WHAT CHILDREN WATCH - Ofcom

WHAT CHILDREN WATCH 

AN ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING PROVISION 

BETWEEN 1997-2001, AND CHILDREN’S VIEWS 

Kam Atwal, Andrea Millwood-Hargrave and Jane Sancho 

with Leila Agyeman and Nicki Karet 

June 2003

WHAT CHILDREN WATCH 

AN ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING PROVISION 

BETWEEN 1997-2001, AND CHILDREN’S VIEWS 

Kam Atwal, Andrea Millwood-Hargrave and Jane Sancho 

with Leila Agyeman and Nicki Karet 

Broadcasting Standards Commission 

Independent Television Commission 

June 2003

Contents 

Executive summary 1 

Introduction 5 

Section I: 

1 Quantitative Analysis of Children’s Programming 

Provision: 1996-2001 7 

2 Changing Landscape 9 

3 Time Measures 11 

4 Daypart Analysis 15 

5 Diversity in Programme Provision 23 

6 Genre Analysis 25 

7 Genre Analysis by Channel 35 

8 Children’s Viewing Habits 55 

9 New Media 63 

10 Changes since the 1997 Study 65 

Section II: 

Background 69 

11 The Role of Television 71 

12 When, Where and How are Children Watching? 75 

13 Children’s Understanding of Television 83 

14 Terrestrial versus Multichannel 91 

15 Conclusions 99 

Appendix I: Methodology 101 

Appendix II: Sample 102 

Appendix III: Broadcasting Standards Commission 103 

Appendix IV: Independent Television Commission 104

Executive Summary 

1. Households with children living in them contain a wider range of in-home 

entertainment than childfree households and are more likely to be ‘early adopters’ 

of such equipment. 

2. Children in multichannel homes watch significantly more television per day than their 

terrestrial only counterparts (an average of 35 minutes more per day at 2 hours and 

27 minutes). However, the amount of time they spend specifically viewing ‘children’s 

programmes’ is comparable with those living in analogue terrestrial-only homes 

[Source: BARB]. 

3. There has been a dramatic rise in the amount of children’s programming on analogue 

terrestrial and other television services over the past five years. 

4. The increase has come about principally from the launch of the new analogue terrestrial 

service Five (formerly operating as Channel 5), as well as the introduction of dedicated 

satellite and cable-delivered channels. (The detailed analyses do not include the free-toair 

dedicated children’s channels, CBBC and CBeebies, launched after the analysis period 

in February 2002, increasing provision still further.) 

5. Children are able now to tune in to children’s programmes on the dedicated channels at 

any time of day. The replay channels which offer rolling schedules, available in 

multichannel homes, mean that children in these homes need not worry about missing 

their favourite programmes, as they will be repeated. 

6. Despite this growth in provision, the range being offered to children, as a proportion of 

the time devoted to children’s programming, is variable on different services. In this 

context, analogue terrestrial channels offer the most diverse line-up with regard to the 

balance of different types of programming e.g. factual, drama, light entertainment, 

animation and pre-school, broadcast on a single channel. 

7. This being said, the mainstay of the analogue terrestrial channels is animation, as it is 

for the dedicated children’s channels. The analyses do not distinguish between types of 

animation and, not surprisingly, this is the genre which most children are watching 

within children’s programming. In multichannel homes, more than half the time spent 

viewing children’s programmes is devoted to this genre. 

8. The result of this dramatic increase in animation is a move away, by children in 

multichannel homes in particular, from the drama and factual genres in children’s 

programming. 

9. The provision of drama on the analogue terrestrial channels is more stable than some of 

the other genres, with little significant change across the period sampled. On the 

dedicated channels, however, there was a steep decline in drama in 2001. 

What Children Watch 1

10. Factual programming is almost absent from the dedicated channels and is the genre 

most obviously in decline on the analogue channels. The classification system used by 

the industry means that some schools programming is classified as ‘factual’, which 

boosts the minutage ascribed to this genre. The picture would be even worse, therefore, 

if schools programming were removed from the analysis. 

11. Light entertainment programming takes a significant proportion of the share of 

children’s programming on many channels, and had grown significantly across the 

sample period on some of the dedicated channels. 

12. Pre-school programme provision was significant within the basket of dedicated 

channels as they split to form new services, focused on particular age groups. Provision 

of this genre had increased also on the analogue terrestrial channels. 

13. Much of the increase in children’s programme provision on the analogue terrestrial 

channels is centred on the breakfast slot, while after-school provision remains constant. 

14. Children are spending significant amounts of their viewing time per day watching genres 

other than those targeted at children. These other genres are not analysed in this report, 

which concentrates on children’s programming provision. 

15. Interviews with children underscore many of these findings. Television is of significant 

importance in their lives. It is pervasive - most homes have more than one television set, 

and many of the children interviewed have a set in their bedrooms. 

16. With 59% penetration of multichannel television in homes with children, many of the 

children in the sample who live in analogue terrestrial-only homes have been exposed to 

the other channels and services as well and therefore have some knowledge of them. 

17. Television is a prime source of entertainment, if not a preferred activity. The children 

interviewed watch at all times; very often the television is on, even if not actively attended to. 

18. Children under the age of eight are confused about what is a programme and what is 

a channel, especially those in multichannel homes who are switching between so many 

more channels and programmes. 

19. Those in analogue terrestrial-only homes have more awareness of the times their 

favourite programmes are on and what channel they are on, simply because they follow 

a linear programme schedule and there is a limited choice of channels. Those with access 

to the dedicated channels have many more channels to choose from. They tend to know 

which channels their favourite programmes are on, but otherwise have less awareness of 

which channel they are watching and flick around more often. They use the electronic 

programme guide to navigate their way around and ‘create’ their own schedules. 

2 

What Children Watch

20. Children in multichannel homes are more demanding of their television schedules, 

expecting a large number of different programmes, constantly changing. The research 

does not suggest that multichannel children are calling for greater diversity in the type of 

content they watch, but this may be a reflection of the fact that they are accustomed to 

the range of material they are offered. 

21. The issue of programme origination was raised with children, but was not found to 

be of significant interest, although many of the children spoke of their enjoyment of 

programmes produced in the United States. (The quantitative, BARB-based analysis does 

not distinguish country of origin.) 

22. Parents, especially parents in analogue terrestrial-only homes, are particularly keen that 

UK-originated programming should be available for their children to watch. They feel it 

is more authentic and culturally relevant and some felt that it had more of an 

educational value. 

23. The level of parental knowledge about the material being watched is mixed. While 

parents voice concerns, many admit that they police the viewing of their secondary 

school-age children less than their younger children. 

24. Parents expressed concern about certain aspects of taste and decency when talking about 

children’s programming. When talking about programming in general, and not 

programming targeted specifically at children, the use of swearing and offensive 

language was particularly disliked. 

25. Parents felt it was important to retain children’s programme provision on the analogue 

terrestrial channels, despite the alternative sources available on cable and satellite 

channels. They considered it essential that terrestrial broadcasters catered for the 

child audience. 

26. Analogue terrestrial parents, in particular, felt that the terrestrial channels offered a better 

range of children’s genres which included quality British made programmes. 

Additionally, parents who had not chosen to subscribe to satellite or cable channels said 

they would resent being forced to pay for additional services in order for their children 

to have something to watch. 

27. However, there was an acceptance that multichannel television opportunities were part 

of the television environment and that it was incumbent on broadcasters to continue to 

create programming that captured the attention and fed the demands of the child 

audience. 


4 

What Children Watch

Introduction 

Programming for children on television continues to increase. This report updates the survey 

last undertaken five years ago, which covered the period from 1992-1996. 1 This study, 

which considers the five years since then, from 1997-2001, shows that the amount of 

children’s programming available (as defined by the industry measurement system, BARB) 

has tripled. Some of this has come about because of the launch - during that period - of an 

analogue, free to air, terrestrial television channel (Five) and some of the change has been 

due to the introduction of new satellite or cable delivered channels. In 2002, two further 

dedicated channels were introduced, CBBC and CBeebies, available as free-to-air digital 

services. The detailed quantitative analysis only presents limited data on these channels, 

however, as they were launched after the sample period. 

Within the five years under consideration (to 2001), the television landscape has also 

changed. Digital services, satellite, cable and terrestrial, have been introduced and DVDs are 

taking the pre-recorded content market by storm. As has been found over many years, it is 

within homes with children that the newest forms of in-home entertainment are most 

quickly adopted. 

The sheer volume of targeted children’s programming available means that there is a wide 

range of programme types available. However, the data also show, as did the report which 

ran from 1992-1996, that the proportions of diverse content are restricted. While a 

significant proportion of the material is animation-based, the terrestrial analogue television 

channels still provide a more diverse programme line-up, with regard to the balance of 

programme types, than the dedicated services available to multichannel homes. This, in 

turn, affects the type of material children in multichannel homes are watching in 

comparison with children in analogue terrestrial-only homes. The data also show that 

children in multichannel homes watch approximately 35 more minutes of television per day 

than those in homes without access to additional broadcast channels. 

The previous report, by Professor Messenger Davies, had included a series of interviews 

with professionals and those interested in children’s programming provision. At that time, 

the research had shown the genre to be under pressure, especially as channels competed for 

audiences in what were often seen to be lucrative (within commercial television channels) 

time slots. Certain programme categories were felt to be at risk and there was general 

pessimism, especially among the traditional broadcasting community, about the 

continuation of children’s programming. Those interviewed who came from the emerging 

satellite and cable industries were far less pessimistic. This study will examine, through the 

analysis of programme provision, whether the pessimism or optimism was justified. 

However, it also takes on board one of Professor Messenger Davies’s key calls, which was 

for children’s opinions to be heard. The study included interviews and discussions with 

children aged 6 to 12, asking them about their viewing habits and the importance of 

children’s programming in their lives, while also seeking parents’ views about children’s 

programme provision. 

1 Messenger Davies, M, and Corbett, B., The Provision of Children’s Television in Britain: 1992-1996; Broadcasting Standards 

Commission, 1997. 


6 

What Children Watch

Section 1 

1 Quantitative analysis of children’s 

programming provision: 1996-2001 

The quantitative component of this research is based on statistics from the BARB industry 

panel. The analysis builds on the findings of the 1997 report The Provision of Children’s 

Television in Britain: 1992-1996 published by the Broadcasting Standards Commission and 

is split into four elements: 

■ 

Analysis of programming provision by daypart - looking at trends in children’s output 

across the terrestrial channels throughout the day. 

■ 

The breakdown of provision by programme genre - this section looks at the total time, 

in hours, devoted to each genre by channel, investigating any changes in total provision 

as well as the role of each of the channels in providing relevant programming. 

■ 

Genre analysis by channel - analysis of the proportion of children’s broadcasting 

hours dedicated to each genre by channel between 1996-2001, illustrating the mix of 

programming across the terrestrial and dedicated children’s channels. 

■ 

Analysis of children’s viewing habits, in general, and to children’s programming 

in particular 

Methodological issues 

The objective of this study is to highlight the current trends and the changes seen in the provision 

of children’s television in the five years from, and including, 1996 (the period of time since the 

previous report) to 2001. The analysis is based on genre classifications defined by BARB for 

children’s programmes. The advantage of using universally recognised industry data such as 

BARB is that it facilitates any future comparisons of trends. The genre categories used are: 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

children’s drama 

children’s factual 

children’s animation 

children’s light entertainment 

children’s pre-school 

There are some drawbacks, however, to using the BARB genre classifications for children’s 

programming. For example, some shows targeted at young viewers, either within dedicated 

slots or on children’s cable and satellite channels, are not classified as such. For example, the 

US-originated comedy show Boy Meets World has been classified as ‘light entertainment - 

sitcom US’ rather than ‘children’s light entertainment’. By including ‘light entertainment - 

sitcom US’ in the analysis, the figures would be distorted by the inclusion of those 

programmes within the genre which are not specifically targeted at children. This means 

that a number of programmes targeted at and of appeal to younger viewers may be 

excluded from this study. 


Since the Messenger Davies study which looked at the five years leading up to 1996, easier 

access to computerised data has meant that a broader analysis of trends in the provision of 

children’s programming can be conducted. Whereas that study was based on an analysis of 

four sample weeks (first week of February, May, August and November) for each year 

between 1992-1996, this analysis is based on data for the whole year from 1996 to 2001. 

Like the 1997 study, time is the measure used to look at children’s programming provision 

on each channel, and within each of the five genres considered. 

As the data for the current study are driven entirely by the BARB analyses, data showing 

origination of programming are not available. In the 1997 study, as only a sample of 

programmes was taken for each year, each programme was analysed individually for 

country of origin. 

The similarities and differences between the two studies have been summarised below: 

Data source 

Period of analysis 

The Provision of Children’s 

Television in Britain: 1992-1996 

BARB 

4 sample weeks (first week of 

February, May, August and 

November) for each year between 

1992-1996 

What Children Watch, 

2003 

BARB 

Whole year data 1996-2001 

Measure 

■ 

Time 

■ 

Time 

■ 

Access to extra information on 

source and origin of 

programmes and details of first 

or repeat showing 

Genre classifications 

BARB classifications: 

■ Children’s Drama 

■ Children’s Factual - excludes 

Schools programming 

■ Children’s Animation 

■ Children’s Light Entertainment 

■ Children’s Pre-school 

BARB classifications: 

■ Children’s Drama 

■ Children’s Factual - including 

Schools programming 

■ Children’s Animation 

■ Children’s Light Entertainment 

■ Children’s Pre-school 

Channel coverage 

■ 

BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 (including 

■ 

BBC1, BBC2, GMTV, ITV1, 

TVAM/GMTV),Channel 4 

Channel 4, Five 

■ 

The Cartoon Network 

■ 

Boomerang 

■ 

The Disney Channel 

■ 

The Cartoon Network 

■ 

Nickelodeon 

■ 

The Disney Channel, Playhouse 

■ 

Sky One 

Disney, Toon Disney 

■ 

The Children’s Channel 

■ 

Fox Kids 

■ 

Nickelodeon, Nick Jr 

■ 

The Children’s Channel 

8 

What Children Watch 

■ 

Trouble

2 Changing landscape 

In-home entertainment provision 

The television viewing landscape has changed dramatically over recent years - a significant 

part of this has been as a result of the way in which younger viewers are consuming media. 

As the results of the report published by the ITC and BSC, The Public’s View 2002 

highlight, there are striking differences in the ownership of home entertainment between 

people in homes with and without children. 2 

Home entertainment in households 

With Children 

Without Children 

% % 

Video recorder 92 85 

Teletext 88 81 

Multichannel 59 46 

NICAM stereo television 49 44 

Video games 54 20 

Personal computer 54 42 

Video camera 35 20 

Computer with internet 49 39 

Widescreen television 31 24 

Computer with television/video 16 10 

Source: The Public’s View 2002. Base: All respondents 

Those homes with children tend to have a wider range of new technologies in the home. 

Two-thirds (59%) of people with children have access to multichannel television, while only 

46% without children have it. Similarly, 49% of households with children have Internet 

access in the home, compared with 39% of those without children. The presence of such a 

wide range of home entertainment equipment in the home is undoubtedly changing the way 

in which young viewers spend their leisure-time and, therefore, the ways in which they 

watch television. 

Equipment in eldest child's bedroom 

Age of Children 

Total 0 - 3 4 - 9 10 -15 

% % % % 

Television 57 33 58 79 

Radio 48 21 49 69 

Games console 28 16 27 42 

Video cassette recorder 32 18 31 46 

Computer 12 2 12 19 

Satellite/cable 6 1 4 11 

Computer with internet 3 2 4 5 

Source: The Public’s View 2002. Base: All respondents with children 

2 Television: The Public’s View 2002; Independent Television Commission and Broadcasting Standards Commission, 2003. 


The Public’s View also looks at the equipment in the eldest child’s bedroom. The majority of 

children (57%) have a television set in their bedrooms, rising to 79% of those aged 10-15. 

Some of the most surprising figures are those for young children, aged four to nine, 

of whom 58% had a television, 49% a radio, 27% a games console and 31% a VCR. 

10 

What Children Watch

3 Children’s programme provision: 

time measures 

Terrestrial television 

Total hours of children’s programming on terrestrial networks 

Hours 

5,000 

4,500 

4,000 

3,500 

3,000 

2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

500 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 3,494 3,986 4,566 4,449 4,524 4,657 

■ GMTV ■ Five ■ C4 ■ ITV1 ■ BBC2 ■ BBC1 

Source: BARB, Monday-Sunday 

■ The overall provision of children’s television across the terrestrial networks has 

changed significantly between 1996-2001, with total output increasing by 33% from 

3,494 hours to 4,657 hours as a result of the launch of Channel 5 (now Five) and an 

increase in time devoted to children on BBC2. 

■ Between 1996-1999, skewed by its provision of dedicated schools programming 

in the early morning (included, in this analysis, within the children’s factual genre), 

Channel 4 was the main provider of children’s programmes. 

■ Over this time, BBC2’s role became increasingly significant, overtaking Channel 4 

in 2000. 

■ BBC1 has steadily increased the number of hours devoted to children since 1997, 

making it the second largest supplier of children’s programming, while ITV1’s provision 

has fluctuated over the years between a low of 386 hours in 1998 and a high of 448 

in 2000. 

■ As a result of growing output during breakfast time, GMTV has been facing 

increasing competition over the years. 


Dedicated channels 

The impact of non-terrestrial channels on children’s viewing has been investigated in detail 

in this report by examining trends across the following channels (dates indicate month from 

which BARB data became available): 

■ Boomerang (May 2000) 

■ Cartoon Network (November 1996) 

■ Disney Channel (October 1995) 

■ Playhouse Disney (September 2000) 

■ Toon Disney (September 2000) 

■ Fox Kids (October 1996) 

■ Nickelodeon (September 1993) 

■ Nick Jr (September 1999) 

■ TCC (January 1993-April 1998) 

■ Trouble (September 1998) 

Total hours of children’s programming on dedicated channels 

Hours 

35,000 

30,000 

25,000 

20,000 

15,000 

10,000 

5000 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 10,236 17,093 15,833 16,334 25,985 32,531 

■ Boomerang ■ TCC ■ Playhouse Disney ■ Toon Disney ■ Fox Kids ■ Disney Channel ■ Cartoon Network 

■ Nick Jr ■ Nickelodeon ■ Trouble 


12 

What Children Watch

It is important to note that since this study is principally interested in the diversity of 

programming available to children, in the multichannel homes analysis we concentrate on 

the main channels such as Nickelodeon and Fox Kids and exclude the replay channels. 

■ Overall provision has tripled from 10,236 hours in 1996 to 32,531 hours in 2001. 

■ Between 1996 and 1997, following the launch of The Cartoon Network, output 

increased by 67% to 17,093 hours. 

■ With the closure of TCC in 1998 and the launch of Trouble a few months later, total 

hours of children’s programming remained fairly constant between 1997-1999. 

■ 2000 saw the launch of a number of new channels including Boomerang and the Disney 

spin-off channels, Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney, resulting in a 59% rise in 

dedicated children’s entertainment. This trend followed through to 2001, the first full 

year of transmission for many of the new channels. 

■ Since then, two further dedicated channels have been launched as free to air services, 

CBBC and CBeebies. These became operational in 2002, after the sample period and so 

only limited analyses of their performance are included here. 


14 

What Children Watch

4 Children’s programme provision: 

daypart analysis 

Tracking the amount of time dedicated to children’s programming across the five main 

networks provides an overview of the changes that have occurred between 1996-2001. In 

order to understand these trends in more detail data have been split into the following time 

slots: 

■ Breakfast (0600-0929) 

■ Morning (0930-1159) 

■ Early afternoon (1200-1529) 

■ After-school (1530-1729) 

Although some children’s programming is scheduled after 1730, in line with the 1997 study 

this time slot has been excluded, although the ‘total’ figure includes all programming 

throughout the day. 


Hours of children’s programming by daypart: total terrestrial 

Hours 

5,000 

4,500 

4,000 

3,500 

3,000 

2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

500 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 3,494 3,986 4,566 4,449 4,524 4,657 

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929 



■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

As noted, the total hours dedicated to children’s programming across the five terrestrial 

channels have increased from 3,494 in 1996 to 4,657 in 2001, an increase of 33%. As 

well as increased provision on BBC channels, this trend is associated with the launch of 

Five in 1997. 

The most significant change has been the rise in breakfast-time programming, making it 

by far the most important daypart for children’s entertainment. There has been an 

increase of 121% in provision at this time over the five-year period being considered. 

There has been a commensurate fall during the 1200-1529 slot, accelerated by 

Channel 4 and Five cutting provision during this time segment. 

Overall provision during the 0930-1159 and 1530-1729 slots has remained consistent 

over the past six years (with BBC1 and ITV1 continuing to be the main providers at this 

time of day). 

It should be noted that the children’s programming slot in the afternoon on BBC1 is 

longer than that on ITV1, although the difference has varied. 

BBC1 

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: BBC1 

Hours 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 832 767 795 858 870 889 

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929 


16 

What Children Watch

■ 

■ 

■ 

Since 1996, the total amount of children’s programming on BBC1 has increased 

by 7% from 832 hours to 889 hours in 2001, following a dip in 1997. This overall 

figure hides a much larger increase (64%) in programming during the breakfast slot 

from 206 hours in 1996 to 338 hours in 2001. 

The after-school slot remains the most dominant for BBC1- time devoted to children 

during this part of the day rose by 22% from 344 hours in 1996 to 420 hours the 

following year, remaining fairly consistent between 1997-2001 (416 hours). 

However, over this time, output during the morning and early afternoon dayparts 

declined. Provision during the 0930-1159 slot fell from 178 hours in 1996 to 64 hours 

in 2001 - a decrease of 64%. Output during 1200-1529 fell by 26% from 92 hours in 

1996 to 68 hours in 2001. 

BBC2 

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: BBC2 

Hours 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 923 930 1,042 1,059 1,183 1,292 

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929 


■ 

■ 

■ 

BBC2’s provision of children’s programming has increased steadily each year from 

923 hours in 1996 to 1,292 hours in 2001, and it is now the largest single provider of 

children’s programming amongst the terrestrial channels. 

Similar to trends observed on BBC1, there has been significant growth in time 

devoted to children during the breakfast slot, with the extension of the weekday slot 

from 0730-0830 to 0700-0900 in 1999. 

Overall, between 1996-2001, children’s programming provision during the 

0600-1159 slot has risen from 727 hours to 1,156 hours, an increase of 59%. 


ITV1 

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: ITV1 

Hours 

700 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 460 409 386 406 448 430 

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 


■ 

■ 

There was a high of 460 hours of children’s programming on ITV1 in 1996, which 

declined marginally to 430 hours in 2001. 

Provision during the morning slot (0930-1159) more than halved from 105 hours in 

1996 to 42 hours in 2001. Over the same period, output during the early afternoon slot 

(1200-1529) increased as the start of the after-school slot moved from 1530 to 

1525 in 1999 and then 1520 in 2000, allowing for more programming targeted at 

the very young. 

18 

What Children Watch

GMTV 3 

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: GMTV 

Hours 

700 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 280 320 352 348 386 366 

■ 0600-0929 


■ 

As with BBC1 and BBC2, children’s programming during the GMTV slot at breakfast 

time increased by 38% from 280 hours in 1996 to 386 hours in 2000, although the rise 

has been less dramatic than that seen on the BBC channel and has now fallen back 

slightly to 366 hours in 2001. 

3 GMTV was not considered separately from ITV11 in the 1997 study. 


Channel 4 

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: Channel 4 

Hours 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 1,000 1,008 1,141 1,066 956 835 

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929 


■ 

■ 

With the disappearance of programming in the afternoon, the total amount of time 

devoted to children on Channel 4 has declined from a peak of 1,141 hours in 1998 to 

835 hours in 2001. 

Back in 1996, the 0930-1159 slot was the predominant daypart for children’s 

programmes on Channel 4, providing a long list of factual programming as part of the 

schools programme output (4 Learning). However, since 1997 and the increase in time 

dedicated to children’s programming between 0600 and 0929 which is associated with 

the scheduling of programmes such as Sesame Street, this daypart has become the 

mainstay of children’s entertainment on Channel 4. 

20 

What Children Watch

Five (formerly Channel 5) 

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: Five 

Hours 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 552 850 712 682 845 

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929 


■ Since its first full year of transmission, Five’s provision of children’s programming has 

declined from a high of 850 hours in 1998 to 682 hours in 2000, picking up again in 

2001 (845 hours). 

■ Much of the fall between 1998-2000 was as a result of a decline in dedicated children’s 

programming from 0930-1529, whereas provision during breakfast time has been on 

an upward trend, peaking at 728 hours in 2001. 

■ Accounting for a small proportion of total hours, programming during the 1530-1729 

slot amounted to 29 hours in 1999, rising to 37 hours in 2001, as a result of the 

introduction of children’s programming on weekend afternoons. 


13 18 30 15 25 

9 1 76 7 6 

22 

What Children Watch

5 Diversity in programme provision 

An analysis of trends in children’s programme provision across the entire television 

environment shows that the main increase in targeted children’s material is driven by 

animation. Drama, on the other hand, has decreased to the level it was at the start of the 

sample period while the other genres have remained stable. 

Total hours devoted to children’s programming: 1996-2001 

Hours 

40,000 

35,000 

30,000 

25,000 

20,000 

15,000 

10,000 

5,000 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 13,729 21,059 20,350 20,751 30,502 37,183 

■ Drama ■ Factual ■ Animation ■ Light entertainment ■ Pre-school 


Sum of children’s output on terrestrial networks and dedicated children’s channels 

■ 

Closer analysis of the range of children’s programming available on the main networks 

and the dedicated channels in 2001 as a proportion of total time devoted to this 

audience, further illustrates the difference in choice made available to those in terrestrial 

households and those in multichannel homes. 

Diversity in children’s programming: 2001 

Terrestrial networks 


0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 




■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

Although animation programming dominates in both cases, 4 the main networks provide 

greater diversity of programme types in the more restricted amount of broadcast time. 

Drama accounts for 13% of the output on the terrestrial channels and 9% on the 

dedicated channels. 

18% of the output from the terrestrial channels consists of factual material compared 

with only 1% of the total output on the dedicated channels; however it must be borne in 

mind that the factual genre within BARB includes schools programming. 

Light entertainment programming represents 15% of the total time provided for 

children’s programmes on terrestrial television, while accounting for 7% of the 

dedicated line-up. 

The very young are also well catered for on the terrestrial channels with a quarter 

of the output devoted to pre-school programming compared with 6% across the 

dedicated channels. 

As mentioned, some schools programming on BBC2 and Channel 4 is classified by 

BARB under the children’s factual category - some will be classified under one of the 

various documentaries sub-genres. The data available are not able to offer a finer 

analysis, but the figures below indicate the amount (in hours) of schools programming 

output on Channel 4 and BBC2 since 1996. 

Channel 4 Schools Programming 

Hours/Annum 

1996 356 

1997 457 

1998 420 

1999 419 

2000 399 

2001 565 

Source: ITC 

BBC2 Schools Programming Genre Hours/Annum 

1996-1997 Schools (Network) 561 




2000-2001 Education for children 892 

2001-2002 Education for children 678 

Source: BBC Annual Reports 

4 The analysis is not able to distinguish within genres by looking at, for example, types of animation. 

24 

What Children Watch

6 Genre analysis 

Analysis of the breakdown of provision by genre provides insight into the diversity of 

children’s programming. This section looks at the total time, in hours, devoted to each genre 

by channel, illustrating whether there have been significant changes in total provision, as 

well as the role of each of the channels in providing relevant programming. 


Children’s drama 

Hours devoted to children’s drama on terrestrial channels 

Hours 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 429 485 569 620 595 586 



■ 

Total drama provision across the main networks peaked at 620 hours in 1999, falling 

to 586 hours in 2001. Since its launch, Five has played a key role in providing this type 

of programming and, along with BBC1, contributed significantly to this peak. BBC2 has 

also increased output, whereas ITV1’s provision has remained consistent at an average 

of 109 hours per year. 


Children’s factual (including schools programmes) 

Hours devoted to children’s factual on terrestrial channels 

Hours 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 817 860 839 914 956 848 



■ Factual programming, as captured within BARB analyses, includes schools 

programming, available primarily on Channel 4 and BBC2. Due to this fact, the total 

hours devoted to factual material (including schools programming on Channel 4) 

increased steadily from 839 hours in 1998 to 956 hours in 2000. 

■ BBC2 is the second largest provider of factual programming, a genre which includes a 

mixture of schools and other factual programming. BBC2 dedicated 306 hours of its 

2001 schedule to the genre. 

■ ITV1’s provision in this genre, while low, has stabilised 5 . 

5 Since 2002, the ITC has agreed annual minimum requirements with ITV1 for originated material, including children’s factual (52 

hours per annum). 

26 

What Children Watch

Children’s animation 

Hours devoted to children’s animation on terrestrial channels 

Hours 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 1,252 985 1,108 1,201 1,280 1,381 



■ Back in 1996, the provision of animation was more equally distributed between the 

channels than any other genre, but since then there have been significant changes in 

supply. Following sharp falls in output from BBC1 and Channel 4, the total number of 

hours of animation fell from 1,252 (1996) to 985 hours in 1997. 

■ Between 1997-2000, BBC1’s animation output continued to decline from 251 to 210 

hours, picking up again in 2001 to 252 hours. 

■ Over the same period, ITV1’s supply has remained fairly consistent. As BBC2 has 

strengthened its position as the key terrestrial provider of children’s television, so has its 

role as the supplier of animation expanded, with output increasing from 253 hours in 

1997 to 437 hours in 2001. 

■ Although it was the move away from animation on BBC1 that led to the fall in 

provision across the terrestrial networks in 1997, the total hours devoted to this genre 

on BBC channels (1 and 2) increased marginally from 682 hours in 1996 to 689 hours 

in 2001. 

■ Animated output on GMTV increased from 91 hours in 1997 to a high of 170 in 

2000 - a rise of 87%, falling back in 2001 to 127 hours (a decrease of 25%). 


Children’s light entertainment 

Hours devoted to children’s light entertainment on terrestrial channels 

Hours 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 460 733 748 599 644 678 



■ Time devoted to children’s light entertainment peaked at 748 hours in 1998. 

■ BBC1’s provision steadily increased between 1996-2001 from 130 hours to 233 hours – 

over the same period BBC2’s role weakened. 

■ GMTV has consistently been a principal provider of this programming, with 196 hours 

dedicated to the genre in 2001. 

■ ITV1’s supply has remained stable over time with between 40-55 hours of light 

entertainment output. 

■ During its first two years Five showed on average 190 hours per year of comedy 

programmes, games shows etc. targeted at children, but since then has cut output to 

89 hours (2001). 

28 

What Children Watch

Pre-school 

Hours devoted to children’s pre-school on terrestrial channels 

Hours 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 535 904 1,253 1,084 1,043 1,158 



■ 

As a result of increased supply from BBC2, Channel 4 and Five, the total hours of preschool 

programming on terrestrial channels more than doubled from 535 hours in 1996 

to 1,253 hours in 1998. This peak was followed by a dip between 1999-2000, and 

increased supply on BBC2 and Five again led to a rise in pre-school programming 

in 2001. 



The 1997 BSC study did not include analysis of the output by genre across the 

numerous non-terrestrial channels dedicated to children’s programming. The growth in 

the impact of these channels on viewing habits has meant this should now be a key 

component of our study. 

Children’s Drama 

Total hours of children’s drama on children’s channels 

Hours 

4,500 

4,000 

3,500 

3,000 

2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

500 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 2,133 1,928 2,872 3,911 4,329 3,061 




■ 

Between 1996-2000, the total provision of drama programming on non-terrestrial 

channels doubled, from 2,133 to 4,329 hours as a result of increased supply from established 

channels such as Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and Fox Kids, as well as Trouble, 

launched in 1998. However, in 2001, drama output was slashed, falling to 3,061 hours 

(a decrease of 29%) as each of the dominant players moved away from this genre. 

30 

What Children Watch

Children’s factual 

Total hours of children’s factual on children’s channels 

Hours 

450 

400 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 106 283 109 265 339 398 




■ 

■ 

The Children’s Channel played a major role in the provision of factual programming on 

non-terrestrial channels, broadcasting 273 hours in 1997 - however, the majority of this 

was accounted for by only one programme, Art Attack. 

Although there has been an upward trend in the time devoted to factual programming, 

total output across the children’s channels in 2001 amounted to 398 hours. The Disney 

Channel is now the most significant, supplying three-quarters of the output. 


Children’s animation 

Total hours of children’s animation on children’s channels 

Hours 

30,000 

25,000 

20,000 

15,000 

10,000 

5,000 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 6,339 13,013 11,324 10,326 18,258 24,679 




■ 

■ 

■ 

Over the past six years, the amount of animation shown across the dedicated channels has 

quadrupled from 6,339 hours to 24,679 hours, with all channels except Trouble 

screening these programmes. The first significant jump in the provision of animation 

was seen in 1997 in this analysis and was associated with the launch of Cartoon 

Network (supplying 4,508 hours of animation in 1997) and Fox Kids. 

Between 1997-1999, time devoted to animation declined steadily from 13,013 hours 

to 10,326 hours as a result of the closure of TCC and a marginal decline in supply 

on Nickelodeon. 

In 2000-2001, the next notable leap in hours of animation on the dedicated channels 

was associated with increased supply from the Cartoon Network and the launch of 

Boomerang, Nick Jr, Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney, channels targeted specifically at 

the very young. 

32 

What Children Watch

Children’s light entertainment 

Total hours of children’s light entertainment on children’s channels 

Hours 

2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

500 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Hours 1,101 1,316 845 1,246 1,810 2,307 




■ 

There has been a strong upward trend in light entertainment programming across 

non-terrestrial channels, with output growing almost three-fold from 845 hours (1998) 

to 2,307 hours in 2001. With only a handful of channels supplying this type of 

programming, growth has predominantly been as a result of increased emphasis on 

Trouble and Nickelodeon, as well as the launch of Toon Disney. 


Pre-school 

Total hours of children’s pre-school on children’s channels 

Hours 

2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

500 

0 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

556 550 682 585 1,250 2,086 




■ 

Between 1997 and 1999, there were only two key channels, Nickelodeon and the Disney 

Channel, catering for the needs of very young viewers. However, the launch of channels 

devoted specifically to these viewers resulted in total output increasing from 585 hours 

in 1999 to 2,086 hours in 2001. Nickelodeon’s pre-school programming was transferred 

to Nick Jr, now the most significant channel across this genre, and the Disney Channel 

also reduced its provision when Playhouse Disney was launched in 2000. 

34 

What Children Watch

7 Genre analysis by channel 

This section investigates the range of programming supplied by each channel. The total 

time dedicated to children has been divided into the five genre classifications as defined 

by BARB (children’s drama, factual, animation, light entertainment and pre-school) to 

illustrate the mix of programming across each of the terrestrial channels and a range of 

non-terrestrial channels. The figures in the following charts are based on the proportion of 

the total children’s broadcasting hours dedicated to each genre across each channel between 

1996-2001. 


Children’s programming by genre: total terrestrial 

1996 3,494 

1997 3,986 

1998 4,517 

1999 4,417 

2000 4,517 

2001 4,652 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

■ 

■ 

Although BBC1 dedicated a greater proportion of its schedule to drama, overall drama 

provision has remained fairly static at around 14% of the schedule. Factual 

programming fell from 23% in 1996 to 18% in 2001 - much of which was driven by 

the decline on BBC2, although it continues to be the main provider of such 

programming along with Channel 4 (schools programming). 

As a result of BBC1 and Channel 4’s move away from animation, the overall proportion 

of children’s programming represented by this genre fell from 36% in 1996 to 25% in 

1997, but picked up slightly as a result of Five’s launch in 1997. In 2001, BBC1 

provided marginally less than the average with 28% of its schedule made up of 

cartoons, whereas BBC2 (34%), GMTV (35%), ITV1 (49%) and Five (32%) all devoted 

more than a third of total children’s time to the genre. 

BBC1 and GMTV are the key terrestrial channels providing children’s light 

entertainment. The proportion of children’s programmes on the main networks 

represented by game shows, comedy shows etc fluctuated between 13%-18%. 


■ 

■ 

■ 

Pre-school offerings increased from 15% in 1996 to a peak of 28% of the total 

provision in 1998. In 2001, a quarter of the time devoted to children across the five 

main networks consisted of programmes targeted at the very young - both Channel 4 

and Five are particularly strong in this area. 

Considerable gaps have appeared in the range of programmes offered by ITV1 and 

BBC1. BBC1 has widened the diversity of its programming, with more pre-school and light 

entertainment as emphasis has moved away from animation on the channel, although - with 

BBC2 - the total hours devoted to this genre have, in fact, increased slightly. 

ITV1 has continued to rely heavily on animation. 

BBC1 

Children’s programming by genre: BBC1 

Hours 

1996 832 

1997 767 

1998 795 

1999 858 

2000 870 

2001 889 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

As noted in the 1997 report, drama on BBC1 continued to fluctuate, with a 

low of 14% (1996) and a high of 24% (1999). 

Similarly, the proportion of children’s television devoted to factual programming, such as 

Blue Peter, Newsround and The Really Wild Show, varied between 14%-18%. 

The 1997 study highlighted a steady upward trend in animation as a share of the 

children’s schedule between 1992-1996. However, the more recent data suggest this 

trend has reversed, with animation accounting for 28% of the schedule in 2001, 

compared with half (49%) of the schedule in 1996. 

As a result of the decline in animated programmes, provision of light entertainment 

increased from 16% of the 1996 schedule to 26% in 2001 with the introduction of 

shows such as Keenan and Kel and Steps to the Stars. 

The downward trend in pre-school programming seen between 1992-1996 also reversed 

with 14% of BBC1’s children’s schedule in 2001 dedicated to this genre, including 

programmes such as Teletubbies, Tweenies and Bill and Ben. 

36 

What Children Watch

BBC2 

Children’s programming by genre: BBC2 

Hours 

1996 923 

1997 930 

1998 1,041 

1999 1,057 

2000 1,176 

2001 1,288 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

Drama programmes represented 15% of BBC2’s schedule in 1996. This share fell to a 

low of 7% in 1999, picking up again in 2001-2002 with the launch of programmes such 

as Maid Marion and Her Merry Men as well as re-runs of Byker Grove on Sunday 

mornings. 

With programmes such as Record Breakers, The Really Wild Show and Take Two, 

factual was the dominant genre in 1996, but has since been in decline, representing a 

quarter of the 2001 schedule, despite the fact that schools programming forms part of 

the total output. 

Over this period, animation replaced factual as the dominant feature of BBC2’s 

children’s line-up, accounting for a third of total provision. 

Pre-school programming increased from 14% in 1996 to 20% in 1997 when the 

Teletubbies phenomenon began, and since then, has varied between 20%-23% of the 

total children’s broadcasting hours on BBC2. 


GMTV 6 

Children’s programming by genre: GMTV 

Hours 

1996 280 

1997 320 

1998 352 

1999 348 

2000 386 

2001 366 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

Three key genres, animation, light entertainment and pre-school dominate 

GMTV’s schedule. 

There is no licensing requirement on GMTV to provide any drama output. 

In 1997, there was a decline in the proportion of total time devoted to animation, 

falling from 38% of the schedule in 1996 to 28% in 1997. During this period, 

pre-school programming increased, accounting for 15% of output. 

However, in 1998, emphasis moved away from light entertainment, back to animation 

and increasingly towards pre-school. The split in provision remained stable between 

1998-2000 - in 2001, there was a return to a similar divide in output as seen in 1997. 

6 GMTV was not considered separately in the 1997 study. 

38 

What Children Watch

ITV1 

Children’s programming by genre: ITV1 

Hours 

1996 460 

1997 409 

1998 386 

1999 406 

2000 448 

2001 430 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

■ 

■ 

The overall picture on ITV1 has changed little over the past six years. Animation continues 

to be by far the most prevalent genre of programming, representing half of the schedule 

in 2001. As a result of the increase in animated programming, pre-school material has 

been in decline since 1998. The proportion of ITV1’s schedule dedicated to drama has 

fluctuated between 20%-26%. 

In comparison with the BBC channels, factual programming continues to play a 

relatively small role, with only 7% of the schedule devoted to a handful of programmes 

such as Art Attack, How II and Brilliant Creatures in 2001. 

The share of total time devoted to children’s light entertainment has varied 

between 10-13%. 


Channel 4 

Children’s programming by genre: Channel 4 

Hours 

1996 1,000 

1997 989 

1998 1,109 

1999 1,041 

2000 956 

2001 835 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

■ 

■ 

Programming within the factual genre, much of which is accounted for by schools 

programming, and the pre-school genre such as Sesame Street and The Hoobs dominate 

Channel 4’s schedule for children. 

In 1996, animation accounted for 27% of the total schedule. Over the years, however, as 

emphasis has moved towards early morning pre-school programming, this genre has 

been in decline, representing only 9% of provision in 2001. 

It is important to note here that some of Channel 4’s most popular shows targeted at 

young viewers during dedicated slots such as T4 are not classified as children’s shows. 

Examples of this include: 

■ 

■ 

■ 

Boy Meets World: light entertainment - sitcom US 

Malibu: drama serials non-UK 

Sister, Sister: light entertainment - sitcom US 

40 

What Children Watch

Five 

Children’s programming by genre: Five 

Hours 

1996 

1997 552 

1998 834 

1999 710 

2000 682 

2001 845 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ Five’s mix of children’s programming has varied significantly since its launch in 1997. 

■ Light entertainment has been on the decline since 1997, accounting for only 11% of total 

time in 2002, compared with a third of the schedule in its launch year. Figures suggest this 

genre has been cannibalised by animation as the proportion of the schedule dedicated to 

such programming has moved steadily upwards from 10% to 32% in 2001. 

■ Pre-school programming has consistently represented a large proportion of Five’s 

children’s provision, ranging from 30% in 2000 to a high of 44% in 1998. 


Dedicated children’s channels 

Before analysing the mix of programming available on the dedicated children’s channels, it is 

useful to study the profile of each. The chart below looks at the age and gender profile of these 

services and illustrates the way in which each channel serves notably different audiences. 

Boomerang, Nick Jr, the Cartoon Network, Fox Kids, CBeebies and Playhouse Disney are all 

biased towards the younger four to nine year old viewers, whereas Trouble is more specifically 

targeted at young teenagers. Audiences of the most established channels, Nickelodeon and the 

Disney Channel, are more evenly balanced both by age and gender. 

Channel profile, multichannel homes, 2002 

Nick Jr 

CBeebies 

Playhouse Disney 

Boomerang 

Cartoon Network 

Fox Kids 

CBBC 

Toon Disney 

Disney Channel 

Nickelodeon 

Trouble 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 

■ Boys 4-9 ■ Boys 10-15 ■ Girls 4-9 ■ Girls 10-15 


Base: Children in multichannel homes. 

42 

What Children Watch


Children’s programming by genre: dedicated channels 

Hours 

1996 10,236 

1997 17,093 

1998 15,833 

1999 16,334 

2000 25,985 

2001 32,531 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ The chart above represents the split by genre of the combined provision across the 

dedicated children’s channels. It highlights once again the overwhelming dominance of 

animation, which represents 76% of total time in 2001, compared with 30% on 

terrestrial channels. 

■ Although the proportion of time devoted to drama peaked at a high of 24% in 1999, 

driven in the main by Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and Fox Kids, this genre 

represented only 9% of the line-up in 2001 (versus 13% on terrestrial channels). 

■ As a proportion of children’s programming available, factual programming is virtually 

non-existent. In comparison, this genre represents 18% of programming across the 

terrestrial networks, albeit they are transmitting for a shorter period of time. 


TCC 

Children’s programming by genre: TCC 

Hours 

1996 2,775 

1997 2,621 

1998 658 

1999 

2000 

2001 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ In 1996, more than a third of the TCC schedule was represented by animation (38%), 

with a similar proportion of the time devoted to drama programming (36%). However 

from 1997, until the close of the channel in April 1998, emphasis shifted to cartoons, 

accounting for more than three-quarters of the channel’s output. Factual programming 

increased as a proportion of the schedule from 3% in 1996 to 10% in 1997 but, 

as with light entertainment and pre-school material, the supply of this genre 

diminished in 1998. 

44 

What Children Watch

Trouble 

Children’s programming by genre: Trouble 

Hours 

1996 

1997 

1998 636 

1999 1,721 

2000 1,922 

2001 1,276 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

Trouble was launched in 1998, and viewing data are available on the BARB panel from 

September 1998. Targeted at the teenage market, data illustrates the channel’s reliance 

on drama and light entertainment programming. In its first full year of transmission, 

63% of the schedule was represented by drama programmes such as USA High, Sweet 

Valley High and California Dreams. Over the years there has been a downward trend in 

provision of these programmes, substituted by light entertainment programmes including 

Saved by the Bell and Planet Pop. 


Nickelodeon 

Children’s programming by genre: Nickelodeon 

Hours 

1996 3,312 

1997 3,728 

1998 3,726 

1999 3,728 

2000 3,950 

2001 4,116 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

Nickelodeon continues to depend heavily on animation, which represents more than half 

of its total output. The share of its schedule devoted to cartoons declined from 67% in 

1996 to 50% in 2000, picking up again in 2001 (58%). During this downward trend 

between 1997-2000, animation was substituted by drama programmes such as Two of a 

Kind, Animorphs and Driven Crazy, which increased as a proportion of the schedule 

from 17% to 37%. However, in 2001, the increase in animation combined with the 

growth in children’s light entertainment led to a fall in drama provision. Factual 

programming fails to represent a significant amount of the channel’s output, with the 

provision in pre-school programming also disappearing over the years. 

46 

What Children Watch

Nick Jr 

Children’s programming by genre: Nick Jr 

Hours 

1996 

1997 

1998 

1999 400 

2000 3,392 

2001 3,712 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

Nickelodeon’s diminishing provision of pre-school programming since 1999 was 

compensated for by the launch of Nick Jr, targeted specifically at the younger end of the 

children’s audience. The channel was launched in 1999, and data are available on the 

BARB panel from September 1999. Again, there is heavy reliance on animation, 

representing more than 60% of the schedule. The remainder is represented by drama 

(11%) and pre-school programming such as Mr Men and Little Miss, Sesame Street and 

PB Bear and Friends. 



Children’s programming by genre: Cartoon Network 

Hours 

1996 759 

1997 4,600 

1998 4,673 

1999 4,781 

2000 6,403 

2001 5,408 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

Predictably, there is little variation in the programming on the Cartoon Network, with 

the schedule consisting almost entirely of animation. However, once again, the 

drawbacks to the use of BARB data are highlighted with many of the animation 

programmes classified as ‘light entertainment-animation cartoons’ including Dino and 

Cavemouse, Flintstones and Ed, Edd and Eddy. This results in some of the programmes 

shown on the channel being excluded from the analysis. 

48 

What Children Watch

The Disney Channel 

Children’s programming by genre: Disney Channel 

Hours 

1996 2,603 

1997 2,428 

1998 3,046 

1999 2,888 

2000 2,725 

2001 2,610 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

In comparison to other non-terrestrial services, the Disney Channel appears to provide a 

more diverse schedule. Although animated programmes continue to dominate, its share 

of the channel’s total provision dropped from 67% in 1996 to 53% in 2001 as 

a result of the move towards children’s drama (including LA7, Miami 7 and Sweet 

Valley High) which represented a quarter of the 2001 line-up. Factual programming has 

steadily become a more significant part of the schedule, represented by programmes such 

as How Things Work, Art Attack and Bug Juice. 


Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney 

Children’s programming by genre: Toon Disney 

Hours 

1996 

1997 

1998 

1999 

2000 958 

2001 4,770 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



Children’s programming by genre: Playhouse Disney 

Hours 

1996 

1997 

1998 

1999 

2000 660 

2001 2,625 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

The steady decline away from animation and pre-school on the Disney Channel may be 

associated with the launch of Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney in 2000. Although 

animation programmes represent the majority of the schedule on both channels, 15% of 

the output on Toon Disney is light entertainment, and a quarter of the total transmission 

time on Playhouse Disney is dedicated to pre-school. This may help to explain the 

difference in the age profile of the two spin-off channels. 

50 

What Children Watch

Fox Kids 

Children’s programming by genre: Fox Kids 

Hours 

1996 787 

1997 3,716 

1998 3,094 

1999 2,816 

2000 3,203 

2001 3,557 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

Fox Kids was launched in 1996 - data for the channel are available from October of 

that year. Its bias towards a relatively young audience (aged four to nine years) may be 

explained by the fact that more than 80% of its programming provision in 2001 

consisted of cartoons. Between 1997-1999, there was a steady move away from animation 

in favour of children’s drama (representing 37% of the schedule in 1999), including 

Fantastic Four and Grimm’s Fairy Tales, but since then emphasis has once again returned to 

animated programming. There is little provision of factual, light entertainment or pre-school 

programming. 

What Children Watch 

51

Boomerang 

Children’s programming by genre: Boomerang 

Hours 

1996 

1997 

1998 

1999 

2000 2,773 

2001 4,458 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



■ 

Viewing figures for Boomerang are available from May 2000. The range in 

programming on this channel is similar to that seen on the Cartoon Network. In 2001, 

cartoons represented 99% of the schedule - the remaining 1% was accounted for by 

some light entertainment programming. 

52 

What Children Watch

CBeebies and CBBC 

Children’s programming by genre: BBC channels, February-December 2002 

Hours 

CBeebies 3,344 

CBBC 2,609 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 

■ Drama ■ Factual ■ Animation ■ Light entertainment ■ Pre-school ■ Miscellaneous 


■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

Although the report does not look in detail at programming provision in 2002, the 

impact CBBC and CBeebies have made since launch (page 60, Audience Share by 

Channel) suggests some reference needs to be made to the range of programming 

provided by the two new BBC channels. 

The chart above looks at the proportion of children’s programming output dedicated 

to each genre on the two channels based on 11 months of data since launch in February 

2002. 

As the profile of the two channels suggests (page 42) target audiences are notably 

different. With pre-school programming representing more than 50% of its output, 

CBeebies caters for younger children - 90% of its audience is aged between four and 

nine years. Cartoons account for 15% of the schedule, and both drama and light 

entertainment programming represent 10% of output. 

In comparison, CBBC targets a wider range of viewers and this is reflected in the range 

of programming provided. Although the channel does not offer any pre-school 

programming (supplied in the main by CBeebies), 37% of its output in 2002 was 

represented by factual programming, including Newsround and Xchange during the 

morning segment. Animation (27% of output) and drama (13%) provision is 

concentrated during the afternoon slot. 


54 

What Children Watch

8 Children’s viewing habits 

Children’s total viewing 

According to BARB figures, the average individual in the United Kingdom in 2002 watched 

3 hours 34 minutes of television each day. Viewing among children aged 4-15 is considerably 

lower, at an average of 2 hours 23 minutes per day. There are, however, significant differences 

in the viewing habits of those in multichannel homes compared with those receiving the five 

terrestrial channels. Children in multichannel homes watch on average 35 minutes more per day 

(2 hours 27 minutes) than those in analogue terrestrial homes watching only 1 hour 52 minutes 

per day. Figures on children’s viewing suggest a similar amount of time (approximately 30 

minutes) is spent watching children’s programming. Therefore the difference in total viewing 

between analogue terrestrial and multichannel children must be accounted for by other genres 

such as drama, films and music. 

Non-terrestrial channels account for over a third of children’s viewing, compared with only 

22% of viewing by the average individual. Both ITV1 and BBC1 combined represent 41% 

of viewing, compared with 50% of viewing by individuals. BBC2, as the most dominant 

provider of children’s material across the five main networks, maintains its audience share 

among viewers aged 4-15 years (11%). The popularity of BBC2 is further demonstrated in 

terrestrial homes where the channel makes up 16% of viewing by individuals and 22% of 

children’s viewing. More significantly, over half of all viewing by children in multichannel 

homes is of channels other than the main networks, compared with 42% of viewing by 

individuals in these homes. BBC2’s share falls to 6% in multichannel homes, as children turn 

to the niche children’s channels. ITV1 and BBC1 account for 32% of children’s viewing. 

Within multichannel homes, viewing by children of the main networks has decreased by 

20% from an average of 1 hour 25 minutes/day in 1997 to 1 hour 8 minutes/day in 2002. 

Viewing by this audience of children’s programmes on the terrestrial channels has decreased 

by a greater amount: from 12 minutes per day in 1997 to 8 minutes in 2002 - a fall of 33%. 

Audience share by channel: individuals vs children, 2002 

All individuals 

All children 

Terrestrial individuals 

Terrestrial children 

Multichannel individuals 

Multichannel children 

■ BBC1 ■ BBC2 ■ ITV1 ■ C4 ■ Five ■ Others 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 



The chart above shows how total children’s viewing is divided between channels across TV 

household type in comparison with the average individual. 

Average TVR by quarter hour, children 

30 

25 

All children 



20 

Average TVR 

15 

10 

5 

0 

0600 - 0615 

0645 - 0700 

0730 - 0745 

0815 - 0830 

0900 - 0915 

0945 - 1000 

1030 - 1045 

1115 - 1130 

1200 - 1215 

1245 - 1300 

1330 - 1345 

1415 - 1430 

1500 - 1515 

1545 - 1600 

1630 - 1645 

1715 - 1730 

1800 - 1815 

1845 - 1900 

1930 - 1945 

2015 - 2030 

2100 - 2115 

2145 - 2200 

2230 - 2245 

2315 - 2330 

Quarter hour 

Source: BARB, Monday-Sunday (2002) 

The graph above illustrates children’s viewing patterns throughout the day. The first peak of 

the day occurs during the breakfast time slot and peters out after 0900. The second peak 

starts at 1530 as audiences return home from school, representing the start of the evening’s 

viewing which reaches a pinnacle between 1945-2000 when 26% of children are watching 

(2.4 million children). Children are watching, in significant numbers, programmes that fall 

outside the children’s programming genre. After this time, there is a steady decline in 

audiences although even after the Watershed a significant proportion of this group continues 

to watch television. The data suggest 18.79% of all children are watching between 2100- 

2230, rising to 19.5% of those in multichannel homes. Viewing during this segment is also 

higher among older children with 23.8% of 10-15 years old watching compared with 

13.5% of four to nine year olds. 

56 

What Children Watch

As the table below shows, the top television programmes, across the entire children’s 

audience in 2002, were…. 

Top programmes (all children) 2002 

Programme Genre Channel 000s Viewers 

EastEnders Drama: soap operas UK BBC1 2,371 

Pop Idol Live Final Entertainment: family shows ITV1 2,218 

Only Fools and Horses Entertainment: situation comedy UK BBC1 2,087 

A Bug's Life Films: cinema US BBC1 1,942 

The Mummy Films: cinema US BBC1 1,919 

World Cup 2002: 

Argentina vs England Sport: football BBC1 1,910 

Coronation Street Drama: soaps UK ITV1 1,804 


England vs Denmark Sport: football BBC1 1,738 


England vs Nigeria Sport: football BBC1 1,733 


England vs Sweden Sport: football BBC1 1,696 

Source: BARB (Highest occurrence only) 


Viewing to children’s programmes 

Diversity in children’s viewing, 2002 



0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 

■ Drama ■ Factual ■ Animation ■ Light entertainment ■ Pre-school ■ Miscellaneous 

Viewing to children’s programming, 2002 

Average Minutes of Viewing Per Day Terrestrial Children Multichannel Children 

Total 30 29 

Drama 3.6 1.6 

Factual 5.2 1.6 

Animation 11.9 15.6 

Light entertainment 5.0 3.0 

Pre-school 3.8 4.6 

Miscellaneous 0.7 2.4 

Source: BARB Monday-Sunday 

Terrestrial Children: BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, Five 

Multichannel Children: BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, GMTV, Channel 4, Five, Boomerang, Cartoon Network Total, Disney 

Channel Total, Playhouse Disney, Toon Disney, Fox Kids Total, Nickelodeon Total, Nick Jr Trouble, CBBC, CBeebies 

The above graph and table illustrate the differences (by proportion of viewing time and in 

terms of actual minutes per day, respectively) in the viewing of children’s programmes 

between children in terrestrial households and those in multichannel homes. The graph 

shows how viewing in 2002 was split across the children’s genres. In multichannel homes, 

we look at total viewing of Nickelodeon, Fox Kids, Cartoon Network and the Disney 

Channel, taking into account viewing of the replay channels. 

Although children in multichannel homes have a wide range of children’s channels available, 

the amount of time spent watching programmes classified within the children’s genres stands 

at around 30 minutes per day - similar to the amount spent by children in terrestrial homes. 

58 

What Children Watch

Although children in multichannel homes have many more programmes to watch, the split 

in viewing by genre suggests that the domination of animation across dedicated channels 

influences their viewing choices. Animated programmes make up 39% of viewing by 

children with access to analogue terrestrial channels only - in comparison, more than half of 

all viewing of children’s programmes in multichannel homes was of animation (54%). Thus, 

while multichannel children have access to more programming, they are watching a less 

diverse range of children’s programmes than those living in terrestrial homes. In particular, 

faced with a wider choice of other programming, only 5% of the total viewing time in 

multichannel homes was spent watching factual material. 


Audience share by channel: multichannel children 

Boomerang 


Cartoon Network Total 

CBBC 

CBeebies 

Disney Channel 

Disney Channel Total 

Toon Disney 

Playhouse Disney 

Fox Kids 

Fox Kids Total 

Nick Jr 

Nickelodeon 

Nickelodeon Total 

Trouble 

■ 2000 ■ 2001 ■ 2002 


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7% 

60 

What Children Watch

With the influx of new channels over the years, the dedicated children’s channels have seen 

dramatic movements in audience share. The more established channels, Cartoon Network, 

Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, have all suffered from declining audience share. At 

the same time, new players such as Boomerang, the spin-off Disney Channels, Trouble and, 

more recently, the new BBC channels, CBBC and CBeebies, have made a notable impact on 

the long-running channels. 

Audience share by quarter hour, 2002 

Weekday viewing by children in multichannel homes 

80 

70 

60 

BBC1 

BBC2 

ITV1 

C4 

Five 

Other 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

0600 - 0615 

0645 - 0700 

0730 - 0745 

0815 - 0830 

0900 - 0915 

0945 - 1000 

1030 - 1045 

1115 - 1130 

1200 - 1215 

1245 - 1300 

1330 - 1345 

1415 - 1430 

1500 - 1515 

1545 - 1600 

1630 - 1645 

1715 - 1730 

1800 - 1815 

1845 - 1900 

1930 - 1945 

2015 - 2030 

2100 - 2115 

2145 - 2200 

2230 - 2245 

2315 - 2330 

2400 - 2415 

Share, % 

Source: BARB, Monday-Friday 

Channel performance throughout the day highlights some interesting trends in the viewing 

habits of multichannel children. Viewing of non-terrestrial channels is highest during the 

daytime segment between 0930-1530, when viewing of terrestrial channels is at its lowest. 

In the early morning (0600-0930) the terrestrial channels, in particular BBC2, perform 

relatively well, although it is clear that, as viewing of the non-terrestrial channels increases, 

these channels lose audiences. The fall in viewing of non-terrestrial channels and the 

increase in viewing of BBC1 and ITV1 between 1530-1730 demonstrates the continuing 

importance of the main networks in multichannel homes - this is also illustrated by the list 

of top-rating children’s programmes in these homes. Viewing of non-terrestrial channels dips 

during the evening as viewing of BBC1 and ITV1 increases, although audiences switch back 

to these channels after 2030. 


Top children's programmes, 2002 

Programme Genre Channel Viewers, proportion Viewers, 000s 

of children(%) 

All children 

Newsround Factual BBC1 10.9 1,007 

Smart on the road Factual BBC1 10.7 989 

All About Me Light Entertainment BBC1 10.6 976 

Christmas at Club Blue Peter Light Entertainment BBC1 10.4 958 

CBBC at the Fame Academy Light Entertainment BBC1 10.3 949 

Blue Peter Factual BBC1 9.9 915 

Grange Hill Drama BBC1 9.7 894 

Film: Snow White Animation CH4 9.7 893 

Viva S Club Drama BBC1 9.6 885 

Mona the Vampire Animation BBC1 9.4 865 


All About Me Light Entertainment BBC1 7.8 446 

Newsround Factual BBC1 6.7 385 

Bob the Builder Animation BBC1 6.2 355 

Stig of the Dump Drama BBC1 6.1 352 

Fingertips Factual ITV1 6.1 349 

Smart on the Road Factual BBC1 6.1 348 

Blue Peter Factual BBC1 6.0 346 

The Ghost Hunter Drama BBC1 6.0 343 

The Cramp Twins Animation BBC1 5.9 340 

The Story of Tracy Beaker Drama BBC1 5.7 330 

Source: BARB (highest occurrence only) 

62 

What Children Watch

9 New media 

Since the previous study conducted by the Broadcasting Standards Commission in 1997, 

Internet penetration has risen from 5% to 43% (The Public’s View 2002). Figures show 

penetration is skewed towards households with children - 49% of these households have 

access via a computer in the home. 

This, along with the technical development of games consoles and the growth of mobile 

‘phone penetration, has meant that today’s children are faced with more diverse media 

choices, both as a source of entertainment and of communication. These extra choices will 

undoubtedly lead to the fragmentation of children’s leisure time as they spend time away 

from the television, using their PCs, mobile phones or games consoles. 

Netvalue measures the usage of the Internet at home and is based on a panel of 7000 

households. In June 2002, the average child connected to the internet 10 times, spending 

28 minutes online during each session. Frequency of usage is marginally lower than among 

adults, who connect 17 times per month, but the average session for children is two minutes 

longer. Usage is highest on weekends, between 1800-2100 and after school, between 

1500-1800, whereas adult usage is heaviest between 1800-midnight. 

Figures suggest 52% of 7-16 year olds own a mobile phone, rising to 82% of 14-16 year 

olds (Source: NOP). As well as contributing significantly to the millions of SMS messages 

sent via mobile phones each day, children are heavy users of the Internet as a means of 

communication. They are more likely than the average Internet user to participate in instant 

messaging (38% of online children versus an average of 28% of the Internet population) 

and visit chat rooms (8% of online children versus an average of 5% of the Internet 

population), as shown below. 

Online activities: children vs all individuals 

Leisure/games 

Leisure/entertainment 

Media/television 

Instant messaging 

Chat 

■ Children 4-5 ■ All individuals 

Source: Netvalue, June 2002 

0 10 20 30 40 50% 


The chart highlights sectors that children have a strong affinity with compared with the 

average Internet user. Surfers aged 4-15 are more likely to visit sites categorised under the 

games (ea.com, gamesdomain.com, gamefaqs.com), entertainment (neopets.com, 

warnerbros.com, disney.com), instant messaging, and television (BBC, Channel 4, Cartoon 

Network, Nickelodeon etc) sectors. 

64 

What Children Watch

10 Changes since the 1997 study 

The analysis conducted in 1997 had been an update of a project, with similar objectives, 

conducted for the Broadcasting Standards Commission by Professor Blumler in 1992 7 . That 

study had considered the provision and range of children’s programming on the terrestrial 

channels between 1981 and 1991. There were significant methodological differences 

between the two studies, but broad trends and changes could be found. 

This analysis, of children’s programme provision in the five years to 2001, updates Professor 

Messenger Davies’s study, which had tracked changes from 1992 to 1996. Again, there are 

methodological differences. While Professor Messenger Davies had used BARB-based 

analysis tools, she also conducted desk research looking at issues such as origination of 

production. The analysis presented here is taken entirely from the BARB, industry-based 

measurement system. Despite these differences, an overview of trends in children’s 

programme provision can be taken, both in terms of time and variety of material. Data 

presented here offer a further analysis of the changes since 1991: 

1. Growth in children’s programme provision: measured by time 

■ The time devoted to children’s programming between 1991 and 1996 had risen 

considerably, due to more programming offered on BBC2, Channel 4 and, 

in particular, the introduction of the satellite and cable-delivered channels, devoted 

to children’s programming. 

■ 

The current analysis found a further increase. The introduction of Channel 5 (now 

Five) and an increase in children’s programming provision on BBC2 have 

contributed to this change. In addition, a number of new channels have been 

introduced for those in multichannel homes. These are either new services or 

channels which target particular age groups, having split from ‘host’ channels (e.g. 

from the Disney Channel stable have come two new channels, Toon Disney and 

Playhouse Disney). 8 

2. Change in children’s programme provision: daypart analysis 

■ The 1997 study had noted that the increase in children’s programming provision 

occurred primarily during the morning slot and weekends. 

■ 

This analysis of the years from 1996 showed that the increase on analogue terrestrial 

channels continued to be in the provision of children’s programming in the early 

morning or breakfast slot (0600-0929). 

■ 

There was little change in the late morning (0930 –1159) or after school 

(1530-1729) slots. 

■ 

Provision in the early afternoon slot (1200-1529) had fallen over this period. 

7 Blumler, J. G., The Future of Children’s Television in Britain: An Enquiry for the Broadcasting Standards Council, 1992. 

8 It needs to be borne in mind that two further BBC children’s channels were launched in 2002. 


3. Diversity in children’s programme provision 

■ Professor Messenger Davies’s study had shown that animation had become the dominant 

form of children’s programming on all channels, regardless of whether they were 

terrestrial or satellite or cable-delivered. While recognising that the general increase 

in this genre was driven by provision on the dedicated satellite and cable channels, 

the study was also able to show significant increases on the BBC and commercial 

terrestrial channels. 

■ 

■ 

■ 

The analysis of genres since Professor Messenger Davies’s study shows that 

animation is still the main genre within children’s output across all channels. 

However, the analyses do not differentiate between the styles of animation, which 

are varied, nor is any information available on country of origin. 

Three-quarters of the output on the dedicated channels falls within this category. 

BBC2 also increased its output of animated programming, as did Five and GMTV, 

the breakfast time commercial Channel 3 service. 

■ 

The 1997 study had shown that, despite the increased concentration on animation in all 

the schedules, the provision of drama on the BBC channels had remained stable, while 

Channel 4 had increased its provision. The analysis had also shown an arrest in the 

decline of time devoted to the drama genre on ITV1. 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

The analysis of output since then confirms that drama provision has continued to 

increase, albeit slowly, with Five making a significant contribution to this genre, 

especially around 1999. This peak in provision on the channel appears to have fallen 

back in the past two years (to 2001). 

BBC1 also made a significant contribution to this genre, but the level of output has 

decreased since 1999, with BBC2 taking an increasing share. 

Provision on ITV1 has remained constant. 

While there had been growth in this genre across the period sampled on the 

dedicated satellite- and cable-delivered channels, a sharp decline was noted in 2001, 

and the output will have to be tracked to see what is happening. 

■ 

BBC1 was noted to be the main home of factual programming in the 1997 study, with 

provision on BBC2 overtaking it in the last year considered (1996). While Channel 4 

was noted to be increasing its minutage across the sample period to 1996, the genre was 

considered to be declining across all the schedules. 

66 

What Children Watch

■ 

■ 

In this analysis to 2001, the dedicated channels offered virtually no factual 

programming, while Channel 4’s dominance continued. This is due primarily to the 

fact that schools programming, a significant proportion of Channel 4’s output, is 

classified by BARB as factual. 

BBC2 is another key provider of factual programming (including schools 

programming) while the other commercial analogue terrestrial services continue to 

show a decline in provision in this area. 

■ 

Light entertainment programming on ITV1 was high in the 1997 study and represented a 

far greater share of its schedule than BBC1. By 1996, this genre on BBC2 was beginning 

to match the levels on BBC1. 

■ Comparative data, to 2001, showed there was some provision of light entertainment 

on the dedicated children’s channels, based around a few channels. Output had 

grown almost threefold across the period monitored. 

■ BBC1 led BBC2 in this area within the sample period. 

■ ITV1's output remained stable while there was some decline noted in Five’s 

provision 

in this area. 

■ This genre was the main constituent of children’s programming for GMTV. 

■ 

Both Professor Blumler and Professor Messenger Davies referred to the importance of 

‘the provision of pre-school programmes as a separate indicator of a broadcasting 

organisation’s commitment to children as a unique and different audience’. There was, 

however, a decline noted in this category on both Channel 4 and BBC1, as the latter 

shifted programmes to BBC2. 

■ 

■ 

■ 

The analysis of the years from 1996 to 2001 suggested fluctuating provision of 

programming aimed at the pre-school audience on analogue terrestrial television, 

with a dip in provision corrected by 2001. 

Much of the increase in provision in the last year surveyed came from Five. 

On the dedicated channels, the increased targeting of age groups meant that 

pre-school provision increased dramatically, with both Nickelodeon and the Disney 

Channel creating formats designed exclusively for this audience. 


68 

What Children Watch

Section 2 

The opinions of children and parents 

about children’s programming provision 

Background 

The study carried out previously by Professor Messenger Davies included interviews with 

professionals, but not children themselves. This latest study, as well as providing an update 

of the actual amount and range of children’s programming available, includes qualitative 

research with both children and some parents to find out their respective expectations of 

children’s programming and whether these are being met. 

Qualitative research is useful for telling us something about the story behind the viewing 

figures. It does not provide statistics, but offers an insight into the views and opinions held 

by audiences. It helps to answer questions such as: what do children think about what they 

watch? How do they select the programmes they see, and how has multichannel television 

changed their viewing habits? What are parents’ concerns with current output, and are these 

different from children’s concerns? Are children happy with the range and diversity of 

programming aimed specifically at them? How are children using the electronic programme 

guide (EPG), and what effect has it had on their viewing habits? 

Focus groups and trio depth interviews were carried out with a range of children aged 

6 - 12 years, along with some family observations and discussion groups with parents. 9 This 

research provides an understanding of the importance of children’s television to children, 

both on terrestrial and digital channels. 

Objectives 

The key objective for this part of the project was to understand both children’s and parents’ 

responses to current children’s programming in the United Kingdom, in the context of the 

growth of multichannel access and digital television and its associated interactive services. 

More specifically, the research aimed to look at: 

■ the differences between multichannel and terrestrial-only homes, both in terms of their 

demands, and perceptions of what they get, from the children’s genre; 

■ the impact of scheduling and of the electronic programme guide (EPG) on viewing; 

■ audience responses to ‘traditional’ quality measures; 

■ attitudes towards merchandise-based programming; 

■ opinions about the origination of programmes. 

9 See Appendices 1 and 2 for details of methodology and sample. 


70 

What Children Watch

11 The role of television 

The work of Professor Livingstone and Moira Bovill (2001) 10 found that the importance of 

television to young people and children is very clear. It is the most pervasive medium in 

European homes and the one children spend most time with by far. Out of a list of 16 

media, both boys and girls in the majority of the 12 European countries surveyed named 

television as the medium they would miss most. This finding was particularly true for 

British children, emphasising the United Kindom’s strong screen entertainment culture. UK 

children have one of the highest levels of personal ownership of television sets in Europe. 

Uniquely, they are as likely to have a television set in their bedroom as they are to have a 

shelf of books. 

Livingstone and Bovill set out to look at the role of the media and how they shape, as well as 

are shaped by, children’s and young people’s identity and culture, and their relations with 

family, peers, school and community. The framework for their study was initially conceived as 

a follow-up to Himmelweit et al’s 1958 postwar study, Television and the Child. 11 Despite the 

dramatic technological changes over the decades since this original study, in many respects 

children’s lives are as they were 20 or even 40 years ago. ‘Children grow up, watch television, 

ride their bikes, argue with their parents, study hard, or become disaffected with school, just 

as they always did... Then, just as we find today, children prefer to play outside with their 

friends than use the media, mainly watching television to relieve boredom.’ 

This new, much smaller scale qualitative research shows a high degree of continuity with 

previous studies. The findings reinforce the continued importance of television viewing 

within the context of children’s busy lives, but also show that, regardless of the increased 

access to new media, additional television channels etc, children continue to enjoy doing 

many of the things that they have always enjoyed doing. The research took place over the 

summer months when most children said that their favourite thing to do was to play outside 

with their friends. Parents encourage their children to be outside if the weather is good, 

although there are concerns for their children’s personal safety. 

There are well-documented differences in media use between the genders. In this study, the 

boys were found to enjoy computer games and games consoles - PlayStation 2 was still a 

firm favourite. The girls were more likely to read on occasions, although this was not a 

popular activity for the majority, and to listen to music. 

In general, however, television is very much the main leisure activity in the home. Most of 

the children in the study could not imagine life without television. They were asked what 

they would do if their television was taken away: 

‘I wouldn’t be able to live without my TV.’ 

(Girl, aged 9, Manchester) 

‘I would be really disappointed if I didn’t have TV anymore.’ 

(Boy, aged 8, London) 

10 Livingstone, S. and Bovill, M., Children and Their Changing Media Environment A European Comparative Study, 2001. 

11 Himmelweit, H. T., Oppenheim, A. N. and Vince, P., Television And The Child, 1958. 


‘Life without TV... no way!’ 

(Girl, aged 8, Birmingham) 

‘I would be really angry if I didn’t have TV to watch. What would I do?’ 

(Girl, aged 11, London) 

The light bulb effect 

Just like a light bulb, the television is always on. It tends to be put on first thing in the morning 

when the household wakes up, and it is often still on last thing at night. One father said: 

‘I switch it off when I go to bed at night - I’m usually the last one awake - and the kids 

turn it on in the morning.’ 

(Father, London) 

The television is almost like a member of the family in its own right. And it is continually 

evolving, especially in multichannel homes where there are new channels and programmes 

on offer all the time. In these homes, children find it almost impossible to turn it off 

because there is always something to watch. BARB data show that children in multichannel 

homes are watching 35 minutes more per day (four hours a week) than children in 

terrestrial homes. 

In many households, the television stays on even when no one is in. Parents in these 

households see it as a burglar deterrent. It also stays on while mothers are getting on with 

their household chores. They like to have some background noise in the house, so they just 

leave it on even if they are not watching it. 

Equipment in the home 

Virtually every home these days contains more than one television set, and the number of 

sets per household in the United Kingdom is increasing. Nowadays, particularly in homes 

with children, there is practically a television set in every room in the house. Some families 

who took part in this research were found to have as many as six or seven televisions in the 

home. The bathroom seems to be the only room that does not contain a television, although 

one family admitted that they did have a small portable that on occasions found its way 

into the bathroom. Television sets were usually located in: 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

the living room 

parents’ bedroom 

the kitchen 

all the children’s bedrooms 

TV room/play room 

It is not uncommon for all the televisions in the house to be on at the same time. 

72 

What Children Watch

Access to multichannel television 

Normally only one of the television sets in the home has multichannel access on it, however, 

and this is usually the main set. In some homes, there is the ability to watch these additional 

channels one other set, but this television is still controlled via the main set. This main set is 

the one family members fight for control of, with the exception of mothers who rarely 

becomes involved in debates over viewing. As long as they have access to soap operas on the 

main set, most mothers are happy. 

TVs in bedrooms 

Many children aged nine and over have a television in their bedroom. It is usually a handme-down 

or they have been given it as a birthday or Christmas present. Most children are 

now being bought a combined television/video. Parents have an issue about televisions in 

bedrooms if they have younger children (under nines), or are first-time mothers. They often 

feel uncomfortable admitting that their child has a television in his/her bedroom. They feel 

they have to justify it in some way and will say that it helps their child to get to sleep or 

that it is just there for the PlayStation, or that there is no aerial because it is only used for 

watching videos. 

The VCR 

The video recorder still plays an important role in children’s lives. All children have a video 

collection and regularly watch videos, especially younger children. Mothers of younger 

children like the control this offers - they appreciate the reassurance of knowing exactly 

what their children are watching. Watching films on video is an activity which many 

families enjoy together. Perhaps this contributes to the fact that many children are watching 

films targeted at a much older age group. Most of the children who took part in this 

research had seen films with certificate ratings of 12 and 15. Parents are less concerned 

about their children watching these kinds of films if they are around to check up or to 

watch with them. 


74 

What Children Watch

12 When, where and how 

are children watching? 

When and where? 

To a large extent, children are watching when they want. Most children are 

watching television: 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

in the morning before school 

as soon as they get home from school 

some during dinner 

while doing their homework 

weekend mornings 

weekend evenings 

Although some parents do try to control the amount of television their children watch, in 

reality there seems to be very little ‘policing’. 

Mornings before school 

Since 1996, there has been a significant growth (over 120%) in the provision of children’s 

programming on the terrestrial channels during the breakfast slot (0600-0929), particularly 

on the BBC channels, Five and Channel 4. In line with this, and coupled with the 

availability of children’s programmes on the dedicated channels, most children are watching 

television in the morning before school. Parents and children give a number of different 

reasons for this ‘morning fix’. Some children say that having background noise helps wake 

them up. Parents say it helps kto eep them occupied until they themselves get up. Children 

watch television while having their breakfast and just before they leave for school. It fills in 

time if they are waiting for friends to collect them en route. Some say their parents offer 

them the chance to watch television as a reward for getting ready for school. 

There are some households where television is not allowed in the morning as ‘it gets in the 

way’, but these families are very much in the minority. 

Afternoons after school 

Viewing patterns show that the second peak for the child audience occurs at 1530 (Page 56 

of this report). Putting the television on is almost like a reflex action. Children arrive home 

from school, and often the first thing they do is to put the television on. They immediately 

want to know what is on. Children, especially those from terrestrial-only homes, know that 

the afternoon is when the ‘good’ programmes are scheduled. 


(Boy, aged 12, Birmingham) 


Afternoon television is seen by both children and parents as time to relax after a hard day at 

school. It is children’s ‘chill out’ time - a chance to escape from the real world. The mother 

endorses this time and hands over responsibility to her children. She trusts what is on 

during weekday afternoons, and especially on the analogue terrestrial channels, knowing the 

programming is targeted at children. She allows them to take control of their viewing while 

she is busy elsewhere. 

76 

What Children Watch

Over dinner/tea 

It is taken for granted in most homes that the television is left on when children do their 

homework. Children themselves often say it helps them to concentrate. They are used to 

having background noise; it is something they have always done and is a comfort to them. 

‘You might not necessarily be really watching and listening, but it’s always 

on in the background.’ 


Children have learnt to screen in and out; to attend to the television and then to filter it out if 

they are doing something else, e.g. homework. It is almost as if they have developed the ability 

to multi-task. Some parents insist that the television goes off, but the vast majority feel that, as 

long as their children finish their homework, the television can stay on. Most of the children 

who took part in the research were amazed that turning the television off might be a 

consideration. They could not conceive why it would be thought necessary. 

Weekend mornings 

Weekend mornings were thought by most respondents to provide the best children’s 

television. Children felt there was always something on for them to watch at this time, 

whether they had terrestrial or multichannel television. Terrestrial-only viewers considered 

that they were particularly well catered for. 

‘I love it when I wake up on a Saturday, and you just know there is going 

to be good telly.’ 

(Terrestrial, boy, aged 12, Manchester) 

Evenings 

In the lounge 

Children have less control over viewing in the evenings. Evenings tend to be more family 

viewing time where the household is often watching more ‘adult’ programming. Parents take 

more control if there is a specific programme on that they want to watch. As another 

report, Striking a Balance 12 found, parents are keen to protect their own ‘leisure space’. 

After the Watershed there is some regulation of children’s viewing. The more potentially 

inappropriate adult programmes are often banned outright, or parents decide to watch with 

their children. For example, Bad Girls and Big Brother were cited as programmes that 

parents watched with their children. Watching these kinds of programmes, from the 

children’s point of view, is often a good way to negotiate going to bed later, every child’s 

primary goal. Parents admitted that they often gave in to pestering. 

‘They’re always like, “Please, please, please, I have to watch it.”‘ 

(Father, London) 

12 Edited by Hanley, P., Striking a Balance: the control of children’s media consumption, British Broadcasting Corporation, 

Broadcasting Standards Commission and Independent Television Commission, 2002. 


In the bedroom 

Many children watch television in bed before going to sleep. They say it helps them to fall 

asleep. Children have ultimate control over what they watch in the evening in their 

bedroom, but currently it is only the terrestrial channels they are viewing. 

‘You can watch anything you want in your room, but there’s not many channels.’ 


Some mothers of younger children control their viewing by having the bedroom 

television linked to a VCR rather than to an aerial. They may watch part of a video 

before going to sleep. 

‘I always put on a video just before they go to bed - one of their favourites. It helps 

them to unwind and relax before sleeping.’ 

(Mother, Manchester) 

Children tend to flick during evening viewing in their bedrooms and stay up beyond their 

official bedtime. This is something parents are aware of, but nevertheless tolerate. 

How do children watch? 

Children sit very close to the television set. The best seat is the one nearest the television. It 

is the chair or space that siblings argue over. It is likely to be the easiest place to flick from. 

It is easier for multichannel children to read the electronic programme guide (EPG) if they 

are sitting close to the television. 

‘You just get the best view when you sit near.’ 


Sitting close means less disturbance from other family members. Children described the 

sense of control they have when they are in close proximity to the television set where 

no one can get in their way. 

78 

What Children Watch

(Boy, aged 10, Edinburgh) 

Who do children like to watch with? 

Given the choice, all the children in the research said that they would prefer to watch on 

their own. The reasons that they gave were to do with control. When alone, they gain 

control of the remote control and choose what to watch and when to flick. If they are on 

their own they can choose where to sit as well. Children mentioned the fact that watching 

with others can be annoying because their parents always talk through programmes, 

younger siblings are a nuisance, and older siblings take away control of the remote. 



They did mention some programmes that they preferred to watch with others, such as 

football with their father, films and game shows such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? 

with the whole family, and soap operas with their mother. 


Control of the remote 

For all the children, having control of the remote control is the ultimate aim. They 

acknowledge that whomever has it in their hands has control, so the ‘controller’ rarely puts 

it down. If s/he does, someone else will take it and assume control. Others in the room 

usually make requests to the ‘controller’. These ‘back seat controllers’ are typically peers 

who may or may not be listened to. Ownership will be passed on when the ‘controller’ 

leaves the room. 

Older siblings tend to be in charge, so younger children often have to watch what their older 

brothers and sisters want to watch. Younger children gain control when the older members of 

the family do not want to watch any more or are not that bothered about what is on. 

Parental regulation 

Pre-Watershed, children are given free range to watch pretty much what they want. Parents 

assume that programming before 2100 is suitable for their children to watch alone. Post 

2100 parents differ in terms of what they consider suitable for their children to watch. Some 

parents are stricter than others, but most seem to give in quite easily to their children’s 

pestering. Many parents feel it is just not worth the argument, especially with children aged 

10 years and older. Ten appears to be the age when parents start to become more relaxed 

about monitoring their children’s viewing. This ties in with the findings from Striking a 

Balance, which found that, around this age (the top class in junior school), there is a drive 

towards separation from parental influences. 

All the parents were aware that their children may watch ‘unsuitable’ programmes when not 

in their care, e.g. at friends’ houses, grandparents’ homes, in their bedrooms. 

80 

What Children Watch

Fathers know more than mothers do? 

Mothers think they know what their children watch, but the reality is that most rarely 

watch television with their children. They are usually too busy elsewhere, clearing up and 

making dinner etc. 

‘I’d like to think I know what they watch, but I never remember the [programme] 

names or anything.’ 

(Mother, Birmingham) 

Fathers, on the other hand, say they do not have a clue about their children’s viewing, but in 

practice were found to spend more time watching television with their children than they 

said they did or realised they did. It appears to be almost subconscious viewing. One father, 

for example, was unaware that he was singing along, word perfect, to the tune of the Power 

Puff Girls! It is likely that mothers find it hard to sit down and watch television with their 

children because they are always conscious of the chores that have to be done. 

Summary 

To summarise, the role of television in children’s lives is a bit like a noisy light bulb. It is on 

all the time, and everywhere in the home. Children prefer, ideally, to watch it on their own. 

They feel they would be lost without television and spend most of their time trying to gain 

control of it. 


82 

What Children Watch

13 Children’s understanding 

of television 

Programmes and channels 

Children are confused as to what is a programme and what is a channel, particularly those 

under the age of eight years. Multichannel viewing has largely created this confusion 

because today’s children are switching, between so many more channels and programmes. 

They get the words mixed up and call programmes ‘channels’ and vice versa. 

‘BBC is a programme with lots of programmes on it.’ 


Children are unaware that they are mixing up programmes and channels, and believe that 

they know exactly what they are talking about. They do not ‘feel’ confused and do not 

regard it as a problem. 

Genres 

Younger children under the age of eight years have some understanding of different 

programmes and segment them on a very basic level - programmes ‘for me’, programmes 

‘for adults’ and programmes ‘for everybody’. The main bulk of viewing of children this age 

is of the children’s programming genre only. By about nine years of age, however, children 

start to understand and become more aware of the different genres and their repertoire of 

genres increases. They talk about preferring to watch music programmes versus cartoons, or 

real-life programmes, nature programmes etc. 

Channel loyalty 

In general, there is less channel loyalty than there once was. Children are programme 

seekers, rather than channel seekers. They tend to search out their favourite programmes. 

Multichannel children are aided by the EPG to search for programmes rather than to look 

for specific channels. Although they do still have favourite channels, the distinction between 

channels is blurred when there are so many to choose from. Multichannel children are not 

always aware of what is on when. 

Terrestrial-only children, with a limited number of channels to choose from, and in the 

absence of an EPG to help organize their viewing, are more aware of the channel they are 

watching at a given time. This does not necessarily result in greater channel loyalty, 

however, as terrestrial children do not feel a particularly strong affinity with any of the five 

channels on offer. That said, they are aware of CITV and CBBC as branding, and the 

younger children in the research spontaneously referred to CBeebies, so they do have a sense 

that parts of the terrestrial networks are dedicated to programming especially for children, 

and this is appreciated. Terrestrial parents feel that this demonstrates that broadcasters care 

about their child audience. They considered it would be unacceptable for any of the 


terrestrial channels to stop showing children’s programming or to limit the provision. They 

thought it would demonstrate a lack of interest on the part of terrestrial broadcasters in serving 

a part of their viewing audience. Additionally, these parents had so far resisted paying for more 

channels and strongly objected to being forced down the route of having to pay for dedicated 

channels as a result of a diminished children’s service on free-to-air channels. 

‘If children’s television was taken away, then it would be videos, I suppose. It certainly 

wouldn’t make me necessarily be lulled into purchasing digital TV.’ 

(Mother, Edinburgh) 

When talking of the removal of children’s television from one of the terrestrial channels: 

‘I think it’s saying that the kids aren’t good enough so we’re putting the boring cricket 

match on instead of programmes for the kids.’ 


‘Not everybody has access [to digital] and not everybody can afford digital, so the BBC 

has a duty to give everybody across the range the opportunity to watch programmes 

they enjoy. Possibly ITV1 don’t have that duty, but then it can fund programmes from 

advertising, so it should cater for everyone, too.’ 


Favourite programmes 

Children have lots of favourite programmes, and these change all the time. For terrestrial 

viewers, in particular, their favourites are dependent on the schedules and what is currently 

being broadcast. Children easily forget if a programme has not been on for a few weeks. 

Multichannel schedules are far more predictable, as they show most of the same 

programmes each day/week. 

But in reality there is little difference between the ‘favourites’ of multichannel and terrestrial, 

however, only children. They tend to like the same programmes. The key difference is that 

children in multichannel homes get to see their favourite programmes more often. 

84 

What Children Watch

Some favourite programmes 

Young girls 

Power Puff Girls 

Recess 

Sabrina 

Tom and Jerry 

EastEnders 

Older girls (9+) 

Saved by the Bell 

The Simpsons 

EastEnders 

Friends 

Recess 

Casualty and Holby City 

Sabrina 

Young boys 

Bay Blades 

Dragon Ball Z 

The Simpsons 

Wrestling (some) 

Dexter’s Laboratory 

Robot Wars 

Older boys (9+) 

Lads Army 

The Simpsons 

Football 

Malcolm in the Middle 

Buffy 

Scrap Heap Challenge 

Robot Wars 



The Simpsons 

The Simpsons is a show for the whole family. Everyone enjoys it, even mothers. It is the 

kind of programme that children like watching over and over again. It has something in it 

for everyone. It was spontaneously mentioned as a ‘favourite’ in every children’s group. It is 

easy watching and a programme that makes everyone laugh. 

You’ve Been Framed 

Children love this programme. It is funny, easy to watch and they hugely enjoy seeing adults 

making fools of themselves. This is a really popular programme with all age groups. 

Sabrina 

Sabrina is still very popular, especially with girls who relate strongly to the main character. 

They see her as ‘a girl like me but a bit different’. It has make-believe and fantasy for 

younger children, but also real-life teenage issues for the older girls. Children also think it 

looks good, in terms of its production values. They have a sense that it is ‘high quality’. 

Again, they like to watch it repeatedly. 

‘The kind of programme you can watch over and over again.’ 


86 

What Children Watch

‘I think for children like mine, Sabrina is less harmful than Grange Hill. Grange Hill is 

very real, whereas Sabrina is a bit of a fantasy really.’ 


Blue Peter 

Blue Peter remains popular with terrestrial viewers, but multichannel children are less 

enthusiastic about it. Some of the children said that they tuned in to the parts of the 

programme they liked, but often did not watch the whole programme. They thought it was 

quite mixed, with good and bad bits. Multichannel viewers have less patience when 

watching and switch over more quickly. They are less likely to return because of the choice 

of other programmes available. 

Art Attack 

Art Attack is still very popular. It is one of the programmes that all children enjoy watching 

and talking about. It is clever and intriguing. 

‘You always want to be able to do what he does.’ 


They know their parents approve of them watching this programme and they recognise 

themselves that it has an educational value, but it is also fun. 

Newsround 

Newsround is not a programme that most children say they actively choose to watch, 

although viewing figures show that it was the top children’s programme in 2002. Many are 

perhaps watching it because of its scheduling, i.e. immediately before Neighbours on BBC1. 

But children say they are interested in news stories that are especially relevant to them, 

e.g. if they involve children or are of great significance, such as the terrorist attack on the 

Twin Towers and the war in Iraq. Some multichannel children are watching adult news 

channels i.e. Sky News and BBC News 24. 

Soap Operas 

Ownership of the soap operas resides with mother. Most children watch them because their 

mothers do. Girls and mothers refer to watching soap operas together as ‘bonding’ time. 

Viewing soap operas allows children a window into the adult world. They feel more grown 

up watching programmes that deal with real-life issues and relationships. Striking a Balance 

comments on the fact that parents feel that their children are maturing earlier; although they 

highlight the difficulty in judging whether their physical and social maturity is matched by 

their emotional maturity, and that there is a need to educate children about the real world. 

The media, and soap operas in particular, are thought by parents to have a role in this. 13 

Even young children of six and seven years of age are watching soap operas with their 

mothers. There are mothers who have concerns about some of the issues in the soap operas 

13 Millwood Hargrave, A. with Gatfield, L., Soap Box or Soft Soap? Broadcasting Standards Commission, 2002. 


ut these tend to be the ones who do not watch them. Those who do are largely happy to 

continue to allow their children to watch with them. 

Sport 

Sport is fathers’ domain. Fathers usually control the sport watching, and boys love watching 

with them. Football is a favourite. It creates a sense of togetherness when the whole family 

watches events such as the World Cup. Other sporting events, which have united the family, 

include the Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon etc. 

Music channels 

Multichannel children, especially older children, are watching music channels a lot. They 

find them easy to turn to - they are always there and there is always something to watch. 

These channels offer good ‘in between’ viewing, even the young ones aged five or six will 

tune in for short periods. They learn the moves and the words, and it allows them into the 

world of music, a world that terrestrial viewers rarely get to see on a regular basis. 

Nature programmes 

Nature and wildlife programmes are very popular with both girls and boys and these are 

often watched as a family. Children know that their parents like them to watch these 

programmes, but they do enjoy them. 

‘They’re good because you actually learn something.’ 


Nature programmes are more popular with terrestrial viewers, especially when shown on a 

Sunday night. Boys tend to enjoy the more violent series such as Ultimate Killers and 

Walking with Beasts, and episodes about sharks or crocodiles. Girls prefer programmes 

about cuter animals such as dolphins, elephants or baby animals. 

Cartoons 

Cartoons are what children love to watch. They see them as television they own - television 

that is really for them. They watch cartoons every day, especially the boys. They are fun and 

easy to watch. 

‘No brainer TV.’ 


88 

What Children Watch


In general, all children like to watch a variety of programmes. Watching anything for too 

long can become boring. As one child said, ‘You can even tire of watching The Simpsons’. 

They value diversity in programming, something which is underpinned by the viewing 

figures which show that children’s top programmes (see p57 of the report) include a range 

of genres: factual (including news), light entertainment, animation and drama. This is the 

same across both terrestrial and multichannel households. 


Gender differences in programme content 

Girls have a clear interest in human relationships, particularly friendships and romance as 

they grow older. The girls in this research tended to favour real-life issue programmes. The 

cartoons they preferred often had an element of ‘real life’, e.g. Recess and Rugrats. The girls 

liked soap operas and dramas such as Casualty and Holby City. 

The boys tended to be more into sports, action, adventure, fantasy and noise. They cited 

among their favourite programmes action manga cartoons such as BeyBlades and Dragon 

Ball Z, and loud and interactive game shows such as Scrapheap Challenge and Robot Wars. 

And many were avid watchers of football. Boys’ interests in action and adventure have been 

found also to influence their choice of electronic games, reading material and video rentals, 

as well as affecting their musical tastes. 14 


14 Lemish, D. Liebes, T. and Seidman, V., Gendered Media Meanings and Uses. In: Children and their Changing Media Environment, 

edited by Livingstone S. and Bovill M., 2001. 

90 

What Children Watch

14 Terrestrial versus multichannel 

Overview 

Terrestrial and multichannel television are two different worlds. Multichannel children 

always have something to watch whatever the time of day, so they tend to watch television 

more than terrestrial-only children do. Viewing figures show that multichannel children are 

watching 35 minutes more per day. It is harder for those in multichannel homes to actively 

turn the television off when they know that there are always programmes on for them to 

see. But increased choice does not necessarily mean greater diversity. The earlier part of this 

report shows that the balance of children’s programming on individual dedicated channels is 

more limited, when considered as a proportion of broadcast time, than on the individual 

terrestrial channels. Even when the hours of transmission are taken into account, the 

balance of programming on the main dedicated channels is weighted towards light 

entertainment in the form of animation. 

Notably, although multichannel children have more programmes available specifically for 

them, they are not watching any more children’s programming than are terrestrial children 

(30 minutes per day). The rest of the time, therefore, they are watching genres outside 

children’s television. 

Terrestrial children do not have the same luxury of always having children’s programmes to 

turn to, so often when they turn on the television they cannot find anything to watch. As a 

result, they are more selective about their viewing and only watch at certain times. If there is 

nothing on that they want to see, they will turn the television off. 


It is fair to say that terrestrial children are a ‘dying breed’. Most are part-time multichannel 

viewers anyway. They may watch at their father’s house if their parents are separated or 

divorced, at grandparents’ or at friends’ homes. Given the choice, most would like to have 

multichannel television at home. But they accept not having it because there is a sense that 

they will get it in the end - it is only a matter of time. 

Terrestrial children tend to switch on the television set and flick. Sometimes they know what 

is going to be on and have made an appointment to view. More often than not they switch 

on and hope they will find something to watch. They have a feel for when their programmes 

are on, but otherwise they will flick around until they find something. If nothing is on, they 

will turn the television off. 

Terrestrial children know exactly when the children’s programmes are on, although not 

necessarily the schedules themselves. For example, they know that the best times for them 

are immediately after school and on Saturday mornings. If they can read, some will use a 

television guide magazine, although most find the guides quite complicated. Some prefer to 

use a newspaper and a few said that they turned to teletext. 


Sunday night is the one time when many terrestrial children wish they had multichannel 

television. It is only terrestrial children who get ‘the Sunday Night Blues’. Not only do they 

have homework to complete and school the next day, but also there is nothing to watch on 

television. Terrestrial children know that those with multichannel television do not have the 

same problem. For those with cable and satellite channels, Sunday night is just the same as 

every other night. 

‘There’s hardly ever anything to watch on a Sunday, only sometimes they have a good 

nature programme on.’ 


. 


All those with multichannel television said that life before Sky was really boring. They were 

enthusiastic about having access to lots of channels. Before Sky or cable, they said that they 

often found it difficult to find something to watch; there was less choice and not enough 

programmes for children. They said that they frequently ended up watching programmes 

that they did not really like. They referred to terrestrial television as ‘plain TV’. 

When asked about terrestrial or ‘plain TV’, multichannel children said that it was not really 

for them. They watched it sometimes, but it was not a first choice to view. They mentioned 

that they sometimes watched programmes with the rest of the family on the five terrestrial 

channels, but otherwise did not choose to visit these channels very often. 

Younger children who had always had multichannel television did not really know about 

‘plain TV’. BBC1 to them was just a channel with a number like all the rest. Some referred 

to the BBC channels as Channel One and Channel Two. 

Multichannel television has changed the lives of mothers who have younger children, 

especially those with pre-schoolers. It offers a day-long schedule that the children can turn 

to whenever they want, which allows mothers to get on with their chores. It is almost like a 

substitute nanny. 

Multichannel children are becoming more sophisticated at a younger age. They watch 

more and they see more, therefore, they want more and expect more. Although they put 

up with more repeats, they are also constantly looking for the new and different, and they 

often find it. They have more to explore and are open to a much wider repertoire of 

programmes and channels. For many, having five channels is an unimaginable thought. 

What would you watch? 

92 

What Children Watch

The EPG has brought viewing to life and made it more interactive. Multichannel viewers 

have a number of different ways to decide what to watch. The length of time children have 

had multichannel television affects how they use the EPG. Long-term users tend to know the 

numbers of their favourite channels and flick through them in what seems an organised way, 

starting with the number of their favourite channel and working their way through. They 

are actively looking for programmes, but have an awareness of which channels their 

‘favourites’ are on. Those who have not had multichannel television for long start with the 

programme guide lists, either looking at ‘All Channels’, or looking in the ‘Kids’ section. 

This research uncovered evidence that children do plan their viewing in advance using the 

EPG. Children who have little or no control of the remote control in their family are using 

the EPG to gain some control. They utilize the EPG’s ‘programme planners’ at the beginning 

of the day to plan their viewing. The programme they want to watch flashes up a reminder 

on screen five minutes before it is about to start. Other family members will often then 

relinquish control and allow them to watch their favourite programme. 

The decision on what to watch is quick. Children flick through or read through, making 

decisions very quickly. Frequently the channels further on in the electronic guide do not even 

get a look-in as children have already made their decision before they get there. Those 

channels which may be missing out, currently include CBBC, CBeebies, some of the Disney 

channels and Discovery Kids. 

Children tend to have some idea of what they want to watch, and as soon as they see it they 

press ‘select’. Typically, they do not go back to the TV guide page again. Once they have 

made an initial choice, they then flick through, looking at what is on elsewhere while they 

watch what they have selected, or alternatively they use numbers they know. 

The replay channels 

There is no longer any need for children to rush back from something to see a programme 

or even to video programmes. The popular children’s channels all have replay channels that 

show the same programmes an hour later than the normal channel. Children are aware of 

this and will catch up on any programme they have missed. If they do not, they know that it 

will be on again in the next few days. There is less urgency to watch their favourite 

programmes because they are always available. 


Interactive television 

Interactive television is by no means being used to its full potential, although most with 

multichannel television are aware that interactive services are available to them. Children 

rarely use it and have little to say about it at the moment. Some parents said they used it for 

news and had used it during the Big Brother 2002 series, which was on when fieldwork was 

being conducted. Very few mothers use it for shopping. They do not trust it and feel it lacks 

choice - it is easier currently, for example, to order clothes from a mail order catalogue, so 

there is low incentive to shop interactively. Children consider the games are reasonable, but 

nowhere near as good as their games consoles. They think the graphics are slow and ‘not 

that brilliant’. E-mail is currently not as easy to use via the television as it is on the home 

computer, so most do not bother. 

The majority have an awareness that technology moves on very quickly, however, and that it 

is improving all the time, so they believe the future lies with interactivity, but currently it is 

far too slow and difficult to use and does not do enough to warrant their involvement. 

Quality issues 

Children and parents have different views when it comes to what makes a good 

programme. Children tend to be looking for a bit of escapism, a good storyline and 

humour. Parents prefer children to be watching programmes that have some sort 

of moral or educational value, and they especially dislike slang. 

A quality programme 

For Children 

Looks good 

Bright and colourful 

Good storyline 

Humour 

Escapism 

For Parents 

Ideally has a moral 

Educational value 

Good storyline 

Good production values 

No slang (especially mothers of younger children) 

The one thing that parents will not tolerate is swearing. They find it offensive and 

unnecessary. It is not what they want to be seen allowing their children to watch. It works 

against what they are trying to teach their children about good manners and behaviour. But, 

parents will tolerate it under certain circumstances, e.g. when it is used in a real-life 

situation. Parents and children, especially boys, cited Lads Army as an example of a 

programme that they were allowed to watch which contained a high level of bad language. 

Parents’ reasoning was that this was not swearing for swearing’s sake. They did not consider 

programmes such as South Park to be in the same category and objected to the language 

used in the cartoon, which they felt was designed to appeal to children, even though 

children are not the target audience. 

94 

What Children Watch

About programming generally: 

‘I can’t bear it when they swear all the time and my kids are watching with me. It makes 

them think it’s okay to swear, and it’s just not helpful.’ 

(Mother, Birmingham) 

Merchandising 

The issue of merchandising was raised with parents. There was not a great deal of 

antagonism towards merchandise-based programming. The popularity of merchanised 

products is at its peak among children under the age of four. Mothers get a great deal of 

vicarious pleasure from giving their youngsters presents, they know their children will love. 

To children this age it is the real thing. 

By seven years, however, the desire to have lots of favourite television programme products 

lessens considerably. At this age, it is more the occasional T-shirt or pencil case that is being 

bought, often as a gift rather than something the seven year old has specifically asked for. 

As children grow older, they tend to look for products that are endorsed or sponsored by 

their favourite personalities, e.g. sportsmen or women, or pop stars. 

Repeats 

Children tolerate repeats well. They use them to get a ‘quick fix’. If they have seen 

something many times before, they might dip in and out. Repeats used to be more of an 

issue, but now many see there are some benefits. Most children will not watch the same 

episode twice in a day, but other than that they are happy to watch the episode over and 

over again. It does not appear to be a contentious issue, but rather something they have 

grown used to and accept. For those who have always had multichannel television, it is 

what they have always known. 

‘I’d rather watch a repeat of something I like than a new episode of something I don’t.’ 


That is not to say, however, that, if new and different programmes were to dry up, children 

would not eventually become bored with the limited choice of programming available. 


Programme origination 

American children’s programming dominates the dedicated channels and, in many cases, is an 

increasing part of the terrestrial broadcasters children’s schedules. In 1996, American 

productions made up a quarter of the output of children’s programming on ITV1 (Source: ITC). 

This has risen to 30% in 2002, although the level has been relatively stable over the past four 

years. Five has seen a marked increase year-on-year from 16% of total output in 2001 to 35% 

in 2002. Channel 4 shows a significant reduction in its purchase of American content (down 

from 84% of total children’s output in 1997 to 43% in 2001 to 27% in 2002). 

Children’s views 

Most children, especially those under the age of 10-11 years, know little about the origin of 

the programmes that they watch. It is not something that concerns them. Children in 

London often assume a programme is from the United States and children outside London, 

e.g. Scotland, often believe that everything comes from London. It is not until around 11 or 

12 years that they start to understand and have an opinion about ‘foreign’ material and 

then they can be quite judgmental, e.g. ‘It’s American rubbish’. 

Parents’ views 

The majority of the parents interviewed were quite happy with the type of children’s 

programmes on offer, but more so on the terrestrial channels. Some were critical of the 

domination of animation on most of the dedicated children’s channels. They were aware of 

the American influence across children’s programming generally, but were pragmatic about 

the fact that their children enjoy many of the American shows such as Sabrina, Hey Arnold, 

and Keenan & Kel. They felt that these kinds of programmes enable children to escape into 

a fantasy world away from the reality of school and homework. They offer a bit of light 

relief and are often funny and make children laugh. 

‘I just like good programmes, I don’t care where they come from.’ 


Mothers of younger children (under eight) and especially terrestrial-only mothers had more 

issues. Some were concerned about children picking up American accents, but the main 

worry was that these programmes were not ‘homemade’ and therefore were considered to 

be less culturally relevant. Some mothers also felt they were less educational. 

‘There are certain American ones which do actually really annoy me... teaching kids to 

pronounce things in a certain way, and the language isn’t right for British kids.’ 


‘Cheap, rubbish. Bought-in TV.’ 


96 

What Children Watch

‘I find Friends quite shallow. It’s in snippets. It’s a bit like reading The Sun - a little bit 

here and a bit there. The British ones tend to follow more of a story, more of a theme - 

a bit more in depth.’ 


‘Look at the Teletubbies. That’s a UK creation and that swept the world.’ 


Given the choice, however, it is the American shows that many children seem to prefer 

watching. Children think that they look better and perceive them to have higher production 

values. They make them laugh, and they find the humour more sophisticated. They allow 

for escapism, and for some children they were seen to be aspirationa,l with clever, funny 

characters living in worlds which children found attractive. American programmes were 

perceived to be ‘for my age group and above’ which gives children a sense that they are not 

being spoken down to. Programming appeal has been found to be linked to perceptions by 

children of its positioning as ‘older’ or ‘younger’ than themselves (Messenger Davies et al). 15 

While there are different types of UK-based children’s dramas, few seem to incorporate all 

of the values of the US-based dramas. Often slapstick humour is used, and, while many 

children love it, it can feel young. Programmes such as My Parents Are Aliens are enjoyed, 

but tend to be seen as being for younger children. Book-based dramas such as The Worst 

Witch and The Queen’s Nose are very popular with the under 10s but, whilst older children 

still watch them, given the choice they would prefer more ‘grown up’ programming. 

US shows appear to have a far broader appeal. They are more multi-leveled so there is 

something in them for everyone. British programmes such as Grange Hill and Byker Grove 

are well liked and remembered by terrestrial children, but they are almost forgotten by 

multichannel children. The latter always have the choice to watch something else. These 

kinds of UK children’s soap dramas are often seen as depressing, and, although they are 

more relevant to British children’s lives, they do not fit well with the ‘home from school 

mood’ and the need of children for a bit of escapism. Children want to chill out and relax 

when they get home from school and not have to think about anything too heavy. Given the 

choice, most would opt to watch a funny US programme. 

15 Messenger Davies, M., O’Malley, K. and Corbett, B., Channels to the Future. Children’s views about broadcasting provision. 

In: What Price Creativity? edited by Ralph, S., Langham Brown, J. and Lees, T., 1997. 


98 

What Children Watch

15 Conclusions 

New media abound, but television retains its importance as the primary source of leisure 

entertainment for children. Nevertheless, it has to continue to compete. The leisure industry 

is expanding at a rapid rate as new technologies flood the market. Many of the early 

adopters of these technologies are households with children. The competition for children’s 

leisure time has never been greater. 

Television has had to evolve to keep pace. The landscape of children’s television, in 

particular, has changed dramatically. Currently, there are 10 main dedicated children’s 

channels broadcasting children’s programming 24 hours a day. The provision of children’s 

programming overall has tripled in the past five years. Not only do children have access to 

their own programmes whenever they want, but also the development of dedicated replay 

channels, which repeat schedules every hour, means that they never have to worry about 

missing their favourite programmes. Perhaps it is not surprising that it is harder for 

multichannel children than it is for terrestrial children to turn the television off. 

Terrestrial children have far less flexibility about when they can view and less choice about 

what to watch. Television may be a disappointment to them at times, but they do value 

what they have and look forward to the times of day when there are programmes on for 

them. They are much more able than are multichannel children to turn the television off 

when their programmes have ended and to find alternative forms of entertainment. 

Most of children’s everyday viewing occurs within the children’s genre, but they also 

regularly dip into: 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

music 

soap operas 

real-life dramas 

sport 

some nature programmes 

Multichannel television has created a sense of ownership among the child audience. 

Children now feel that they own a part of television. And having additional dedicated 

channels has raised their expectations and demands. Children want and expect a good 

choice of programmes across a number of channels. They expect to see new programmes on 

offer all or most of the time, and they eagerly embrace these new offerings. 

Dedicated channels have changed the way children view. This audience no longer has to 

worry about missing their favourite programmes because they know they will be on again. 

Neither do they have to confine their viewing to certain times of the day because whatever 

the time of day there will be programmes on for them to watch. The electronic programme 

guide has given children more control over their viewing, and they are adept at using it. 


Although terrestrial viewers are less sophisticated, most have regular access to cable or 

satellite channels and therefore have many of these expectations as well. They know it is 

only a matter of time until they get digital television themselves. Terrestrial parents, 

however, would seem to have more conservative views. They do not see a need for any more 

television. They consider there is already too much content that is not of good quality. It 

may be quite a difficult task to shift these terrestrial ‘die hards’’ views. 

In essence, whether multichannel or terrestrial, children are looking for good programmes. 

They have little channel loyalty, especially in the multichannel world where there are so 

many options to choose from. Children are a critical audience and they want high quality 

programmes that entertain, contain humour, provide interesting information and above all, 

do not speak down to them. 

While multichannel children are watching more television than terrestrial children are, it is 

significant that it is not more children’s programmes they are tuning in to but other kinds of 

programming. Analogue terrestrial broadcasters offer a better balance of programming 

across the hours they broadcast and more original British productions, which are valued by 

parents and enjoyed by children. The challenge facing terrestrial broadcasters is to continue 

to compete within an increasingly competitive market place. The BBC has taken the step of 

creating its own dedicated channels, CBBC and CBeebies, available in multichannel homes. 

It remains to be seen whether other terrestrial broadcasters will see an economic need to 

follow suit. 

As far as the future is concerned, viewers’ expectations are: 

■ access to digital channels will be available on every set in the home, 

■ interactive television will be used on a regular basis, 

■ internet access via the television will be available to all households, 

■ there will be televisions in every room and possibly even in the car. 

Everyone realises that the future is changing. Children are an audience eagerly embracing 

the digital age and families will be the early adopters of the latest technology. There are 

still a group of parents, however, who remain to be convinced that more choice means 

better quality. 

100 

What Children Watch

Appendix 1: Methodology 

Rosenblatt Research was commissioned by the ITC and the BSC to carry out qualitative research involving 

children’s groups, mini groups (trios), and family observations with a range of children aged between six 

and 12 years. In addition, a number of parent groups was held. A variety of different techniques were used 

in order to facilitate understanding of children’s views in relation to children’s programming. The fieldwork 

was carried out by Nicki Karet and Abby Jones. 

Children’s photo journals 

All the children who took part in the research were asked to keep a journal/diary for a week, prior to 

coming to their group/trio. They were asked to describe what television programmes they liked watching, 

and why, and to say who they liked watching them with. They were asked also to give an account of 

what they liked doing when they were not watching television, e.g., leisure activities, seeing friends. 

Each child was given a disposable camera and asked to take pictures to illustrate their interests and the 

things/people that were important to them. The aim of the journals was to determine how television fits in 

to children’s lives. They contain fascinating insights into children’s lives and thoughts. Illustrations from 

these diaries are used in this report. 

Family observations 

Nicki Karet from Rosenblatt Research returned to a number of families and spent several hours with 

them during the evening watching television and observing how the family interacted. These sessions 

provided detailed information about how different families negotiate viewing and resolve conflict over 

viewing. 

Parent groups 

Groups were commissioned with parents of children aged between four and 12 years. This was to 

enable a comparison to be drawn between children’s views, opinions and concerns and parental issues. 

By including some parents of children that took part in the research, it was possible to cross check 

responses and iron out any discrepancies. 


Appendix 2: Sample 

Sample structure: phase I - children 

Trio/Group Gender Age Type of TV Location Date 

1 (trio) Boys 6-7 (yr 2) Digital Manchester 25 June 02 

2 (trio) Boys 7-8 (yr 3) Terrestrial London 27 June 02 

3 (trio) Girls 7-8 (yr 3) Digital Birmingham 26 June 02 

4 Girls 8-9 (yr 4) Digital Manchester 25 June 02 

5 Girls 10-11 (yr 5) Digital London 27 June 02 

6 Boys 11-12 (yr 6) Terrestrial Birmingham 26 June 02 

Sample structure: phase I - parents 

Group Gender Social Class Children’s Age Work Status Type of TV Location and Date 

1 Mothers C1C2 5–8 Working Terrestrial Manchester 

part/full-time 

25 June 

2 Mothers C2D 7–12 Working Terrestrial Birmingham 

full-time 

26 June 

3 Fathers BC1 4–12 Working Digital London 

full-time 

27 June 

Sample structure: phase 2 - children 

Trio/Group Gender Age Type of TV Location Date 

7(trio) Girls 6-7 (yr 2) Terrestrial Edinburgh 18 July 02 

8 Boys 9-10 (yr 5) Digital Edinburgh 18 July 02 

Sample structure: phase 2 - parents 

Group Gender Social Class Children’s Age Work Status Type of TV Location and Date 

4 Mothers BC1 2-6 Not working Digital Edinburgh 18 July 

Two family groups (reconvened from Stage 1) 

■ FAMILY ONE (1600 to 1800) 

Mothers (Father was at work) 

Five children - 11 year old girl with four older brothers aged 19, 16 (twins) and 13 

■ FAMILY TWO (1900 to 2100) 

Mother and Father 

Two girls aged 10 and six 

102 

What Children Watch

Appendix 3: 


The Broadcasting Standards Commission is the statutory body for both standards and fairness in 

broadcasting. It is the only organisation within the regulatory framework of UK broadcasting to cover all 

television and radio. This includes the BBC and commercial broadcasters, as well as text, cable, satellite 

and digital services. 

As an independent organisation, the Broadcasting Standards Commission considers the portrayal of 

violence, sexual conduct and matters of taste and decency. It also provides redress for people who 

believe they have been unfairly treated or subjected to unwarranted infringement of privacy. The 

Commission has three main tasks set out in the 1996 Broadcasting Act: 

■ 

■ 

■ 

Produce codes of practice relating to standards and fairness; 

Consider and adjudicate on complaints; 

Monitor, research and report on standards and fairness in broadcasting. 

This report is published as part of a programme into attitudes towards issues and fairness in 

broadcasting. This research, which was carried out by independent experts, is not a statement of 

Commission policy. Its role is to offer guidance and practical information to Commissioners and 

broadcasters in their work. 

© 2003 Broadcasting Standards Commission. All rights reserved. 


Appendix 4: The Independent 

Television Commission 

The Independent Television Commission licenses and regulates all television services broadcast 

in or from the United Kingdom, other than services funded by the BBC licence fee and S4C in Wales. 

It operates in the interest of viewers by: setting standards for programme content, advertising, 

sponsorship and technical quality; monitoring broadcasters’ output to ensure that it meets those 

standards and applying a range of penalties if it does not; ensuring that ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 

fulfil their statutory public service obligations; planning frequency allocation and coverage for digital 

terrestrial services; ensuring that viewers can receive television services on fair and competitive terms; 

and investigating complaints and regularly publishing its findings. 

104 

What Children Watch

105


7 The Sanctuary 

London SW1P 3JS 

Tel 020 7808 1000 

Fax 020 7233 0397 

Email bsc@bsc.org.uk 

www.bsc.org.uk 

Independent Television Commission 

33 Foley Street 

London W1W 7TL 

Tel 020 7255 3000 

Fax 020 7306 7800 

Minicom 020 7306 7753 

Email publicaffairs@itc.org.uk 

www.itc.org.uk 

ISBN 1 872521 54 1

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