ITC Examines Local Programming

The ITC yesterday published “Local Programming On Cable Television”, a research report which investigates for the first time viewer attitudes towards regional programming.

The research aimed to discover what viewers understand by local programming, the level of demand and the most effective form of programming. The general recommendations the ITC has made following this research include:

• Local advertising, as with local radio advertisements, achieved high levels of awareness. Quality appears to be less important than repetition.

• Cable subscribers want local television: they are interested in their local community and want to find out about it on TV. 58% of respondents think access to local cable programmes and text services is one of the best features of cable television. 89% enjoy seeing people and places they know on local cable TV programmes.

• Local programming must cover the right area of community interest. If it is simply an area of convenience, subscribers may be alienated and turn back to terrestrial TV covering a well-defined region.

• Production quality set apart the most popular local programmes identified by the research. This suggests the resources for local programming should be concentrated into producing a small amount of good quality programmes, rather than a wide range of low quality material. 36% of respondents said poor production value put them off watching local programmes.

• Scheduling is very important as resources are not available to promote programming. Possibilities include repeating a programme frequently to encourage ‘dipping in’; a national cable channel with local opt-outs (like Birmingham Live); and stripping of programmes so they are always broadcast at the same time.

On more general aspects, the research revealed that people do not see cable as having an ‘image’ in the way ITV or the BBC does: cable channels are seen more as service providers, like public utilities. Cable is chosen first and foremost because of the access it offers to specific and widely-known benefits: films, sport, children’s material and enhanced choice of channels.

The survey consisted of 850 cable subscribers, aged 15+, across five different franchise areas – south London, Avon, Birmingham, Leicester and Sussex.

ITC: 0171 255 3000