................................................................137 5.13 Overall summary for BBC Four ......................................................................140 Appendix A: Profile of respondents .......................................................................................142 Appendix B: Full listing of personal importance, performance and performance gap scores145 BBC One .............................................................................................................................. 145 BBC Two .............................................................................................................................. 149 BBC Four ............................................................................................................................. 153 Appendix C: Full listing of results for BBC relationship questions.........................................156 Appendix D: Performance scores and performance gaps within demographic groups ........160 Appendix E: The questionnaire ........................................................................................ 210 Kantar Media Report: BBC Television Services Review – Audience Research 2 1 Introduction The BBC Trust has a responsibility to ensure that the BBC provides licence fee payers with the best possible value for money in return for the licence fee they pay. It must also ensure that the BBC stays true to its Public Purposes, as set out in the Royal Charter. The Public Purposes are explained in section 1.3. Each of the BBC’s services has a Service Licence, which lays out what is expected of that service and how it should deliver the BBC’s Public Purposes. The BBC Trust must review each of the BBC’s services against its Service Licence once every five years. These Service Reviews look at how well the services are performing, as well as looking to the future to consider whether any changes should be made in order to reflect audience needs. Against this background, the BBC Trust began a review of four of the BBC’s services in 2009: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and the BBC Red Button service. The Service Review includes a public consultation and audience research which both contribute to the BBC Trust’s assessment. The BBC Trust regularly speaks to members of the public to find out what they expect from the BBC and to understand perceptions of how well the BBC is performing. In September 2009, as part of this Service Review, the BBC Trust commissioned Kantar Media to undertake the audience research element. The research set out to assess the extent to which the BBC television services and the BBC Red Button service are meeting the objectives set out for them in their Service Licences. A summary of each Service Licence is given below. BBC One is tasked with achieving wide popular appeal within its Service Licence. Along with the other BBC services, it should promote the BBC’s six Public Purposes. As a key provider of the BBC’s news and current affairs, content must be delivered with impartiality, accuracy and independence of journalism. Its content must offer a broad range of drama, entertainment and comedy programmes that bring arts and culture to mainstream audiences and feature major events from across the genres. BBC Two should contribute to all six purposes, with an important focus on Education, Creativity, Citizenship, and Nations, regions and communities. Programming should aim to build knowledge; support learning; and often take a more challenging approach than BBC One. Programming should be distinctive and cover a mix of content including arts, music, drama, comedy and film. It should also offer news analysis and current affairs that explores a broad range of UK and international issues. While contributing to all six of the Public Purposes, the focus for BBC Four is on Creativity, Global & Education. The majority of programmes should be factual and the channel must take a more challenging approach to subject matter, providing both depth and context. It should offer international and foreign language content and support new talent in programming and Kantar Media Report: BBC Television Services Review – Audience Research 3 presenting. This content should complement output on BBC