What is the BBC’s Value?
By Niya Dobreva
As with everything during the COVID-19 pandemic, television and the arts are drastically changing to accommodate the needs of us, the consumers.
The increased consumption of streaming services, gaming, and the creation of more and more content has put at question Britain’s public service broadcaster - the BBC. In its own report, Value for Audiences, the BBC outlines the measures it is taking to remain both relevant and efficient.
The report sets out the BBC as a smart saver, smart seller and smart spender.
As a smart saver, the BBC highlights that it has halved the number of senior managers, reduced the cost of estate property management, and completed projects below the maximum outlined budget.
As a smart seller, BBC points out increased commercial income and global recognition of BBC Studios as a world leader.
When it comes to smart spending, the BBC recognises more income being spent on content and larger investments into developing BBC services.
What does that mean for us, the ordinary viewers, listeners and readers of the BBC?
Currently, the license fee for the BBC amounts to £157.50 per household per year (soon to be rising to £159). The BBC’s report outlines that this means that every hour of BBC TV watched by a household costs just 9p. In comparison, the same hour from an on-demand subscription service like Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+ would cost 15p, and an hour of a paid TV service over 50p.
The report makes it clear that a bundle of subscription services comparable with all the services (news, radio, movies) provided by the BBC would cost around £450 a year.
But we need to ask ourselves how much of those services do we really use and which one do we prefer? Would we browse Netflix for our family movie night or would we turn to iPlayer?
The BBC has had strong-selling TV shows such as Killing Eve, but it can’t be compared to the output of companies like Netflix and Disney+, which release movies and TV series almost daily.
Netflix has promised at least one new movie every week of 2021 and, with the ownership of Marvel Studios and Star Wars, Disney+ accumulates an ever bigger fan base. This means that often what is available on those subscription services might be more appealing, especially to young people, and could possibly turn into a preferred choice of entertainment. Furthermore, the BBC has faced losing battles on the field of TV live coverage of sports and has troubles competing with Sky and BT.
On the bright side, however, in 2019/2020 the BBC’s main expenditures were in acquiring, creating and delivering quality content to a wide audience. As a response to the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC refocused its initiatives to support the needs of its audiences launching the biggest educational offer in history. Due to the closure of schools in the UK, the BBC launched a series of programmes to help support students and provides curriculum-based shows for English, Maths and GSCEs.
Despite the lower numbers of households paying the TV licence fee, the Value for Audiences report proves that the BBC is still at the centre of UK life - indeed, every single minute of the day and night the BBC is used by an average of 5 million people and is the most used media brand both among young people and adults. In addition, 78% of adults have said that BBC One provides quality programming.
The BBC promises to work harder and smarter to keep its audiences entertained and maintain relevance in the pool of fierce competition from Netflix, Amazon, et al. How the BBC continues to be a smart saver, smart seller and smart spender will be vital to its survival and, despite its flaws, the BBC remains a unique asset for the country and important to the world of media as a whole.