A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD

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A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION view that public service broadcasters are not delivering enough quality British content. The remaining respondents are undecided. Interestingly, these findings seem to tally with the fact that 59% of respondents say there are fewer opportunities to produce high quality television programmes in the UK than there were 10 years ago. Just 19.2% feel there are more opportunities. In keeping with Ofcom’s 2015 Public Service Broadcasting review, which noted that there has been a significant decline in investment in some key television genres, respondents say that additional support is needed in certain areas. Arts and classical music come out as most in need, with 73.5% of BAFTA members who completed the survey stating this area needs further support. Also considered to be high priorities for investment are: drama (63.1%); education (61%); children”s (55.2%); news and current affairs (45.5%). In sharp contrast, only 1.5% of respondents feel that soaps require additional support. One respondent writes: “the BBC has to seriously address its declining children’s investment.” There are also noteworthy comments regarding news provision. These include: “Panorama’s being shortened to half an hour is evidence of the dumbing down of the BBC”, and: “The overall remit of news and current affairs is being compromised due to devastating cutbacks – because it doesn’t ‘pay’. But we have a duty to inform and educate which is equally if not more important than entertaining.” Crucially, most respondents do not believe that the lack of investment by public service broadcasters in the above genres, is being countered by sufficient levels of high quality content from new pay television, or online suppliers. Just 7.3% of respondents say that these suppliers are providing adequate levels of quality educational content, and only 14.9% believe that children’s programming is well served. Meanwhile, well under half believe that arts and classical music (23.5%) and news and current affairs (30.3%) have sufficient levels of high quality coverage. Drama is the only exception, with 56.5% of respondents believing that new suppliers are producing high quality content. As one respondent writes: “Scheduler-led BBC, ITV, C4 drama is about 10 years behind Netflix, Amazon, which have adopted a creatorled model.” This view is shared by other respondents, one of whom states: The majority of quality drama is shown by Sky/Netflix; whilst some UK equivalents are comparable in terms of acting and writing, the lack of budget often makes them look amateur in comparison to the big US TV dramas. In keeping with budgetary concerns, many respondents commented on the need to protect the licence fee, with one writing that it saves “us from more life diminishing advertising or inequitable subscriptions.” Importantly, a number of respondents also say that the quality of BBC programming improves the content delivered by other providers, who use the BBC as a benchmark. One respondent’s view echoes those of many: Stop cutting funding and protect public service broadcasting in the name of democracy. A strong free media will ensure a strong free democracy. And that promotes creativity. The BBC, for example, is one of 168
CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD Britain’s greatest ambassadors to the world. And it’s still respected. But if cuts continue it will lose that respect. Don’t throw that away. 3. Regions: “Spread the load” Over half of respondents (53.2%) believe there is a need for higher levels of television production to be based across the regions and nations of the UK, outside of London, in order to contribute to more programme diversity. However, 33.3% say they do not believe that such a move is necessary, and the remaining 13.5% are unsure. Whichever side they come down on, many survey respondents express strong views on regionalism. Those in favour of more television production being based outside London, suggest that more locally made television would better reflect local interests. They also argue that skills and talent throughout the UK should be utilised, and that practitioners based in London tend to be unaware of how London biased national media is. One respondent puts these concerns succinctly, stating that: “Diversity of output is not possible without a diversity of makers, and this means a spread geographically, socially, ethnically and beyond.” Channel 4, ITV and Channel 5 are highlighted as needing to enhance their regional offer, whilst the BBC’s centres in Salford and Glasgow are seen to give the corporation adequate regional focus. As one respondent writes: “Without the BBC producing programmes in the regions, there would be little. The destruction of the regional independent companies such as Granada etc was a disaster.” On the other hand, several respondents believe that geographical location has no bearing on diversity of programming. “I’ve come to the conclusion that this is a red herring,” one respondent writes. “What matters is a diversity of voice and opinion, not where a production (which will inevitably draw staff from all over the UK) is geographically based.” Others comment that, in our digital age, we should not be concerned about where television production takes place. Perhaps somewhat controversially, one respondent writes: “Most talent naturally concentrates in the capital. Whole crews of people travelling to the regions to make programmes and then return to London is a ridiculous waste of time and money, paying lip service to regionalisation.” The question of regionalism links to the issue of which audiences are, and are not, fully served by public service television. Interestingly, despite the fact that over half of respondents believe there is a need for higher levels of television production to be based across the regions and nations, most do not, as the government’s recent consultation on BBC charter review asks, believe that, “the public would be better served by a more focused range of BBC services”. Quite the opposite. In fact, 87.7% state that the BBC should continue to make a full range of programmes, and only 12.3% of respondents expressed the view that the BBC should produce programmes aimed at underserved audiences. 169
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A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVIS
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Contents Foreword by David Puttnam
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To instruct democracy, if possible
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Welcome Television is leading a cha
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CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL
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PSB channels 71.9% All other channe
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Why television matters Television i
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1982 1990s 2012 The BBC-ITV duopoly
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Time for action Today’s policymak
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Basic principles At the core of pre
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The multichannel revolution Perhaps
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The BBC For most people, the BBC is
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Channel 4 If the BBC is the most im
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Only 8% of Channel 4’s total spen
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ITV and Channel 5 The focus of atte
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The changing face of ITV 1993-2002
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New sources of public service conte
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Television and diversity We have ea
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THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE TELEVISED If t
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Nations and Regions Public service
Page 117 and 118: CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL
Page 129 and 130: Content diversity One of the key wa
Page 135 and 136: Sports content now accounts for som
Page 145 and 146: Talent development and training In
Page 153 and 154: Conclusion Television is changing.
Page 155 and 156: Recommendations General The UK’s
Page 161 and 162: Appointing the BBC board Sir David
Page 163 and 164: APPLICATION OF THE NOLAN PRINCIPLES
Page 165 and 166: BAFTA members’ survey delivered i
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Page 173 and 174: Public service broadcasting, public
Page 177 and 178: Inquiry events Do we still need pub
Page 179 and 180: Acknowledgements Inquiry Report Con
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A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD

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