Viewers are not convinced that the larger choice brought by digitalisation and convergence will mean a better offering, according to new research from the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC). In addition, viewers want more respect for their interests, intelligence and privacy from broadcasters.
Lord Dubs, chairman of the BSC, said, “Broadcasters and regulators should ensure that the public do not feel undervalued and disempowered. They must find ways of including them in the new technological revolution that is taking place.”
The survey, which took in eight focus groups and a total of 2008 respondents, found that viewers regretted the loss of the “common viewing experience” and worried that the rapid technological change may have caused them to lose a sense of their own choice about what and how they view.
The survey found that, while the media industry may be pushing for deregulation, audiences still want regulators to retain the “Watershed” system of protecting vulnerable groups of society such as children, respect personal integrity, intelligence and privacy and reflect Britain’s community values.
The concept of appropriate information about programmes to allow parental choice was welcomed to back up the idea of the watershed. In terms of respect for privacy, while celebrities are seen as having given up their right to privacy along with criminals and politicians, respect for suffering and grief was highlighted as of importance.
