A voice for the viewer in TV’S multi-channel golden age
When was the golden age of broadcasting? Was it the Seventies, which gave us Morecambe and Wise, The Sweeney and The Generation Game? Or the Eighties, which produced Channel 4 News, Grange Hill and Eastenders?
These are iconic shows. But for viewers who really value choice, perhaps the golden age is now. The British public have never enjoyed programmes of such quality and diversity, live and on-demand, across many devices, catering for every age – from Topsy and Tim to The Young Pope, Gogglebox and Narcos.
That choice comes at a price for the public service broadcasters whose job is to bring cultural and educational benefits to the whole UK, reflecting and informing our daily lives.
These companies – the BBC, ITV, STV, Channel 4, S4C and Channel 5 – still command half of television viewing. The BBC accounts for half of our radio listening. But the innovation and choice offered by Netflix, Sky, Amazon and others mean we’re slowly spending less time with traditional channels.
Catch-up players, smartphones and voice recognition are changing how we find television programmes. New viewing habits mean audiences are becoming harder to measure. And broadcasters face a tough advertising market.
So as the regulator, Ofcom must strike a careful balance. We need to keep broadcasting competitive, while nurturing the public service broadcasters who make such a vital contribution to society. Never have these roles been more important. People expect choice and quality; but they also need trusted voices to guide them through an age of anxiety, insecurity and volatility.
In particular, we need a BBC that delivers for its whole audience, and its new Royal Charter puts distinctiveness at its heart. For the first time, Ofcom, an independent regulator, is working on behalf of audiences to ensure the BBC delivers for them.
We’ve set challenging new rules to keep the BBC to a high standard. In future, three quarters of the BBC’S main channel schedules must be new productions, made to order for UK audiences.
And this must be focused when viewers are gathering around the television to enjoy programmes together. So, there is a safeguard to ensure that 90pc of the shows during “peak” evening hours on BBC One and BBC Two must be new.
And, for the first time, there is a new requirement on the amount of comedy programmes on BBC One and BBC Two, to avoid it being moved to the online channel BBC Three.
We’re also increasing the amount of original documentaries Radio 4 must broadcast, and maintaining the existing safeguard for its religious programmes. The BBC should continue to cater for a range of interests and topics such as health, social action, consumer issues, rural affairs and disability. And its children’s channels will show hundreds of hours of brand new shows each year.
Every part of the UK should get its fair share of the BBC’S creative and economic benefits. So, for the first
‘For the first time, Ofcom, is working on behalf of audiences to ensure the BBC delivers for them’
time, the BBC must spend the same amount on programmes, per head, in all four UK nations.
At least half of programmes on the BBC’S television channels will be made outside of London. And we’re starting a review to help ensure that shows made outside of the capital truly support and strengthen local production in the nations and regions.
While the BBC remains the cornerstone of UK broadcasting, we have a duty to maintain and strengthen the whole public service broadcasting system and the benefits it brings.
Looking ahead, we’ll consider whether the traditional channels are easy to find – on tablets, televisions and smartphones – for people who value their programmes.
Today, viewers are used to flicking up and down the television guides on their remote control to find their channels. But how will viewers find them in a world that’s becoming increasingly on-demand and personalised? For example, how many clicks does it take viewers to find their favourite programmes?
We must consider these questions to ensure the public service broadcasters are not drowned out, while allowing the services that host these channels the chance to innovate.
We will look at funding for UK content, the health of the production industry, and whether public service broadcasters can retain access to quality, big-budget programmes as they compete on a global stage. Our broadcasters should be going toe to toe with the likes of Netflix and Amazon to produce the best programmes.
And we’ll consider the benefits that public service broadcasters receive, such as guaranteed airwaves to reach every television set, and whether these are sufficient in future.
In fact, we will look across the whole of UK broadcasting to ensure it delivers for audiences. All our findings will be based on evidence – including the changing tastes and needs of British audiences. Our world-class broadcasters deserve clear, fair and strong regulation, and Ofcom’s decisions will be taken independently of political or commercial pressure.
The UK has the most vibrant, creative and innovative television and radio industries in the world. We’ll keep listening to viewers and listeners to understand their priorities. And we’ll work with broadcasters to uphold the trust and high standards that audiences expect.
Kevin Bakhurst is the content group director at Ofcom