The BBC Trust stopped short of casting judgment on Tony Hall’s controversial decision to close the BBC3 TV channel next year – but much of its wide-ranging review published on Thursday appeared to suggest it was the wrong decision.
At a time when the trust is urging the BBC to tackle its declining reach among younger viewers and its black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) audience, BBC3 is its only channel that is getting younger and is seen by viewers as reflecting diverse Britain better than any other TV service.
Turning BBC3 into an online-only proposition, as Hall has proposed, at a time when the trust said the channel had “yet to establish itself as an online destination”, will make the difficult task of reaching young and BAME viewers even tougher.
But it remains to be seen if the BBC Trust will reject the proposal to close the channel, echoing the path taken by Radio 6 Music which was saved by the trust four years ago after a vociferous listener campaign.
David Liddiment, the BBC trustee who oversaw Thursday’s report, was careful to say that it did not address the issue of the proposed closure of the channel, which will be the subject of a further public consultation and report overseen by the trust.
“In terms of all audiences, there are clearly challenges around young people,” Liddiment said. “There is an issue here which needs to be addressed.”
BBC3 is the only BBC channel that is getting younger, its average age falling to 33 in 2013/14 from 34 three years ago. The channel is watched by 26% of 16 to 34-year-olds each week, including 1 million viewers who do not watch any other BBC TV channel.
Every other BBC TV channel is getting older – BBC1 now has an average age of 59, from 56 in 2010/11, only marginally younger than BBC2 (up to 60 from 58) and BBC4, the oldest of them all, average age 61, from 58 three years ago.
The trust said BBC3 is seen by viewers as reflecting diverse Britain – in terms of ethnicity, religion, and sexuality – better than any other BBC channel.
The BBC Trust’s report also cast doubt on the channel’s capacity to flourish in an online-only environment. While nearly a quarter of 16 to 24 year olds use the BBC’s iPlayer each week, only 7% of viewing of BBC3 is currently via the on-demand service.
“While it has offered some online initiatives, viewers do not associate BBC3 strongly with digital innovation,” the trust concluded.
Liddiment said the BBC Trust had not yet received management’s detailed proposals about the closure of the channel and how it would work online.
“Clearly BBC3 is a channel which is specifically targeted at a younger audience and is quite successful in attracting them,” he said.
“We have not yet received the proposals, we expect them in early autumn when we will put them to a public value test and assess their impact, particularly on young audiences, and will make a judgment what we think is in the best interests of licence fee payers.”
On the issue of the BBC’s ageing audience, Liddiment said: “There is a great deal on the BBC’s services that is watched by young people. Ageing audiences is something that’s affecting Channel 4 and ITV as well.
“It’s an issue that the BBC has to address and is addressing and we look forward to hearing how they propose to improve their reach among young people. It has to be recognised that as you get older, you tend to watch a bit more telly.”
There was also criticism of BBC3 in today’s report. While BBC3 was “highly valued by a minority of viewers” it lacked the “strong brand engagement” of rivals such as Channel 4 and Netflix.
It said the 11-year-old youth channel’s reputation for innovation and new talent, such as the sitcom Him and Her, was overshadowed in viewers’ perceptions by the preponderance of US acquisitions (Family Guy) repeats and so-called “easy entertainment” such as its documentary series, Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents.
BBC stars including Radio 1 breakfast DJ Nick Grimshaw, Bad Education star Jack Whitehall and presenter Richard Bacon spoke out against the decision to close the channel earlier this year. An online petition, #savebbc3, has so far collected more than 230,000 signatures.
The BBC’s director of television Danny Cohen said earlier this year that it was a “risk” and one that he would rather have taken several further years down the line.
But he said the BBC’s hand had been forced by the need to make further cuts following the 2010 licence fee settlement.
A BBC spokesman said: “The BBC is committed to all audiences and while across our portfolio we have the highest share of young viewers, we are working hard to ensure we keep innovating in this area.
“Subject to approval from the BBC Trust, we hope our exciting plans for BBC3 will set a new bar in engagement with young and diverse audiences.”
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