Post by Teddy Bear on Nov 16, 2010 17:44:46 GMT
Only 1 in 6 older people say TV licence fee is value for money
Television is failing older audiences, according to new research, with fewer than one in six people over the age of 55 saying they are happy with the programmes that they get in return for their licence fee.
By Neil Midgley, Assistant Editor (Media) 7:00AM GMT 16 Nov 2010
The survey shows that 42 per cent of that age group believe that television was better 10 years ago than it is today, with 15 per cent of them saying that they have considered cancelling their TV licences due to a lack of decent programmes.
This week is one of the biggest weeks of the year for so-called “reality” television, with I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! on ITV1 every night, and the weekend schedules dominated by ITV’s The X Factor and BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Almost one hour in every five of this week’s peaktime schedules for the main TV channels will be filled with reality formats.
These reality and talent shows continue to pull in big audiences, with Sunday night’s X Factor results show managing a peak audience of 17.7million viewers, the second-highest audience ever in its seven series so far. The clodhopping antics of Ann Widdecombe on Strictly Come Dancing helped the BBC show to its highest ratings of the current series on Saturday, scoring a 50 per cent share of the available TV audience. The current series is the most popular series of Strictly to date.
Yet the YouGov poll, which was commissioned for the stairlift manufacturer Stannah, shows that older people in particular are tiring of the reality genre, with 70 per cent of those over 55 believing that there is too much reality television in the schedules. Just over half - 55 per cent - said that reality TV shows have had their day.
The survey also said that only 18 per cent of the over-55s believe that the television licence fee is good value for money. “I would have thought that was an overerestimate,” said Richard Ingrams, editor of The Oldie magazine. “I hardly watch any of the BBC programmes. I’d sack all the people running the BBC - it’s a radical move but it has to be done. Bring in some people who know about creative television. All the oldies will tell you it’s being run by managers these days, instead of people who were - well, to say they were cultured would be going a bit far, but they used to know what they were doing.”
Fully 62 per cent of over-55s surveyed said there had been a decline in the quality of family TV entertainment in recent years. Mr Ingrams even criticised ITV’s period drama hit, Downton Abbey. “It’s amazing people think Downton Abbey is quality television - it’s complete rubbish,” he said. “The plots are asinine and the whole thing is copied from Upstairs, Downstairs. I’ve been watching the old DVDs of Jewel in the Crown instead.”