There's only a few days left to send any comments in to the BBC Trust about the plans for the BBC's future.
I've read the "British Bold Creative" paper which sets out the BBC forward plans, and which I thought was actually quite good. I've also added my voice to the suggestions for improvements to the service over the next period, after following the complicated trail to get to the relevant feedback form.
The idea that the future is based in linear broadcasting is outdated and the BBC is already operating with the wider consumerisation and customisation options. The concept of MyBBC can't be far away, with most households already using the services in unique combinations.
The diagram above shows a potential direction, with multiple platforms offering unique choices across a wide range of initiatives. The BBC also needs to ensure it stays in the mind of the full range of the population, from iPlay-based childrens' services through iPlayer and linear programming.
The telly and the other ways to consume programme content are changing fast now. Gone are the days that it was possible to shout at the TV and nothing happened, nowadays it is likely to ask "what would you like to view?"
The UK has a strong track record producing good quality material and it doesn't take long flittering around the lower reaches of the Sky subscription to start to find programming with the advertising breaks wound up to the Ofcom Code on the Scheduling of Television Advertising (“COSTA”) maximum levels.
That means more advert breaks of longer duration in a programme, but also has the effect of diluting the audience even further - who can be bothered to watch something where the programming is sliced into tiny fragments with carousel advertising every few minutes?
The new TV advertising rules started yesterday, and include interesting phrases like:
[non public service channels] “must not exceed an average of 12 minutes of television advertising and teleshopping spots for every hour of transmission across the broadcasting day, of which no more than 9 minutes may be television advertising”
Inevitably there's huge amounts of description of what constitutes '30 minutes' in the new code and whether it's log, TX, EPG, or clock time because, for example, it can effect how much advertising children are provided.
Add in that well-known mild-grey coloured 'P' symbol that is stealthily displayed on many programmes now (Product placement - see Coronation Street above) and the 'Sponsored By' pieces and there's a whole world of advertising ready to pounce on linear viewers. First ever UK regulated product placement was the Dolce Gusto coffee machine shown at the top of this post and featured on This Morning back in 2011.
2 comments:
I'm glad someone is keeping an eye on things.
Pat - and don't get me started on those lines of small print along the bottom of many TV adverts!
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