Ofcom is expected to imminently approve proposals that aim to increase to appeal of CBBC among children of working class families.
The BBC wants to increase the amount of animated programmes on its CBBC channel. It’s planning to acquire a small number of UK-made animations to show on its channel in the near future. This is part of a plan to address a decline in viewing.
CBBC’s reach among its target audience (6-12 year olds) has reduced from 27% in 2015 to just 14% in 2021. The sharpest decline has been among working class families, where CBBC reaches only one in ten children.
Research submitted to Ofcom showed that children from lower class backgrounds were more likely to enjoy watching more cartoons. Among children’s channels, cartoons make up a lower proportion of programmes on CBBC compared to commercial rivals.
The BBC wants to increase original animation from 1 series-8 hours to 4 series-32 hours per year.
However, the BBC wants to ensure new animated series reflect UK life. This is to counteract the North American cultural bias of many cartoons shown on commercial channels and streaming services. Details of the animated series it plans to acquire haven’t yet been made public.
Quota changes
But increasing the number of acquired programmes means fewer timeslots for original BBC-made programmes. As a result, Ofcom has recently consulted on reducing the quota for original BBC-made programmes on the channel from 72% of all hours to 66% in 2022 and 2023 and 68% from 2024 onwards.
The BBC said it considers there has not been significant investment in commissions of new UK animations for non-preschool ages to-date. It argues that focussing on animation in this age range could be positive for animation producers in the UK.
Ofcom says it plans to approve the proposals, subject to responses from stakeholders. The regulator says the increase in the acquisition volume and spend is “very modest”. It added that this was “unlikely to lead to acquisitions playing too large a role in the BBC’s overall content mix nor to significantly impact the distinctiveness of CBBC. “
The number of first run programmes on the channel will not be affected by this quota change. The BBC also reassured Ofcom it would continue to offer a well-rounded schedule, with continued investment in live-action shows.
Ofcom is expected to report on broader changes to the BBC’s operating licences next month. The regulator says the licences need to change to reflect changing audience habits. Changes to the operating licences will enable to the BBC to make wide-ranging changes to its services as it aims to reach a broader range of audiences on less money. BBC services have tended to skew to upper and middle class audiences (ABC1 demographic). Meanwhile, the BBC has launched a whole range of initiatives to appeal to licence fee payers in working class and northern households.
by Iain Hatton / Features writer, RXTV