Media regulator Ofcom has slammed the BBC yet again for failing to reach audiences from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
- Younger, poorer and disabled viewers less impressed with BBC output.
- 61% still think favourably of the BBC.
- Regulator happy about outcome of changes to Newsnight.
Six years after Ofcom first told the BBC it must do more to serve viewers from lower socio-economic backgrounds and younger audiences, the broadcast regulator says the BBC needs to assess what is and isn’t working for audiences.
The regulator’s research found that among 16-34s, average time spent with the BBC per day has declined from 75 minutes in 2017, to 46 minutes in 2023, a greater decline compared to all adults.
Younger audiences (16-34), minority ethnic and disabled audiences plus those in the working class DE socio-economic groups (semi-skilled/unskilled manual occupations) are less enthusiastic about the BBC.
In contrast, users most in favour of the BBC are above 55 years of age and come from the AB socio-economic group (Higher and intermediate managerial and professional occupations).
Ofcom first told the BBC back in 2018 it had to do something to appeal to marginalised audiences. In 2022, the BBC brought back BBC Three as a linear channel in response. Ofcom data continues to confirm users from lower socio-economic groups continue to watch more linear TV than other groups of viewer.
Negative perceptions about the BBC
The BBC reports more negative perceptions among these audience groups. For example, 45% of audiences from minority ethnic groups agree that the BBC is effective in providing ‘programmes, content and services that are relevant to them’, compared with 56% of white audiences and 54% of all UK adults. For disabled audiences, even though they spend more time each day watching BBC TV content than non-disabled audiences, they are less likely to be positive about the BBC for ‘reflects the lives of people like me’ and ‘includes people like me’ than those without a disability.
The BBC says its trying to win back younger audiences with the likes of Gossip Girl (iPlayer) and The Traitors (BBC One/iPlayer). It points to shows including Sort Your Life Out and Gladiators (both BBC One/iPlayer) as appealing to working class viewers.
61% of audiences say they think favourably of the BBC, a figure that has barely changed since Ofcom started tracking the metric. That’s despite the BBC’s efforts to build trust and emphasise its value for money. The BBC continues to be dogged by scandals affecting news and entertainment presenters.
Ofcom happy with Newsnight change
Although Ofcom’s annual report on the BBC officially covers the 12 months up to the end of March 2024, the regulator used the report to comment on May 2024’s changes to Newsnight.
The programme was cut to 30 minutes and lost its dedicated reporting team. Ofcom’s initial analysis of Newsnight’s viewing figures after the changes showed audiences increased. As a result, Ofcom said it recognised that the BBC seeking to reformat and modernise formats, while at the same time seeking efficiencies “can result in positive outcomes for audiences”.
However, Ofcom’s 12 week assessment period of viewing figures post Newsnight’s change included the run-up and period after the General Election, when interest in news was higher.
BBC research says viewers happy with News channel, viewing figures suggest otherwise
Ofcom also took time to review the revamped News Channel, now in its second year as a combined UK and international service.
It noted a BBC internal survey saying that perceptions of the News Channel had remained positive.
The audience perception survey took place after the BBC changed how it deals with international ad-breaks on the UK feed. Mid-bulletin crash outs and repeats of regional news reports were replaced by a new breakfiller. The exit out of the simulcast of BBC News at Ten also changed to avoid crashing out mid-report. However, this has been reversed since then, with News Channel viewers now often crashing out of both News at Ten and Newsnight.
A separate GfK Pulse survey found audiences felt the News Channel had “stayed the same”.
This was after the daily morning phone-in with Nicky Campbell had been dropped (the 5 Live simulcast now only appears on the channel on an ad-hoc basis and isn’t included on the schedules). The inclusion of a morning phone-in attracted some criticism at the time of the merger. The morning schedule reverted back to rolling news, as it was prior to the merger. Additionally, the BBC previously removed most UK-specific output in the evenings and overnights before the merger, so for viewers watching at certain times, there wouldn’t have been many changes.
Non-BBC research paints different picture
While surveys from the BBC painted a positive picture, Ofcom also noted the year-on-year decline in viewing for the News Channel was actually greater than the overall TV news decline.
Previous news consumption research by Ofcom, also confirmed both the BBC News Channel and BBC News website had slid behind Sky News in its list of Top 20 news sources.
The decline was more prevalent for younger audiences. However, Ofcom noted how the BBC had created an audio feed of BBC News on BBC Sounds as an example of how it was improving the digital (online) reach of BBC News.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Ofcom