Post by Teddy Bear on Dec 18, 2007 17:15:40 GMT
BBC 'failing to make enough original TV'
The BBC is failing to produce enough original television programmes, according to research commissioned by the corporation's governing body.
Licence-holders questioned by the BBC Trust singled out "innovation and distinctiveness" as the BBC's primary purpose - ahead of promoting education, providing impartial news and serving audiences of all backgrounds.
But while 72 per cent of the 4,500 adults questioned felt it was essential for the BBC to have "lots of fresh and new ideas", only 51 per cent agreed it was meeting that goal.
The findings come only months after the BBC said it was reducing by 10 per cent the number of new shows it produces to make up for a £2.5 billion funding gap.
Mark Thompson, the BBC director general, said the £3.5 billion a year the corporation gets from licence fees would be focused on "fewer, bigger and better" programmes. As a result, viewers can expect more repeats across the channels.
Those questioned by the trust said it was becoming increasingly difficult to find distinctive programmes on the BBC because schedules were dominated by big entertainment shows, so-called "ratings chasers", makeover and reality television shows.
But the research found that people did not want the BBC to stop producing popular shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, Dr Who and The Apprentice. Instead, they wanted a balance between the "classics" - such as University Challenge and Antiques Roadshow - and the new.
"The familiar is seen as being as important as the new, as it fits in with how people watch television," said Penny Young, the head of audiences at the BBC Trust. "They expect their viewing diet to comprise mostly familiar 'old favourite' programmes, with a few that are a slight twist on a familiar theme, and very few that are genuinely 'new new' and ground-breaking." The research was conducted as part of a drive by the trust to establish if the BBC is meeting the six "purposes" set out in its new charter.
While 60 per cent of viewers felt it was important for the BBC to represent communities across the UK, only 42 per cent said it was fulfilling that purpose, with the proportion falling to 39 per cent in Northern Ireland and 27 per cent in Scotland.
Sir Michael Lyons, the trust's chairman, has already admitted the corporation is widely perceived as being too "London-centric". In a speech last month, he said: "Audiences are telling us that the BBC is still too London-centric - and that has to change. The BBC has to deliver value to all its licence-fee payers, wherever they live."
The BBC is failing to produce enough original television programmes, according to research commissioned by the corporation's governing body.
Licence-holders questioned by the BBC Trust singled out "innovation and distinctiveness" as the BBC's primary purpose - ahead of promoting education, providing impartial news and serving audiences of all backgrounds.
But while 72 per cent of the 4,500 adults questioned felt it was essential for the BBC to have "lots of fresh and new ideas", only 51 per cent agreed it was meeting that goal.
The findings come only months after the BBC said it was reducing by 10 per cent the number of new shows it produces to make up for a £2.5 billion funding gap.
Mark Thompson, the BBC director general, said the £3.5 billion a year the corporation gets from licence fees would be focused on "fewer, bigger and better" programmes. As a result, viewers can expect more repeats across the channels.
Those questioned by the trust said it was becoming increasingly difficult to find distinctive programmes on the BBC because schedules were dominated by big entertainment shows, so-called "ratings chasers", makeover and reality television shows.
But the research found that people did not want the BBC to stop producing popular shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, Dr Who and The Apprentice. Instead, they wanted a balance between the "classics" - such as University Challenge and Antiques Roadshow - and the new.
"The familiar is seen as being as important as the new, as it fits in with how people watch television," said Penny Young, the head of audiences at the BBC Trust. "They expect their viewing diet to comprise mostly familiar 'old favourite' programmes, with a few that are a slight twist on a familiar theme, and very few that are genuinely 'new new' and ground-breaking." The research was conducted as part of a drive by the trust to establish if the BBC is meeting the six "purposes" set out in its new charter.
While 60 per cent of viewers felt it was important for the BBC to represent communities across the UK, only 42 per cent said it was fulfilling that purpose, with the proportion falling to 39 per cent in Northern Ireland and 27 per cent in Scotland.
Sir Michael Lyons, the trust's chairman, has already admitted the corporation is widely perceived as being too "London-centric". In a speech last month, he said: "Audiences are telling us that the BBC is still too London-centric - and that has to change. The BBC has to deliver value to all its licence-fee payers, wherever they live."