BBC Urges Industry To Overcome Obsession With Ratings
The BBC is calling on the television industry to work with communications regulator Ofcom to develop a method of overcoming the current obsession with viewing figures.
BBC controller, Jane Root, claims that ratings do not paint a complete picture and is urging broadcast regulators to devise a new measurement system capable of challenging the dominance of overnights throughout the industry.
She said: “At a time when our audience’s attitude to programmes should be more important than ever, I think it’s time to try to create a new kind of measure. Think of it as a more intelligent son or daughter to the overnights, which will help us get closer to our audiences.”
In a speech to the Royal Television Society last night, Root emphasised the need to develop a method of getting closer to audiences to understand how they react to programmes – what moves, provokes, excites and disturbs them.
The BBC executive said: “But share is a dull and leaden instrument, just showing whether audiences are there, not whether they care. I know it’s a huge task, but Ofcom should design something to meaningfully challenge the tyranny of overnights.”
As well as collecting viewing figures, BARB also gathers audience appreciation information for the BBC and ITV. However, the data arrives two weeks after the viewing figures and is relatively unsophisticated.
Root said: “Appreciation information measures how much people care, but it is far from perfect. It takes over two weeks to get the data: no way to compete with the quick fix of the overnights. And right now its funding is under threat.”
It is understood that the system is at risk because the newly merged ITV wants to negotiate a cheaper contract with BARB. She said: “I worry we are in danger of losing the only measure we’ve got that tells us a more meaningful story about programmes and audiences.”
Earlier this month the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising launched a wide-ranging attack on the increasingly commercial nature of the BBC, claiming its output is too populist and competes directly with the commercial sector (see IPA Attacks Increasingly Commercial Nature Of BBC).
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk
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