BBC’s Response to Culture, Media and Sport
Commons Select Committee Enquiry
into the Future of the BBC
Audience Information Pack
The UK public’s relationship with the BBC
1. Their usage of BBC
services
Over this Charter period, usage of the BBC has remained very
high: almost all of the UK uses the BBC each week, for
around19 hours on average
2. Their views on the
quality of BBC
content
This is because of the high level of quality that the public
associates with BBC programmes and services
3. Their trust in the
BBC
And it is also because of the extent of the trust that they have
in BBC output
4. Their views on the
BBC overall
The time people spend with the BBC, coupled with their
appreciation of the content, has meant that support for the
BBC has risen over this Charter period
5. Their views on the
licence fee
Likewise, while no form of taxation is universally popular, there
has also been an increase in public backing for the licence fee
as the means of funding the BBC
Slide 2
The UK public’s relationship with the BBC
1. Their usage of BBC
services
Over this Charter period, usage of the BBC has remained very
high: almost all of the UK uses the BBC each week, for around
19 hours on average
2. Their views on the
quality of BBC
content
This is because of the high level of quality that the public
associates with BBC programmes and services
3. Their trust in the
BBC
And it is also because of the extent of the trust that they have
in BBC output
4. Their views on the
BBC overall
The time people spend with the BBC, coupled with their
appreciation of the content, has meant that support for the
BBC has risen over this Charter period
5. Their views on the
licence fee
Likewise, while no form of taxation is universally popular, there
has also been an increase in public backing for the licence fee
as the means of funding the BBC
The UK public’s usage of BBC services
Over this Charter period, usage of the BBC has stayed strong and
steady despite increasing media choice and decreasing share of
revenues
• Almost all of the UK (96% of UK adults) uses the BBC each week, and these
audiences spend a considerable amount of time with BBC services (around 19
hours per week, on average)
• The public consumes the BBC for substantial periods of time across multiple
platforms:
 Almost nine in ten people watch BBC TV overall each week. BBC One
reaches more people than any other channel in the UK irrespective of age,
socio-economic group and location
 Two-thirds of all adults listen to BBC Radio each week
 Half of all adults use BBC Online each week (62% of online adults), and it is
the only UK-owned website in the top ten most-used websites in the UK
Slide 4
BBC expenditure now accounts for around a quarter of
total broadcast industry revenues in the UK
Share of broadcast industry revenues, 1998-2012
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
30%
29%
27%
26%
28%
28%
26%
26%
26%
27%
26%
27%
26%
25%
26%
0%
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
BBC spend on TV and Radio
Advertising (inc. commercial radio)
Subscription
Other
Notes: Figures for 2007-12 are taken from Ofcom's 2013 Communications Market Report. Figures for 2000-2006 are taken from Ofcom's 2008 CMR. Figures for 19982000 are taken from Ofcom's 2004 CMR. 'BBC' includes Ofcom's estimates for BBC expenditure on TV and Radio, based on figures reported by the BBC. 'Advertising'
includes TV advertising revenues and Commercial Radio revenues. ‘Subscriptions’ includes Ofcom’s estimates of BSkyB and Virgin Media television subscriber revenue.
‘Other’ includes TV shopping, sponsorship, interactive (including premium rate telephony services), programme sales and S4C’s grant from the DCMS
Ofcom
Slide 5
Pan-BBC consumption has stayed broadly stable in
recent years (measurement in this form began in 2009)
Average weekly reach %
97%
97%
96%
96%
22:00
Average weekly reach
90%
20:00
80%
70%
24:00
18:44
19:08
18:48
19:26
18:00
16:00
60%
14:00
50%
12:00
40%
10:00
08:00
30%
06:00
20%
04:00
10%
02:00
0%
00:00
2009/10
2010/11
Cross-Media Insight Survey (CMI) by GfK, c6,000 UK adults per quarter. Pan-BBC average weekly
reach (15+ minutes); pan-BBC average time spent per user per week
2011/12
Slide 6
2012/13
Time spent per week hh:mm
100%
BBC TV viewing has stayed strong and steady over
this Charter period
Average weekly reach %
85%
84%
86%
85%
87%
86%
22:00
20:00
80%
18:00
70%
16:00
60%
14:00
50%
12:00
40%
30%
10:12
10:21
10:19
20%
10%
0%
2007/08
2008/09
New BARB contract
Average weekly reach %
90%
24:00
2009/10
BARB, 4+. BBC TV average weekly reach (15+ minutes cons.); BBC TV average time spent per viewer
per week
10:52
2010/11
Slide 7
10:43
11:06
10:00
08:00
06:00
04:00
02:00
00:00
2011/12
2012/13
Time spent per week hh:mm
100%
The BBC TV portfolio overall continues to reach almost
nine out of ten people in the UK each week
Average weekly reach per portfolio %
86%
74%
66%
45%
BARB, 4+, average weekly reach (15+ minutes cons.), FY 12/13
Slide 8
44%
While BBC One’s reach varies across different
audiences, it is the channel that reaches most people
in every group
Average weekly reach of the channel among each audience group %
BBC 1
ITV
Ch4
80%
71%
56%
87%
91% 93%
61%
61% 59%
47%
BARB, average weekly reach (15+ minutes cons.), FY 12/13
80% 78% 78%
80% 78% 82%
75% 73%
77% 78%
Slide 9
While the actual level varies, the BBC TV portfolio is
the most watched on all TV platforms
Portfolio share per TV platform %
93%
82%
3%
8%
8%
6%
15%
87%
76%
70%
9%
5%
10%
14%
12%
27%
22%
4%
9%
All individuals
31%
26%
Sky platform
BARB, 4+, share FY 12/13 . Channel 4 portfolio includes S4C; Sky portfolio includes Flextech.
Platform viewing based on TV sets
26%
Sky portfolio
Channel 5
portfolio
Channel 4
portfolio
ITV porfolio
41%
Freeview platform
14%
21%
18%
34%
1%
6%
Virgin platform
Slide 10
40%
BBC TV portfolio
Freesat platform
BBC Radio reach remains strong, though there has
been a drop in the amount of listening, reflecting the
platform overall
100%
24:00
90%
22:00
80%
17:07
16:50
70%
60%
20:00
16:34
16:24
16:36
16:15
18:00
16:00
66%
66%
67%
66%
67%
67%
14:00
50%
12:00
40%
10:00
08:00
30%
06:00
20%
04:00
10%
02:00
0%
00:00
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
RAJAR, 15+. BBC Radio average weekly reach (15+ minutes); BBC Radio average time spent
per listener per week. Data run using Jan-Mar quarter of each FY, 12-month weight
2010/11
Slide 11
2011/12
2012/13
Time spent per week hh:mm
Average weekly reach %
Average weekly reach %
BBC Radio is listened to more than Commercial Radio
though both reach around two-thirds of UK adults
each week
Time spent per
week per listener
hh:mm
16:15
67%
13:14
63%
Average
weekly reach %
The most listened to
digital radio station
Commercial
Radio
RAJAR, 15+. Average weekly reach (15+ minutes), time spent per listener per week,
FY 12/13. Data run using Jan-Mar quarter, 12-month weight
The most listened to
UK-wide radio
station
Slide 12
Half of UK adults use BBC Online each week, and it is
the only UK-owned website in the top ten most-used
sites in the UK
Average weekly reach of BBC Online
50
%
25
millions
20
15
62
%
UK online
adults
1
2
Adults using BBC Online each week over time in
millions
3
4
Methodology
change
30
All UK
adults
Top ten most-visited
websites in the UK
5
6
7
10
8
5
0
9
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Cross-Media Insight Survey (CMI) by GfK, c6,000 UK adults per quarter, Q3 2013, average weekly reach (3 mins+) of BBC
Online. BMRB/TNS/GfK Expenditure and Food Survey 2002 to 2004; Opinions and Lifestyle survey 2005-2008; CMI 2008
onwards (small method change from Oct 2012)
Slide 13
1
0
comScore Media Metrix, UK 6+, November 2013 (desktop only)
The BBC has experienced strong growth on new
platforms
Browsers accessing BBC Online per week
From tablets
Oct 2013
11.5m
17.7m
4.2m
261
millions
From mobiles
Oct 2012
BBC iPlayer TV and radio requests per
month in millions
8.8m
97
Oct 2009
44m
Oct 2010 Oct 2011
41%
BBC apps downloads since launch
iStats Digital Analytix. App store download figures (to end Oct 2013)
139
Slide 14
BBC iStats
178
213
Oct 2012 Oct 2013
of all BBC TV iPlayer requests
now come from mobiles or
tablets,
up from 6% in 2010
The BBC makes a key contribution to the wider news
market
Ofcom data shows that people regard
However, around one in ten news
the BBC as their most important news
provider
consumers get news only from the
BBC as most choose to use more than
one provider*
1 provider only – BBC
Looking at all the sources of news you have said that
you use, which one IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU
PERSONALLY?
53%
1 other provider only
2 providers
15%
11%
None
Don't know
1% 2%
Other
Northern and
Shell
Telegraph
Media
Guardian
Media Group
Trinity Mirror
DMGT
3% 3% 1% 1% 1% 1%
News Corp
Sky News
ITN
BBC
8%
In answering the question, respondents give the name of the one news source of greatest personal importance
to them. Ofcom then categorises the responses into wholesale providers
Kantar Media for Ofcom, 2,628 users of news nowadays, ‘News consumption in the UK: research
report’, published Sep 2013
Slide 15
3 providers
4 or more providers
*provider = wholesale provider – classified as the company that provides the
news for the given source (hence if a consumer uses both Sky News and
commercial radio for news, this would be classed as one provider as Sky News
provides the news for both)
Owing to rounding, data does not sum to 100
BBC Global News services reach around a quarter of a
million people around the world per week
BBC Global News any platform reach per week in millions
234
238
millions
211
234
241
The Global Audience Estimate (GAE) measures the combined reach of the BBC’s international
services – BBC World Service, BBC World News and bbc.com/news – across the world
Slide 16
225
239
256
The UK public’s relationship with the BBC
1. Their usage of BBC
services
Over this Charter period, usage of the BBC has remained very
high: almost all of the UK uses the BBC each week, for around
19 hours on average
2. Their views on the
quality of BBC
content
This is because of the high level of quality that the public
associates with BBC programmes and services
3. Their trust in the
BBC
And it is also because of the extent of the trust that they have
in BBC output
4. Their views on the
BBC overall
The time people spend with the BBC, coupled with their
appreciation of the content, has meant that support for the
BBC has risen over this Charter period
5. Their views on the
licence fee
Likewise, while no form of taxation is universally popular, there
has also been an increase in public backing for the licence fee
as the means of funding the BBC
The UK public’s views on the quality of BBC content
The public’s high usage of the BBC is directly connected to their
high appreciation of the quality and impact of BBC content
• Data from Ofcom shows that BBC One and BBC Two are rated as higher quality
than the other public service broadcaster (PSB) channels
• The BBC also emerges as a global leader on quality – in a recent international
survey of 14 countries, BBC One was rated highest out of 66 major TV
channels
• The BBC has a considerable impact across all parts of its mission to Inform,
Educate and Entertain
• That said, the BBC continues to focus on increasing the distinctiveness of
content and catering for the nations, regions and communities of the UK
where BBC scores are not ahead of other broadcasters’
• The UK public values a wide range of genres from the BBC
Slide 18
Ofcom’s data shows that BBC channels are rated as
higher quality than the other public service
broadcaster channels
% of viewers saying channel shows well-made, high quality
programmes
81%
79%
% 7-10 out of 10
68%
66%
48%
BBC One
BBC Two
Ofcom, PSB Annual Report, 2013. Data collected by BDRC Continental, Mar-Dec 2012, selfreported viewers of the channel: BBC One 1,683; BBC Two 684; ITV 1,214; C4 676; C5 361
ITV
Slide 19
Ch4
Ch5
BBC One (UK)
TV Cultura (BR)
BBC Two (UK)
Nederland 1 (NL)
ABC 1 (AU)
MBC 2 (UAE)
Dubai TV (UAE)
CBS (US)
PBS (US)
ITV (UK)
ABC (US)
NBC (US)
Channel 4 (UK)
Das Erste (DE)
ZDF (DE)
Nederland 3 (NL)
SVT1 (SE)
MBC 1 (UAE)
Nederland 2 (NL)
Channel 7 (AU)
RTL4 (NL)
Al Jazeera (UAE)
SVT2 (SE)
Channel 9 (AU)
France 2 (FR)
DR1 (DK)
RTP1 (PT)
Globo (BR)
France 3 (FR)
NHK1 (JP)
SIC (PT)
TV Brasil (BR)
TV4 (SE)
Channel Ten (AU)
Bandeirantes (BR)
La 1 (ES)
La Sexta (ES)
TV2 (DK)
Record (BR)
SBT (BR)
SBS6 (NL)
M6 (FR)
Al Arabiya (UAE)
Antena 3 (ES)
Rai 3 (IT)
Channel 5 (UK)
Cuatro (ES)
TVI (PT)
TF1 (FR)
Canale 5 (IT)
Rai 1 (IT)
Rai 2 (IT)
Kanal 5 (SE)
Vox (DE)
ProSieben (DE)
RTL (DE)
Italia 1 (IT)
SAT 1 (DE)
TV3 (SE)
TV Asahi (JP)
TV Tokyo (JP)
TBS (JP)
NTV (JP)
Rete 4 (IT)
Fuji TV (JP)
Tele Cinco (ES)
International research shows that the UK is a leader on
overall TV quality, with BBC One receiving the highest
quality
score
Out of 66 channels
in 14 countries, BBC One receives the highest quality score of all, with BBC
Two ranked third
79%
Perceptions of TV channel quality rated by respondents in the
country
% Very / fairly good quality
71%
Dark blue = Publicly-funded
channel
Light blue = Commercially-funded
channel
Populus for the BBC, 14 countries, 500 adults per country rated the quality of each of the biggest TV
channels in their country, Oct 2013
Slide 20
To what extent do you think the quality of programmes on the following television channels in [INSERT
COUNTRY NAME] is good or poor?
Inform: the BBC is the UK’s major news provider
BBC News is an active choice among the UK
population
Election 2010 coverage improved my understanding of the
issues:
% of viewers to the provider
TV news viewing
21
%
73
%
% Agree
TV news minutes
broadcast
BBC News helps citizens understand big issues
60%
43%
41%
While news consumers use c4-5 different sources of news on average, they choose the BBC for
national moments
12.3m watched the 2012
Euros Final on BBC One
– 6x higher than ITV
BBC One coverage on Election
Night 2010 reached 15m
people
– 2x higher than ITV
BARB, Jan-Jun 2013
YouGov for BBC, May 2010. Based on those who watched coverage of each respective broadcaster
18.7m watched the 2011 Royal
Wedding ceremony on BBC One
– 3x higher than ITV
Slide 21
91% of the UK watched the
2012 Olympics on BBC TV
96% felt the BBC’s coverage
met or exceeded their
expectations
BARB, Election Night (3 min+ reach cons.), Royal Wedding and Euros (average audience).
BARB Olympics 15+ minute
cumulative reach; Ipsos MORI 2012
Educate: the BBC’s educational mission has real
impact
Ofcom
data shows that more viewers say they
BBC services encourage people to take up new
find programmes to make them stop and think
on the BBC
% 7-10 out of 10
% of viewers saying channel shows programmes that make
me stop and think
69%
62%
digital skills
1 in 8
56%
40%
31%
1 in
10
iPlayer users say iPlayer is a
reason they got home
broadband
internet users said one of the
main reasons they went online
was because of bbc.co.uk
BBC content helps people learn in a variety of ways
The Shakespeare Unlocked
season reached over 14m
people
Bitesize (BBC’s online study support
resource for school-age students in the
UK) : 1.6m average weekly unique UK
browsers
Ofcom PSB Annual Report, 2013. Data collected by BDRC Continental, Mar-Dec 2012, self-reported
viewers of the channel: BBC One 1,683; BBC Two 684; ITV 1,214; C4 676; C5 361
Slide 22
John Lewis’ sales of food mixers rose
62% and cake cooling racks by 70%
during The Great British Bake Off
Pulse by GfK for BBC. 777 UK adults who used iPlayer on a computer in the last 3 months. Oct 2013; TNS
for BBC. 1,038 adults, Dec 2007. BARB 4+ cumulative reach; Dax/iStats; Retail Week Oct 2013
Entertain: the BBC makes content viewers find highly
Ofcom
data shows that more viewers say they
The BBC brings audiences together for
engaging
% 7-10 out of 10
find programmes they want to watch on BBC
channels
% of viewers saying channel
shows programmes I want to
69%
watch
67%
63%
60%
48%
different
forms of entertainment
9.5m people in the UK watched series 3 of
Miranda, and 11.5m watched the Boxing Day
2012 episode
12.8m people in the UK watched the 50th
anniversary episode of Doctor Who
33% (19.0m) of the UK watched Glastonbury
‘13 on BBC TV
Entertainment shows are among the top-performing programmes on each BBC TV channel
67% of the UK
watch
entertainment
content on BBC
TV in a month
Strictly Come
Top Gear:
Russell Howard’s Good
Only Connect:
Dancing:
series average
News:
series average
series average
audience
series average audience
audience
,;
audience
5.3m
0.9m
0.9genre
m (excludes comedy subOfcom PSB Annual Report, 2013. Data collected by BDRC Continental, Mar-Dec 2012, self-reported viewers of the
BARB, 4+, average monthly reach 15+ mins (cons.), Sep-Nov 2013, first-runs only, BARB Entertainment
Slide 23
channel: BBC One 1,683; BBC Two 684; ITV 1,214; C4 676; C5 361. BARB, 4+, average audience / Glastonbury 3 min+
genres). Channel examples: average audience
10.8m
cumulative reach
The BBC continues to focus on increasing the
distinctiveness of content
Ofcom data shows that BBC channels are not
ahead of other PSBs on distinctiveness of
content
However, improvements are being made
59%
58%
56%
% of BBC TV programmes viewers rate as being
fresh and new (BBC measure of distinctiveness)
47%
35%
68%
71%
2010/11
2012/13
% Agree
% 7-10 out of 10
% of viewers saying channel shows programmes
with new ideas / different approaches
Not measured in this form prior to 2010
Ofcom, PSB Annual Report, 2013. Data collected by BDRC Continental, Mar-Dec 2012, selfreported viewers of the channel: BBC One 1,683; BBC Two 684; ITV 1,214; C4 676; C5 361
Slide 24
Pulse by GfK for the BBC. c20,000 UK adults 16+ on panel
And the BBC continues to focus on how it caters for
the nations, regions and communities of the UK
Ofcom data shows that BBC channels are not well ahead of the other PSBs
on portrayal
% 7-10 out of 10
% of viewers saying channel portrays my
region fairly to the rest of the UK
57%
% of viewers saying channel shows different
kinds of cultures within the UK
58%
56%
42%
58%
55%
46%
36%
31%
26%
Ofcom, PSB Annual Report, 2013. Data collected by BDRC Continental, Mar-Dec 2012, selfreported viewers of the channel: BBC One 1,683; BBC Two 684; ITV 1,214; C4 676; C5 361
Slide 25
Some improvement is being made – BBC TV share in
Scotland, Wales and the North West is moving closer to
the UKNations
average
and regions BBC TV share compared with the UK average
Chart shows share gap: BBC TV share in each nation/region minus BBC TV share in the UK overall
5.4
4.95.2
2010/11
2012/13
North subregions
1.5
0.8
0.50.3
0.5
-1.0
-1.6-1.9
-1.5
2011/12
-0.4
-0.9
-1.5
-2.2-1.9-1.8
-1.6
-2.4
-0.5
-1.6
-1.4-1.8
-1.7 -2.5
-3.9
-5.8
-6.8 -6.7
South
Wales
Midlands
Scotland
London
North
North West
Yorks &
Humb
North
East
Northern
Ireland
In the North West people’s perceptions of
BBC portrayal of their region now match the
UK average
BARB, 4+, financial years
BBC Accountability and Reputation Tracker by Kantar Media
Slide 26
The UK public values a wide range of genres from the
BBC
From both a consumer and citizen perspective, people want a variety of
genres on BBC TV
Consumer
value
Points allocated
Respondents divided
100 points between
genres based on how
much they / their
household value
them from BBC TV
12
12
10
9
8
8
7
7
6
5
5
5
7.
1
5.
4
5.
9
9
Among
parent
s
4
3
Citizen value
Mean score
Respondents rated
each genre out of 10
based on how much
they value each from
BBC TV for the
benefit of society
7.
6
6.
0
4.
7
6.
8
5.
9
Ipsos MORI for the BBC, 2,118 UK adults 15+, June 2013. Consumer value: Please divide these 100 points between the
types of programmes you and your household watch on BBC TV based on the amount you value watching them
5.
7
Slide 27
5.
3
6.
4
4.
3
5.
8
6.
7
5.
4
Amon
g
Citizen value: Thinking about the good of society as a whole, how important do you feel it isparent
that the BBC broadcasts each
type of programme? (Scale: 1 = not important at all; 10 = extremely important)
s
The UK public’s relationship with the BBC
1. Their usage of BBC
services
Over this Charter period, usage of the BBC has remained very
high: almost all of the UK uses the BBC each week, for around
19 hours on average
2. Their views on the
quality of BBC
content
This is because of the high level of quality that the public
associates with BBC programmes and services
3. Their trust in the
BBC
And it is also because of the extent of the trust that they have
in BBC output
4. Their views on the
BBC overall
The time people spend with the BBC, coupled with their
appreciation of the content, has meant that support for the
BBC has risen over this Charter period
5. Their views on the
licence fee
Likewise, while no form of taxation is universally popular, there
has also been an increase in public backing for the licence fee
as the means of funding the BBC
The UK public’s trust in the BBC
High usage of the BBC is also linked to the public’s trust in BBC
output
• Levels of trust in the BBC dropped in the autumn of 2012 with the events
around Jimmy Savile and Newsnight
• In 2013 scores have been moving closer to the levels they were at earlier in
2012, though recovery is not yet complete
• Public trust in the BBC has been rising over the longer term. This means that
levels of trust, despite the recent fall, are higher now than they were in 2004
• The BBC remains by far the most trusted news source in the UK and is also
seen as the most impartial news provider
Slide 29
Levels of trust in the BBC dropped in the autumn of
2012 with the events around Jimmy Savile and
Newsnight. There has been improvement in 2013,
though recovery is not yet complete
Jubilee
weekend
Olympics
fortnight
7.
0
7.
0
7.
1
6.
7
6.
7
6.
7
Savile
coverage
7.
3
6.
8
6.
9
6.
2
Newsnight
apology
6.
9
6.
0
6.
9
6.
2
Pollard
Report
Transcript
s released
7.
1
7.
2
6.
5
6.
5
6.
9
6.
4
Stuart Hall
guilty
7.
0
6.
5
6.
9
6.
2
Severance
pay
7.
0
7.
0
6.
4
6.
4
6.
9
6.
2
PAC*
session
6.
8
6.
3
6.
9
7.
1
6.
4
6.
3
General impression of the BBC - mean score
/ 10
1 = extremely unfavourable; 10 = extremely
favourable
I trust the BBC - mean score / 10
1 = strongly disagree; 10 = strongly
agree
BBC Accountability and Reputation Tracker by Kantar Media, c1,000 UK adults per month
Slide 30
*Public Accounts Committee
People’s trust in the BBC has been rising over the long
term. Current figures are higher than 2004
Queen /
faked
competitions
07-10/07
7.2
Gaza
Appeal
01/09
PQF
6Music
01/10
Jimmy
Savile
10/12
7
Mean score /10
6.8
6.6
6.4
6.2
General impression of BBC
6
5.8
5.6
I trust the BBC
5.4
Ross/
Brand
10/08
5.2
5
BBC Accountability and Reputation Tracker by Kantar Media, c700 UK adults per quarter until Oct
2010, c1,000 per month from Nov 2010
Slide 31
General impression of the BBC - mean score
/ 10
1 = extremely unfavourable; 10 = extremely
favourable
I trust the BBC - mean score / 10
1 = strongly disagree; 10 = strongly
agree
In comparison with other news providers, the BBC
remains by far the most trusted source of news in the
Of all the news sources (TV broadcaster, radio, newspaper, magazine or
UK website), which ONE source are you most likely to turn to for news you trust
the most? Open-ended
58%
14%
6%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
4%
3%
6%
Other Don’t know None
News
Ipsos MORI for the BBC, UK adults 16+ who follow the news (1,873), Feb 2013
Newspaper titles include the Sunday editions
Slide 32
And the BBC is the news source people turn to for
impartial news coverage
Of all the news sources (TV broadcaster, radio, newspaper, magazine or
website), which ONE source are you most likely to turn to if you want impartial
news coverage? Open-ended
49%
14%
6%
3%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
5%
6%
8%
Other Don’t know None
News
Ipsos MORI for the BBC, UK adults 16+ who follow the news (1,873), Feb 2013
Newspaper titles include the Sunday editions
Slide 33
When people rate different news providers in turn,
broadcasters and broadsheet newspapers receive the
highest scores for impartiality
How biased or impartial do you think each of the following news
Broadcaster
sources is?
Broadsheet
Mean score / 10: 1 = very biased; 10 = very impartial
6.8
newspaper
6.4 6.2
Mid-market
5.8 5.7 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.5
newspaper
5.4 5.3 5.2 5.2
Tabloid newspaper
4.9 4.8
4.4 4.3 4.2 4.2 News aggregator
4.0 3.9
Social
network
3.7 3.7
Ipsos MORI for the BBC, UK adults 16+ who follow news (half sample answering about impartiality:
919). Newspaper titles include the Sunday editions
Slide 34
The vast majority of the public think that it is of real
importance for the BBC to be independent from the
Government of
the day 87%
Important
Unimportant
11%
53%
Very important
Fairly important
Not very important
Not at all important
34%
Don't know
6%
5%
How important, if at
all, do you think it is that
Column1
the BBC is independent from the Government
of the day?
TNS for the BBC, 1,030 UK adults 16+, Aug 2010
Slide 35
The UK public’s relationship with the BBC
1. Their usage of BBC
services
Over this Charter period, usage of the BBC has remained very
high: almost all of the UK uses the BBC each week, for around
19 hours on average
2. Their views on the
quality of BBC
content
This is because of the high level of quality that the public
associates with BBC programmes and services
3. Their trust in the
BBC
And it is also because of the extent of the trust that they have
in BBC output
4. Their views on the
BBC overall
The time people spend with the BBC, coupled with their
appreciation of the content, has meant that support for the
BBC has risen over this Charter period
5. Their views on the
licence fee
Likewise, while no form of taxation is universally popular, there
has also been an increase in public backing for the licence fee
as the means of funding the BBC
The UK public’s views on the BBC overall
The time people spend with the BBC, coupled with their
appreciation of the content, has meant that public support for the
BBC has risen over this Charter period
• The public has a very positive view of the BBC overall and gives the BBC a 7
out of 10, on average. This has stayed broadly steady over the last year and
has been rising over this Charter period
• Compared with 2007/08 and despite greater media choice today, more people
now feel:
 the BBC maintains high standards of quality
 the BBC is a great ambassador for the UK
 the BBC helps people make up their minds about issues of the day
 glad the BBC exists
• Four in five people would miss the BBC if it no longer existed
Slide 37
The public has a very positive view of the BBC, giving a
score of 7 out of 10, on average. This has stayed
steady over
theimpression
last year
General
of broadcasters and organisations
Mean Score
% Approvers
8.1
75%
7.4
80%
7.0
76%
6.9
76%
High approvers (810)
Approvers (6-7)
59%
53%
46%
42%
6.9
65%
35%
7.2
51%
33%
Neutral (5)
30%
16%
4%
3%
Don't know/ No
opinion
17%
33%
6.7
72%
32%
7.2
49%
31%
6.6
51%
30%
6.4
61%
30%
6.6
66%
28%
6.0
41%
23%
18%
18%
Low approvers (14)
7.2
48%
27%
30%
7%
34%
7%
18%
15%
6%
40%
8%
6%
5%
8%
12%
11%
9%
3%
9%
2%
10%
3%
31%
38%
9%
13%
10%
8%
21%
8%
33%
37%
9%
18%
BBC Accountability and Reputation Tracker by Kantar Media, Jan – Nov 2013, 11,177 UK adults 16+.
General impression scale: 1 = extremely unfavourable; 10 = extremely favourable
5%
Slide 38
17%
15%
20%
30%
9%
7%
18%
12%
15%
38%
5.7
45%
18%
14%
14%
6.5
37%
27%
13%
10%
10%
46%
19%
32%
18%
Public perceptions of the BBC have improved over this
Charter period
Mean score / 10
1 = extremely unfavourable; 10 = extremely favourable (general impression)
1 = strongly disagree; 10 = strongly agree (other statements)
2007/08
6.9
7.6
Mean score /
10
6.6
7.0
General impression
of the BBC
I am glad the BBC
exists
6.3
7.1
6.5
7.3
5.9
2012/13
6.6
BBC maintains high
BBC is a great
BBC helps people
standards of quality ambassador for UK tounderstand and make
world
up their mind on
issues
Kantar for the BBC, Pan-BBC Tracking Study and BBC Brand and Reputation Tracker, UK adults
2007/08: sample sizes: 10,312 General impression; high standards of quality; 4,284 Glad the BBC exists, BBC helps people
understand; 4,212 BBC is a great ambassador
Slide 39
2012/13: sample sizes: 12,236 General impression; high standards of quality; 6,140 Glad the BBC exists, BBC is a great
ambassador; 6,096 BBC helps people understand
Four out of five people would miss the BBC if it was no
longer there
% who would miss each broadcaster if it no longer existed
80%
% Agree
70%
BBC
ITV
NatCen Social Research for BBC Trust, 2,609 UK adults16+, Jan-Feb 2013
64%
Ch4
Slide 40
46%
44%
Sky
Ch5
The public strongly supports the BBC’s mission and
backs the BBC taking creative risks
Agree 93%
91%
90%
89%
85%
72%
Disagree 1%
2%
4%
2%
4%
13%
Strongly agree
58%
43%
50%
40%
38%
30%
42%
49%
35%
4%
1%
Inform,
The
BBC’s
educate and
programmes
and
services
should
entertain
inform,
educate
and entertain
people
5%
1%
Tastes
and
The
BBC should
interests
provide
something
that suits different
people’s tastes and
interests, even if not
everything is of
interest to me
Ipsos MORI for the BBC, 1,024 UK adults 15+, Aug 2010
personally
40%
49%
4%
4%
8%
2%
kinds
TheAll
BBC
should
air of
allviews
kinds of
andand
views
opinions
opinions,
even if
some people
find them
challenging
Fresh
and try
The BBC
should
new and
ideas
out new
fresh
ideas for
programmes and
services even if not
everything they try
always works well
Slide 41
Tend to agree
Neither agree nor
disagree
Tend to disagree
47%
13%
Strongly disagree
9%
3%
1%
11%
2%
Don't know
TheCreativity
BBC should
encourage creativity,
new talent and
innovation, even if
some people might
take offence
Not should
be
The BBC
to to
not afraid
be afraid
show
show material that
offensive
some
people
might find
offensive
The UK public’s relationship with the BBC
1. Their usage of BBC
services
Over this Charter period, usage of the BBC has remained very
high: almost all of the UK uses the BBC each week, for around
19 hours on average
2. Their views on the
quality of BBC
content
This is because of the high level of quality that the public
associates with BBC programmes and services
3. Their trust in the
BBC
And it is also because of the extent of the trust that they have
in BBC output
4. Their views on the
BBC overall
The time people spend with the BBC, coupled with their
appreciation of the content, has meant that support for the
BBC has risen over this Charter period
5. Their views on the
licence fee
Likewise, while no form of taxation is universally popular, there
has also been an increase in public backing for the licence fee
as the means of funding the BBC
The UK public’s views on the licence fee
While no form of taxation is universally popular, long term polling
(using the same question in each wave) shows that there has been
an increase in public backing for the licence fee over this Charter
period
• 47% of the UK overall now back the licence fee – making it the method of
funding the BBC with the single most support (compared with 27% for
advertising and 22% for subscription)
• Support is higher now than it was in 2004 when 31% backed the licence fee
(and higher than twenty years ago)
• Public perceptions of the value for money of the BBC have also been rising
• The household cost in real terms today, the range of services now and
continued high levels of usage of the BBC all help to raise public support for
the BBC and for the licence fee
Slide 43
Long term polling using the same question shows that
there has been an increase in public backing for the
licence
fee since 2004
Which of the following would you like to see as the main source of BBC funding?
A licence fee paid by everyone with a TV
Advertising
31%
31%
43%
24%
51%
23%
47%
47%
21%
27%
36%
30%
21%
25%
22%
2004
2009
2011
2012
2013
1-3 Nov
2004: ICM, 1,037 UK adults 18+; 2009: ICM, 1,001 GB adults 18+; 2011: ICM, 1,034 UK adults 18+; 2012: Ipsos MORI, 2,078
adults 15+; 2013: Ipsos MORI, 1,034 UK adults 18+. All telephone surveys except Ipsos MORI 2012, which was face-to-face
Slide 44
The licence fee is the top choice for funding the BBC
across all ages, socio-economic groups and types of
TV
ownership
Which of the following would you like to see as the main source of BBC funding?
47%
47%
49%
41%
Total
18-24
52%
49%
25-34
35-44
52%
43%
45-54
40%
55-64
65+
A licence fee by everyone with a TV
Ipsos MORI for the BBC, 1,031 UK adults 18+, Nov 2013
52%
Slide 45
ABC1
C2DE
Advertising
47%
41%
Freeview
Sky
Virgin
Recent polling by YouGov also shows that the licence
fee is the means of funding the BBC with the single
most support, backed by c50% of the public
Which of these statements about the BBC comes closest to your view?
The licence fee should remain, so the BBC is free from commercial pressure and
doesn’t have to interrupt programmes with advertising breaks
48%
27%
13%
6%
6%
YouGov for Prospect, 1,712 GB adults 18+, Feb 2013
The licence fee should be dropped and the main source of BBC income should
be advertising, like ITV
The licence fee should be dropped, and BBC’s main source of income should be
subscriptions, so that only people who want the BBC should pay for it – but
there should still be no advertising breaks
The licence fee should be dropped and replaced with a mixture of advertising
and subscriptions, like Sky
Not sure
Slide 46
When scored on a scale from 1 to 10, public
perceptions of the value for money of the BBC have
shown an increaseValue for money of the BBC
Mean score /10: 1 = extremely poor; 10 = extremely good
6.00
5.9
5.75
5.7
5.3
5.25
5.00
4.9
4.9
2007/08
2008/09
5.0
4.75
4.50
4.25
4.00
2009/10
BBC Accountability and Reputation Tracker by Kantar Media, 700 UK adults per month until Oct
2010,1,000 per month from Nov 2010
Slide 47
Survey change Nov 2010
Mean score / 10
5.50
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
The BBC Trust also asks the public for their perceptions of value for money on a four-point scale. On the
four-point scale, perceptions have stayed steady
The household cost today, the range of services now
and high usage all help to raise public support for the
BBC and
fee
20licence
years ago
Today
•
•
£147.44 per household (in 2013 prices)
0.25% of GDP
• c40%
•
•
•
of broadcast revenues
£145.50 per household
0.23% of GDP
c25% of broadcast revenues
NATIONS RADIO
NATIONS RADIO
Limited competition:
Extraordinary competition:
46%
42% share of TV and radio
21.3 hours per person per week
share of TV and radio
19.8 hours
BARB 4+, RAJAR 15+, CMI 16+
(1)
per person per week
Slide 48
Notes: (1) Figure comparable to 1994 methodology and sources so differs from source used on slide 6
End
Slide 49