Ofcom has launched a review of children’s television programmes that could lead to the media regulator demanding that ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 spend more on young audiences.
The regulator said it would review the “range and quality of children’s programmes” and highlight areas of concern. The review will encompass content shown by traditional broadcasters such as the BBC but also streaming services such as Netflix, although Ofcom does not regulate the US company. The findings will be “alongside any proposed regulatory measures” next summer.
The review is the first example of Ofcom using new powers that were handed to it by the government earlier this year. An amendment to the Digital Economy Act gave Ofcom the power to set conditions regarding children’s programmes for the public service broadcasters, which include the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Ofcom has already set targets for the BBC as part of its operating licence for the broadcaster: CBBC and CBeebies, its digital channels, must show at least 400 and 100 hours respectively of brand new, UK-commissioned programmes each year.
Children’s television has undergone a significant transformation due to the rise of global online services such as Netflix, Amazon and YouTube. The amount of television that children between the ages of four and 15 watch has fallen by almost a quarter since 2010, while YouTube is a more recognised brand for content among 12- to 15-year-olds than the BBC and ITV, according to Ofcom.
Spending on children’s television by the main UK broadcasters has broadly halved over the past decade, although the BBC announced earlier this year that it would spend an extra £34m on children’s television over the next three years, pushing its annual budget to £124.4m. Alice Webb, the head of children’s TV at the BBC, told the Guardian that broadcasters have a responsibility to make programmes especially for children in the UK and it was an “absolutely core principle” for the broadcaster.
A new survey by Ofcom found that while the majority of eight- to 15-year-olds said there are enough programmes for children their age, 24% of eight- to 11-year-olds and 35% of 12- to 15-year-olds disagreed. Furthermore, 35% of eight- to 11-year-olds said that not enough programmes show children who look like them and 41% of 12- to 15-year-olds said that too few programmes show children living in their part of the country.
The Ofcom review will focus on audience behaviour and preferences, such as what children watch and how, the availability of programmes and what incentives the broadcasters have to invest in children’s content.
