BBC On-Demand
Research Findings
September 2006
CONTENTS
1. Background & Objectives
2. Methodology & Sample
3. Main Findings
Background Context
Entertainment On Demand
Media Brands & Challenging Content
Labelling Explored
4. Conclusions & Recommendations
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2
RESEARCH BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH BACKGROUND
_Background to the Project
The BBC is planning to launch the‘BBCiPlayer’, subject to regulatory approval,
a move which is likely to revolutionise viewing and listening patterns by providing
access to BBC content on a seven day catch up basis
•
•
This change throws up a number of issues in terms of providing ‘challenging’ content in the on
demand environment
N.B. ‘Challenging/Strong’ content is defined internally as sex, bad language, drugs and violence, and postwatershed content such as adult humour
a number of research projects have been undertaken in order to understand labelling issues for different
platforms – i.e. how users can easily identify and understand the potential content of programming, and
therefore make decisions as to its suitability or interest
The previous research that has been undertaken identified a definite expectation that the BBC
provide superior standards across all platforms in comparison to other entertainment providers
the BBC has a duty of care to users and it is expected to be more rigorous in terms of providing guidance,
an effective/ relevant watershed and protection of children
even though there is some accepted difference in standards in a format such as online in comparison to TV
provided by the BBC, there is still an expectation that users will be able to identify challenging content
with ease
various formats of labelling or signposting were tested, but a need for further research with regard to
accessing strong content specifically, and how expectations change when different platforms are
compared directly has been identified
4
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Overall Business Objective
Research was required to offer insight into expectations, attitudes and behaviour
regarding ‘challenging’ content so that the BBC can be properly advised prior to the
extension of its on demand services
Overall Research Objectives
• To build on previous research conducted and to understand and explore current
expectations regarding challenging content, particularly in relation to the BBC
• Also to provide specific recommendations in anticipation of the increase in the
uptake of on-demand content
5
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
In order to address the research objectives and test the hypotheses the
following areas were explored in depth
•
1. Behaviour and
expectations regarding
‘challenging’ content
•
Explore and understand current expectations from
consumers in relation to on-demand and linear content
what are their media consumption habits e.g. linear vs ondemand
what prompts them to choose either type? How are they
accessing on-demand e.g. TV, internet etc
what are their expectations regarding content from each and
how they vary
what information / guidance are they seeking out for each?
Does it differ? Why? Are their needs met better by one or
other? How do they feel about the information / guidance
currently provided
how do they feel about pre-watershed and post-watershed
content
when watching on-demand content are they aware of / does
the original broadcast time have any meaning
For parents, to understand how their attitudes alter with
regards to children watching TV or on the internet
how do they feel about on-demand content and how do they
monitor this
level of monitoring what their kids watch / look at? Does it
depend whether it is linear or on-demand TV?
as on-demand content negates the watershed how do they
feel about their kids and ‘challenging’ content
what kind of controls do they want in place? What kind of
guidance are they looking for / what would be helpful to
them
6
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
•
2. Impact of platform type
•
Explore how different platforms influence expectations
regarding content
what are the differences in accessing content via different
platforms (TV, mobile, downloads, radio) and how does this
impact on behaviour and usage
Understand how platform impacts on viewing experience
and attitudes to more ‘challenging’ content
impact of media device e.g. PSP vs TV on attitudes to type of
content available and viewed
•
3. Impact of media brand
•
How do different brands affect their attitude
do they have certain assumptions around different brands
e.g. BBC vs Sky vs AOL? What are these and why
if they expect stronger content from one brand does this
make it more acceptable? Why / why not
do they make a judgement based on the platform or content
brand and which has greater impact
do they perceive BBC content differently if it is viewed via a
different platform e.g. not BBC
Understand expectation and attitude towards labelling and
pin protection across all platforms and brands
usage and how it impacts on their expectations
7
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
•
•
4. Specific response to
content on the BBC
•
•
Understand attitudes to BBC content
how do they feel about the BBC and BBC content
how do these feelings alter when accessing content via TV,
downloading, internet etc
do their expectations change if watching content ‘live’ as
opposed to catching up
do they have different expectation for TV vs. bbc.co.uk
do they feel differently about BBC on-demand content than
other on-demand content
Explore attitudes to ‘challenging’ content on bbc.co.uk
how do they feel about navigation on website currently?
What do they expect in terms of labelling and guidance?
Should there be a password protection? At what points /
level
how does ‘level’ (homepage vs deeper into website) impact
on expectations and acceptability of ‘challenging’ content
how do feelings alter if accessing via aggregator or
programme site, or programme, network, actor, genre etc
how does navigability impact compare to other factors e.g.
channel brand, familiarity with content, title, scheduling etc
Explore attitude to user generated content (UGC) on
bbc.co.uk
how do they feel about user generated content: how does
this differ to BBC generated content
how best can this be monitored
How do their expectations differ for audio content
is labelling important in this context
8
METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE
METHODOLOGY & SAMPLE
_Sample Structure
•
•
11 sessions in total: household depths in-home
featuring core household unit
Each session lasting between 1¼ - 1½ hours
London
Nottingham
Leeds
Young Shared Household
18-24 years
Male/Female
BC1C2
8
Young Shared Household
18-24 years
Male/Female
BC1C2
8
Pre-family Couple
20-35 years
No kids
BC1C2
4
6
Older Family Household
Kids 12-18 years
Kids living at home
BC1C2
5
Older Family Household
Kids 12-18 years
Kids living at home
BC1C2
5
3
Teen Peer Group
14-15 years
4x Boys
BC1C2
2
Teen Peer Group
13-14 years
4x Girls
BC1C2
1
Solus Household
20-40 years
Male/Female
BC1C2
7
Young Family Household
Kids 0-11 years
BC1C2
Empty Nester Household
Kids no longer living at home
BC1C2
Solus Household
20-40 years
Male/Female
BC1C2
7
10
METHODOLOGY & SAMPLE
_Recruitment Criteria
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
All to be Sky Plus/on-demand households (Homechoice, Teleport, NTL On-Demand)
All regular on-demand users
Non-rejecters of the BBC (but with a range of attitudes)
All used a range of websites including bbc.co.uk and within this accessed a variety
of page types (e.g. sport, entertainment, music)
Non-rejecters of strong content
Range of attitudes towards confidence with technology
Focused users of at least 2 of 3 services: On-demand TV, broadband, downloading –
an even spread of these services to be covered
BC1C2 social grade spread
Pre-task: All respondents were asked to complete a pre-task involving viewing
content from various sections of the BBC and competitor websites and recording
their responses to the accuracy of the content and labelling
11
Main Findings
BACKGROUND CONTEXT
TECHNOLOGY RELATIONSHIP
_Lifestage Profiles
Young shared
Pre-family
Teens
•
•
•
•
Confident with technology
Enjoy personal space sites
Myspace, friends websites,
Yahoo! Geocities etc
•
Like to keep up-to-date
with new technology
considering new options
like Sky HD, Video iPod
Starting to watch ‘catchup’ TV via broadband
Provides an opportunity to
express views/tastes/opinions to
peers
•
•
Use internet mainly for fun
leisure pass time (eg.
shopping, emailing friends
etc)
Internet usage a key postwork activity
•
Empty nesters
•
•
•
Semi-retired
Older families
Enjoying retirement
Quite ‘outdoorsy’ but…
Enjoy keeping up with
new technology
(eg. Sky+, wireless
internet etc)
•
•
Multiple computers in
households
Young families
•
all want own ‘PC space’
No strict household rules on
internet usage
•
Just starting to think about
controlling kids media usage
•
Solus
Like having latest
gadgets
PSP
3G phone
Keep computer
upgraded/up-to-date
monitoring web use
thinking about using PIN
protection system on Sky+ box
TV watershed a useful guide
13
TECHNOLOGY RELATIONSHIP
_Role of Internet
Most use internet at least once a day if not more, at home and at work
for a variety of task driven and entertainment purposes
Managing finances
•
•
•
•
Highly valued by professional/working
households
Online banking/savings accounts
File Sharing, Downloading and Gaming
•
•
Eg. egg.com, barclays.co.uk
Checking stocks and shares
A major time saving opportunity
•
•
•
•
A favoured activity across all lifestages
eg. amazon.co.uk, eBay.co.uk, play.com
Opportunity to indulge hobbies/interests
Emotional equivalent of window shopping but
without having to leave the house
eBay and other auction sites provide
opportunity to sell junk to fund new interests
(eg trading in an old VHS camcorder for a
digital equivalent)
Myspace, iTunes, limewire, MSN
Keen to communicate/share interests
UGC sites encourage active participation and
interaction (eg. Myspace, Yahoo! Geocities)
Gaming sites particularly enjoyed by boys
ability to play against friends online appealing
Online Shopping
•
Particularly popular among teens
Web as an Information Resource
•
•
•
•
Used in this way mainly by parents and empty
nesters
Value having vast ‘libraries’ at their fingertips
Interesting, liberating, enlightening
News websites
bbc.co.uk extremly popular
Film reviews
eg. www.empireonline.co.uk, www.imdb.com
14
TECHNOLOGY RELATIONSHIP
_In Their Own Words
“mainly I just use the internet to have
a bit of fun and look at stuff that I’m
interested in – shopping, emails all
sorts!”
(4) - Female
“I use the internet all the time – at
school in break time and at home”
(1) - Female
teen
pre-family
“the internet is just an endless source
of entertainment at home and at work”
(4) - Male
pre-family
“the internet frees up time –
something that would normally take
half an hour can be done in minutes”
(3) - Female
empty nester
“I do enjoy keeping up with the latest
new gadgets an technology – it’s
interesting, a bit of fun”
(3) - Male
empty nester
15
ENTERTAINMENT ON-DEMAND
ENTERTAINMENT ON-DEMAND
_Overview
Across all lifestages, on-demand was felt to have had a positive
impact on the TV watching experience
•
Respondents felt that their TV viewing habits had altered considerably as a result of on-demand
services
able to filter-out perceived poor programming and only watch programmes of choice
most felt they did not watch more or less TV with an on-demand service, but that the quality of
programmes and enjoyment of the TV watching experience increases dramatically
all felt a sense of freedom and liberation from the constriction of the TV schedules which all acknowledge
play a part in the planning of an average day
all respondents were happy to watch post-watershed content before 9pm and vice-versa (eg. watching
last nights Big Brother after taking kids to school in the morning)
•
Concern for the declining significance of the watershed in an on-demand environment was
minimal among all but families with young children (aged between 4-9 years)
knowing when and on what channel a show is broadcast is felt to be a strong enough signifier of likely
content for vast majority
watershed was of little interest/importance for most households before the advent of on-demand given
9pm is after bedtime for most young kids, and this continues to be the case
10+ kids often left to their own devices, and felt able to look after themselves where TV is concerned
parents with younger children expressed some concerns over kids stumbling across inappropriate content
but felt that PIN systems would help them with this problem – though none have used this system yet
17
ENTERTAINMENT ON-DEMAND
_Platforms Evaluated Overview
Awareness of a range of on-demand platforms was high across all lifestages,
though much of the existing technology was little-used or currently perceived
as unnecessary. With the exception of PVRs, on-demand is still an emerging /
unfamiliar technology in most households
Mobile
PSP
PVR
Newly Emerging
Established
Video iPod
Cable On-Demand
18
ENTERTAINMENT ON-DEMAND
_Platforms Evaluated
Mobile
•
•
PSP
All familiar with mobiles but very few
use to download/view content
screen too small, slow, expensive
Some sharing/bluetoothing of clips
among younger respondents (eg.
happy slapping)
•
•
•
PVR
Useful on a commute but…
Many struggle to identify a practical use
for it
wouldn’t download clips/buy films – too
much effort
Compatibility issues with downloads
•
•
Sky+ extremely popular and well loved
by subscribers
user friendly, reliable, convenient
Liberates personal schedule from TV
schedule
able to ‘collect’ perceived quality
programming
Newly Emerging
Established
Video iPod
•
•
•
•
•
Looks good
fashion accessory
Aspirational
Many already have an iPod
can’t justify a new one for video feature
But, screen too small for more than
music videos/short clips
Limited value as TV downloads are not
yet available on UK iTunes
Cable On-Demand
•
•
•
•
All familiar with the concept of ondemand cable
Cheap compared to Sky+
but many suspect an inferior service
Offer broadband/phone/TV as part of
a package
Poor word of mouth
stories circulate about bad customer
service and unannounced/unexplained
service denials
19
ENTERTAINMENT ON-DEMAND
_In Their Own Words
“with Sky+ you can just filter out all the
rubbish and only watch the stuff you
really like – it’s fantastic!””
(3) - Female
empty nester
“you probably watch less TV with ondemand, you just really enjoy the stuff
you watch rather than just watching
any old junk”
(4) - Female
“I’d like to have a PSP or something
because it’s such a cool toy it’s just I
can’t really think when I’d actually use
it”
(6) - Male
pre-family
young family
“the only one who knows the PIN for
our Sky+ box is our 12 year old son!””
(5) - Female
older family
“I find with Sky+ that I watch at a time that
completely suits me and completely ignore the
actual broadcast time”
(3) - Female
empty nester
“I’m just now starting to think about
how to stop our daughter watching
stuff she shouldn’t”
(6) - Female
young family
“There only really seems to be a
watershed on BBC and ITV:1 – all the
others seem to ignore it”
(8) - Male
young shared
20
GUIDANCE EXPECTATIONS
GUIDANCE EXPECTATIONS
_Overview
Older families
Young shared
Pre-family
Strict Controls
Young families
Low/No Control
Teens
Solus
Empty nesters
There are a range of attitudes towards strong content across lifestages but the key
factor in forming these attitudes is the presence (or absence) of young children in
the household
22
GUIDANCE EXPECTATIONS
_Attitudes by Lifestage
•
•
•
No clear household rules
but kids are expected to obey
certain unspoken rules and not
overstep a line of ‘decency’
Confidence in own ability to selfmoderate
content information useful but
ultimately decision will be made
based on the content itself not the
guidance
Parents ‘keep an eye’ on kids
Older families
Young shared
Pre-family
Strict Controls
Low/No Control
Young families
•
•
Have a set of rules in place for
controlling kids media consumption
always monitor kids internet usage
starting to consider Sky PIN
protection system though haven’t
used yet
Still use the watershed as a guide on
content expectations
Teens
•
•
Content controls quite tight at school
web use limited by strict software
filters
Solus
•
•
Much freer reign at home
parents allow them to surf web
unsupervised at will
late night TV now considered fairly
soft content by comparison
•
Empty nesters
Very low awareness of/engagement
with guidance information of any kind
Rarely use internet to view video
content so content control not
considered an issue
Consider TV to be well controlled
acknowledge value of guidance for
others but of little/no value to
them – happy to self moderate
23
GUIDANCE EXPECTATIONS
_Home Rules for Young Families
Rules such as these are felt to be particularly important as ondemand grows in popularity. PIN system and guidance advice
become increasingly useful
Internet
•
•
•
•
No using internet without
permission
No using internet without
supervision
No downloading internet
content without permission
Only ‘trusted’ websites allowed
TV
•
•
•
•
No watching TV after 8.30pm
No ordering films through Sky
without permission
No watching Sky+ recordings
without permission
Only BBC1, 2, ITV, Channel 4
and Kids channels allowed
(e.g. bbc.co.uk/cbeebies – a brand that
both child and parents are very familiar
with)
Rules are unspoken to younger kids (e.g. age 4yrs) but clearly
understood between parents and carefully enforced
24
GUIDANCE EXPECTATIONS
_Relationship with Labelling •
Young shared
Solus
Older families
Empty nesters
•
Little or no household rules about TV watching or internet use
kids of 12+ are felt able to look after themselves
Think guidance/PIN protection systems should exist for those that
want/need it – though do not feel necessary for them
•
Sense that guidance on the web is necessary for people younger than them
•
•
•
Young families
useful ‘safety net’
though likely to disregard guidance in majority of cases
prepares/braces you so ready for it
•
•
Teens
All appreciate the presence of content information on web/TV
•
•
to protect young siblings etc
However, strong content information for them often acts as encouragement
makes them want to watch (eg. guidance before Big Brother suggest it will be a
particularly good episode)
Parents no longer moderate their content viewing (on TV or internet) and
so feel able to self-moderate
Occasionally stumble across internet content that feels too strong/extreme
but as this content is often illegal, guidance is not expected
Notably different opinions to other lifestages
much more sensitive/wary of strong content
Find guidance on TV/web very useful
would like to see this more prominently
Young kids just starting to learn about using TV and internet
PIN/guidance systems that help moderate this usage starting to be investigated
25
CHALLENGING CONTENT
_Consumer Definitions covering content on TV (including subscription), mobile and
online platforms
Most Often Exposed To
•
•
•
•
•
•
Casual violence (eg. Happy
Slapping)
Aggressive, graphic fight scenes
Weapon use
Gore
Strong Language
blood, injuries, death
Sex
Overt, derogatory racial
references
Religion and race based insults
though more excusable in a
comedy format if not too ‘closeto-the-bone’ (eg. The Kumars)
•
•
Specific swear words
Excessive bad language
especially close to watershed
for younger families e.g. The
‘F’ Word, Big Brother
Violence
•
Prolonged or close-up nudity
though acceptable in a
documentary /factual content
•
Prolonged explicit sex scenes
•
Clear visual references to drug use
of any kind
Racism
Drugs
though more acceptable in a
documentary/factual content
Least Often Exposed To
Some broad consensus of opinion, however definitions of ‘strong content’ are
blurred by specific contexts e.g. documentary vs. drama or whether perceived as
warranted or gratuitous (eg. swearing in ‘The ‘F’ Word’ often feels gratuitous)
26
CHALLENGING CONTENT
_By Platform
Most younger respondents (teens, young shared, solus) felt that
the platform used to view did have an impact on its acceptability
‘Pull’ Platforms
e.g. laptop, PSP, mobile
‘Push’ Platforms
e.g. TV
•
•
‘Push’ platforms where content is
delivered into a family space was felt
less suited to very strong content than
alternative platforms
content is controlled by the
broadcaster not the viewer so should
be closely moderated
delivery is via a traditionally ‘safe’
medium which should continue to
deliver content accordingly
Content delivery is into a
‘family/public space’
‘family’ viewing is less suited to strong
content than solo viewing
•
•
Platforms in which the viewers
controls/seeks out what they want to
watch feel a more suitable place for
very strong content
viewer plays an active role in content
choice and therefore takes on some
responsibility for consequences
Content can be viewed privately/in a
personal space
less likely to be viewed by someone it
was not intended for
does not occupy a ‘family’ space –
(e.g. strong content viewed in a pub or
bar feels less offensive)
However, most respondents felt that content ‘rules’ should remain the same no
matter what platform it is viewed on: overriding sense that ‘content is content’
27
GUIDANCE EXPECTATIONS
_In Their Own Words
“In an ideal world, I’d personally like
everything to have a warning on”
(8) - Female
“I’ve got a 9 year old sister and I think
the warnings are good for her”
(1) - Female
young shared
“If it needs a warning it should have a
warning whether it’s on the internet or
on TV”
(3) - Female
“personally the warnings aren’t
important for me but I definitely think
they need to be there for kids and
older folk”
(7) - Male
solus
empty nester
teen
“all the labels should look the same so
you know what to look out for”
(6) - Male
young family
“warnings on the internet are pathetic
– they just don’t work”
(8) - Male
young shared
“If everything has the same kind of
label then you’ll start to understand
exactly what you’re being warned
about”
(2) - Male
teen
“the warnings need to be consistent so that there’s a
standard across all the channels and websites
otherwise it’s just going to get confusing”
(6) - Female
young family
28
Main Findings
MEDIA BRANDS & CHALLENGING CONTENT
MEDIA BRANDS & CHALLENGING CONTENT
_Overview
•
•
•
•
•
All online brands (e.g. Google, MSN, etc) were treated with a degree of suspicion in terms of
provision of challenging content, due to dangers associated with the internet
this was the case even with those online brands perceived as well moderated and safe
Respondents had widely differing expectations of a range of broadcasters and online media
brands
perceive some as being careful/conservative and efficiently moderated versus others which have far more
relaxed policies
However all TV brands were felt to adhere to certain standards and moral codes which are far
less evident in an online environment
these TV standards were felt to carry across onto the TV brands websites resulting in a sense that these
sites are a ‘safe’ part of the web, sharing the values of their broadcast equivalents
Majority felt that same moderating/guidance rules should apply to TV brand websites as apply
to their respective TV incarnations
challenging online content is considered acceptable, but majority felt that the same guidance rules should
apply online as on TV
Many also expressed a desire that a standardised labelling system should exist to bring all
brands inline with each other
Strong sense that the BBC should lead the way in properly
labelling strong content in both online and offline environments
30
MEDIA BRANDS & CHALLENGING CONTENT
_Hierarchy of Standards, as Perceived by Sample
High Standard
TV Brand Heritage/
Broadcasters
Online
Brands
Mobile
Brands
Lower Standard
31
MEDIA BRANDS & CHALLENGING CONTENT
_In Their Own Words
“you tend to find the more risqué
things are on Channel 4. The BBC
tend to be a bit more straight-laced
and down the line”
(8) - Male
young shared
“if it needs a warning, it should have a
warning on it wherever it’s shown and
that includes the internet”
(5) - Female
“you expect the BBC to show
everyone else how it should be done”
(7) - Male
solus
“the BBC should be exemplary and
set an example of how it should be
done”
(3) - Female
empty nester
“there should be a guidance standard
and the BBC should set it”
(4) - Female
older family
pre-family
“I don’t really trust the mobile phone
companies when it comes to the internet
– I doubt very much if they monitor or
moderate their content at all”
(6) - Male
younger family
“they should all have warnings
because you never know who’s going
to be watching the clips”
(2) - Male
teen
32
LABELLING EXPLORED
LABELLING
_Overview
Recall
•
•
Awareness of spoken guidance
announcements on TV is the form of labelling
with highest recall across all lifestages
eg. before Big Brother and The ‘F’ Word
‘Cinema Style’ guidance and PIN protection
systems on Sky Box Office channels noted
(though often ignored) by most Sky users
Signposting
•
•
•
All feel that guidance should exist on
broadcast media though majority feel it is
not strictly necessary for them
presence of guidance information acts as an
assurance that broadcasters are maintaining a
moral standard
expect all broadcasters to appropriately label
content
Parents would like guidance to be more
visible online and on TV
lacks visibility
easily overlooked
Watershed an unspoken rule that all
acknowledge/register on a low level
Understood but widely ignored by all but
parents with young children
Value
Expectations
•
Online guidance advice often feels recessive
•
•
Sense among younger respondents (15-30)
that guidance is less important/necessary
with on-demand content on a personal/‘pull’
platform (e.g. PSP, mobile etc)
viral, underground campaigns (e.g. happy
slapping) would feel uncharacteristically
formalised if guidance was incorporated
Guidance advice of any kind greatly
appreciated by parents of young children
vital part of broadcast media delivery
currently little/no guidance on EPG
online guidance perceived as a rare
occurrence when it exists at all
34
LABELLING BY CONTENT TYPE
_Overview: General Rules
• UGC should be subject to the same moderation rules as
any other kind of content
many felt that UGC should have stricter moderation than any
other content due to the inherent uncertainty of its origins
while the UGC section of the BBC website was appreciated,
respondents fully expected all content to be carefully
moderated before being published on the site
no concerns around freedom of expression on this issue
• Guidance labelling acts as a strong emotional
benefit for many
acts as a ‘safety net’
causes viewers to ‘brace themselves’ for content
even if they choose not to heed the warning
presence of labelling reassures the viewer that the
broadcaster is keeping tabs on its content
• There was consensus that news content
should not be exempt from moderation or
subject to a different set of rules
(while a few felt that as news was factual, stronger
content could be shown than would ordinarily be
were it fictional, it should nevertheless be labelled
accordingly) but people were generally more
forgiving of seeing something shocking on the
news.
35
LABELLING BY CONTENT TYPE
_Current Labelling Issues
Key issues
Moving forward
•
On screen presence of guidance labelling on
bbc.co.uk and competitor sites is currently lost
among the surrounding content on the page
•
Implication that labelling is not given status or
importance by host brand
•
Majority of labelling had to be pointed out to
respondents before it was noticed
•
Creates impression that the presence of guidance
labelling is a necessary formality for the broadcaster,
rather than a service to the user
•
Guidance in bold, bright colours or framed in
boxes (e.g. warning on Daniel Pollen clip)
tended to be more effective than standard text
warnings
•
Important to give labels a graphical presence to raise
awareness
Most effective labelling was guidance that are
incorporated into the clips themselves
•
•
–
‐
not easily overlooked
look like guidance rather than just standard text on the
page
Attention is focused on the playing clip, making the
guidance almost impossible to miss when it appears
Overall, a key issue that research highlights is that the debate needs to focus not only on the
principle of guidance needs, but the delivery format in terms of on-screen presence. Currently,
much on-line guidance is simply unnoticed
36
LABELLING BY CONTENT TYPE
_Online Previews/Catch-up
Pre-task: Respondents were asked to view a selection of preview/catch-up clips on the BBC website and
record their responses to the accuracy of the guidance labels (where present) and the nature of the content
Expectations
•
•
•
Many felt that any post-watershed
content should be labelled as such
Concern expressed by parents of
younger children that they be made
aware of the nature of the content
of a clip as well as when and on
what channel it was broadcast
A strong sense that if a clip does
not contain strong content but the
full show does, guidance should still
apply (e.g. Catherine Tate clip)
•
Labelling on the Tribe clip (“Drinking Blood”)
very useful
good preparation for people who may be
squeamish
content definitely warrants guidance
•
•
Saxondale clip (“Hairy Cow”) did not need
guidance advice
‘cow’ not considered bad language
feels too ‘nannying’
Guidance not very visible
easily missed
Going forward: Guidance necessary on post-watershed programming but only where appropriate
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LABELLING BY CONTENT TYPE
_User Generated Content
Pre-task: Respondents were asked to view a selection of UGC clips on the BBC website
(www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork & www.bbc.co.uk/dna/comedysoup ) and record their reactions to the
accuracy of the guidance labels (where present) and the nature of the content
Expectations
•
•
•
Sense that UGC should be subject to
same moderating rules as any other
content
All respondents expect the BBC to
moderate all submissions to the UGC
section of the website before it is
made available on the site
assume this has always been the case
expect the BBC to set the standard in
this area and lead by example
expectations of other UGC sites (eg.
Myspace) were lower than of the BBC,
which all recognise for its high
standards
Teens prefer less strictly controlled
UGC spaces (eg. Youtube) as often
more entertaining in their eyes
these sites tend to provide stronger,
more challenging content
•
•
On the majority of clips guidance feels
appropriate
BBC is widely trusted to properly
control/moderate UGC
most feel it is currently doing a good job
•
•
Surprised by lack of guidance on certain clips
Slag Bag Fag Drag contains lots of innuendo
and low level swearing
felt inappropriate for kids
Some content is managing to slip through the
net
parents of younger children feel moderating/
labelling rules should be stricter as a result
Going forward: Parents of young children are anxious that UGC is monitored closely and moderated as
strictly as BBC content
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LABELLING BY CONTENT TYPE
_News Content
Pre-task: Respondents were asked to view a selection of News clips on the BBC website and record their
reactions to the accuracy of the guidance labels (where present) and the nature of the content
Teens were not included in this task
Expectations
•
•
•
•
It was felt that News content
should be subject to similar
guidance rules as any other
content
A sense however, that as News
stories are actuality they should be
allowed to show certain content
that might be treated differently
were it fictional
don’t want the reality of a News
story to be automatically edited
as a result of its content
relevant guidance should still be
applied
NB guidance should be audible as
well as visual as News is often on
in the background/used as audio
Content and subject of a News story was
always clear from headline and story summary
subject matter often a sufficient warning of
likely content of accompanying footage
•
Labelling didn’t provide warning enough in
certain cases (eg. Rwanda images slideshow)
violence/suffering is more affecting and
shocking with the knowledge that it is real
Going forward: Some sense that News footage could be subject to a different set of rules due to its
journalistic status
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LABELLING BY CONTENT TYPE
_Sites Outside the BBC
Pre-task: Respondents were asked to view a selection of sites/clips outside the BBC and record their
reactions to the accuracy of the guidance labels (where present) and the nature of the content.
Teens were not included in this task
Expectations
•
•
All respondents had lower
expectations of content
guidance/control on sites outside
the BBC
BBC felt to set the standard
Would like guidance labelling to be
standardised across all sites to
bring as much clarity and
understanding as possible to the
system
Can currently be confusing
as every site operates a
different system
•
Clips on familiar sites and from well-known
brands (e.g. Channel 4, AOL) were felt to be
appropriately labelled
seemed well moderated and safe
•
Non-BBC content felt stronger and less well
moderated than the BBC site in some cases
e.g. guidance on Daniel Pollen clip (see above)
at www.thesun.co.uk was very visible but
many felt the clip itself was too shocking to
be made widely available
sense that some companies (eg. tabloid
papers) try to push boundaries too far
Going Forward: Expectations of BBC extremely high in relation to competition – strong/edgy
content on bbc.co.uk less likely to be tolerated than on other websites
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LABELLING BY CONTENT TYPE
_In Their Own Words
“the fact that it’s UGC isn’t a reason to
differentiate it or apply a different set
of rules”
(8) - Male
young shared
“I wouldn’t normally notice these kinds
of warnings at all. It needs to be
brighter and clearer in a separate box
or something”
(7) - Male
solus
“it would be nice to know right from
the beginning: OK, maybe I shouldn’t
watch this”
(5) - Female
older family
“at the moment the labelling isn’t that
visible. It doesn’t really look like a
warning”
(6) - Female
young family
“If anything, UGC should be
moderated more strictly than any
other content – you never know what
people will try and do”
(3) - Female
empty nester
“I felt quite ill watching the drinking
blood clip and never even noticed the
warning”
(4) - Female
pre-family
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CONLUSIONS & RECCOMENDATIONS
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
_On-Demand Issues
•
Online Guidance
•
•
Online guidance does not currently seem visible enough and was easily missed by
respondents across all lifestages
Requires a graphical/creative reappraisal
Eg. To be placed in a special ‘guidance box’ consistently across categories
More visual impact via colour schemes
•
BBC Content
•
Despite issues around visibility of guidance advice, BBC content is widely perceived
as well moderated, appropriate and safe
However parents of young children would like to see guidance advice/labelling on
Freeview/cable/Sky EPGs as well as on websites
‐
•
Platforms
•
•
Website Navigation
•
Currently seems a missed opportunity and would be a useful service
Respondents felt the BBC should take responsibility for its own content on
whatever BBC platform it is distributed
Several suggested that content guidance should be incorporated into a
clip/programme as well as embedded on the web page that supplies it, in order to
prevent the guidance becoming separated from the clip during
downloading/transferring between devices
There was no perceived difference in expectation of content depending on how a
clip/programme was navigated to
Expectations of strong content remain the same whether following a link to
content or navigating to it through the website
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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
_BBC Content Issues
•
Content
•
•
Labelling Rules
•
•
BBC Sub-brands
•
•
•
BBC Standards
•
•
All respondents were satisfied that the BBC does not broadcast inappropriate
content at any time, on any channel
Strong agreement that the BBC has a very accurate moral compass and can be
trusted to make good, reliable decisions over what content should/should not be
broadcast
Older respondents and parents feel that all BBC output should be subject to the
same guidance rules irrespective of distribution channel
General sense that no BBC brand should be an exception to the rules
Younger respondents are happy for more niche BBC brands (e.g. BBC3/4, 1Xtra) to
broadcast stronger, edgier content than the more popular brands
A more specific audience exists that would like more risqué content than can be
found on terrestrial BBC channels
However, great care should be taken to avoid a perception of slipping standards at
the BBC, as for most respondents it is highly valued as a standard setter to other
broadcasters and as a preserver of good taste and decency
Overall, BBC should lead the way with content labelling and guidance in an ondemand media environment and set an example for others to follow
Sense that the BBC has an obligation and responsibility in this area
Respondents would like to see other websites adopting the policies of the BBC
44