BBC Four & CBBC to close

[bbctvtechop]

Not this thing of merging CBeebies and CBBC again. Give me strength.

[Robert Williams]

Not this thing of merging CBeebies and CBBC again. Give me strength.

From what I can see, no one has mentioned merging CBBC and CBeebies in the last few posts?

[Rexogamer]

See

The fact remains that it is going to be increasingly difficult to justify having multiple channels. BBC News and BBC World News, CBBC and CBeebies, purely because people are watching content on demand more and more.

and

The BBC can very easily cater for everyone with one children channel and may need to when the money really stars to go down. Even though what is saved will be small, the BBC likes to make gestures.

[johnnyboy]

Anyone who thinks CBBC and CBeebies could be merged has never had been a parent and felt the sneaky need to take 30-45 minutes for themselves and stick their toddler in front of Swashbuckle, Numberblocks, and the rather brilliant "Andy's (x) Adventures".

[CantGetIn]

See

The fact remains that it is going to be increasingly difficult to justify having multiple channels. BBC News and BBC World News, CBBC and CBeebies, purely because people are watching content on demand more and more.

and

The BBC can very easily cater for everyone with one children channel and may need to when the money really stars to go down. Even though what is saved will be small, the BBC likes to make gestures.

I'm afraid I don't understand what point you are trying to make. These statements do not contradict each other. I stated the BBC cannot justify multiple channels, hence they can have one childrens channel instead of two, one news channel instead of two.

Please mark my words, the two children channels will be merged. I do not say this purely to provoke, instead I do so because it is the most logical outcome. There will not be any need for a children tv channels in the near future. They will watch content on other mediums. So the BBC will not be able to justify having two. One will be required to cover those without capacity to watch elsewhere, but the majority will be able to.

[Torpido1]

Bbc news and world news are completely seperate things ones not licenced in the uk or is paid for major ally out of the licence fee pot and world allows adverting, domestic does so very hard to merge and when done overnight in the uk can look messy - so probably can’t be done and would be the last resort if it has to be and if the kids channels need sorting can’t you politics notwithstanding add possibly CBeebies to bbc two replacing the mostly repeats that bbc 2 has in its day if sport use bbc one or change two around and politics could be on one but again similar to merging the 2 kids channels in all cases things will be messy if anything is done

[Spencer]

Anyone who thinks CBBC and CBeebies could be merged has never had been a parent and felt the sneaky need to take 30-45 minutes for themselves and stick their toddler in front of Swashbuckle, Numberblocks, and the rather brilliant "Andy's (x) Adventures".

I don’t have children, so clearly you have a better insight, but any friends’ or relatives’ children who visit us have specific programmes they want to watch, whether it’s Hey Duggee, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig or whatever. So they’ll watch exactly what they want on iPlayer or the relevant streaming service. The idea of putting a linear channel on, which may be showing something they’re not interested in, isn’t even a consideration.

[kevin86]

Completely agree that CBBC / CBeebies will never be merged. Either both exist on television or none will.

Each serve different markets, it makes as much sense as merging BBC3 (youth channel) with BBC4 (classics, arts, documentaries).

There is a long way to go before linear tv is obsolete (just look at the return of BBC3) and whether people on this forum like it or not consumers enjoy not having to sift through streaming services for something to watch. I think this is especially true for parents with young children.

[CantGetIn]

Completely agree that CBBC / CBeebies will never be merged. Either both exist on television or none will.

Each serve different markets, it makes as much sense as merging BBC3 (youth channel) with BBC4 (classics, arts, documentaries).

There is a long way to go before linear tv is obsolete (just look at the return of BBC3) and whether people on this forum like it or not consumers enjoy not having to sift through streaming services for something to watch. I think this is especially true for parents with young children.

Only time will tell. We can only agree to disagree and see what happens.

But it is very possible for channels to be merged, channels do not have to be rigid. If BBC 3 and 4 were merged, they would be a new channel with a different identity etc. It is very possible for channels to show different things at different times. The early mornings and afternoons could be focused on one type of content, and the late afternoons and evenings on a different type of content. This worked in the old days especially for children TV so I cannot see why it would not work now, the school day etc has not changed.

[tellyblues]

I find it funny when people say that the BBC should just operate 2 or 3 services on television instead of multiple. The reality is though that the BBC is meant to cater for everyone. To axe and merge channels like CBeebies is to axe choice. You can't just cram everything onto BBC One and/or BBC Two, because you obviously still need channels like BBC Three and BBC Four to overspill sports and arts coverage.

Tell that to the viewers whose favourite programmes were replaced by cooking shows and whatever else, or the 12-16 year-olds who have largely been ignored for over a decade. It's all very well having dedicated channels but not everyone has the luxury to be in a household with multiple screens and before different ages got a relatively fair share of content via the main BBC channels whereas now older viewers are overrepresented.

Your point about overspill perhaps reflects the regard the BBC have for BBC3 and 4 in that they are merely useful channels to have around and that content which is not aimed at their respective target audiences can boost viewing figures and appear to show that these channels are working when in reality they are plagued with the same lack of enthusiasm that originally saw the downfall of programming aimed at younger viewers.

[Brekkie]

Not this thing of merging CBeebies and CBBC again. Give me strength.

And if you hadn't highlighted it then it would have remained glossed over.

[johnnyboy]

Anyone who thinks CBBC and CBeebies could be merged has never had been a parent and felt the sneaky need to take 30-45 minutes for themselves and stick their toddler in front of Swashbuckle, Numberblocks, and the rather brilliant "Andy's (x) Adventures".

I don’t have children, so clearly you have a better insight, but any friends’ or relatives’ children who visit us have specific programmes they want to watch, whether it’s Hey Duggee, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig or whatever. So they’ll watch exactly what they want on iPlayer or the relevant streaming service. The idea of putting a linear channel on, which may be showing something they’re not interested in, isn’t even a consideration.

You do have a point, Spencer. By the age of 3-4ish, both of my boys could operate the remote and use iPlayer on tablets.

I think I am referring to the time before this in a child's development when you just stick a channel on and you can be certain there'll be something to entertain the kids.

In our household, it was CBeebies. We'd never have put CBBC on because it was too old and while I admire the talent and creativity on channels like Nick Jr, I kind of wanted the majority of my children's media consumption to originate from Britain.

[cityprod]

I wouldn't say there is anything funny about it. It is the reality and I still think the BBC and many others have yet to accept it. The BBC can very easily cater for everyone with one children channel and may need to when the money really stars to go down. Even though what is saved will be small, the BBC likes to make gestures.

As the closure of BBC Three demonstrated or perhaps gave us a preview, channels will not need to exist in the near future. The fact that is was raised from the dead is bizarre while BBC four yet may still close. The BBC can very easily fit it all in considering the amount of repeats that are shown. As I say, they missed a trick with not bring BBC choice back and instead now suggesting closing BBC four. The only way it makes sense to me, is that the BBC always planned it, and with the re-introduction of BBC three in a much cheaper setup, this could be merged with BBC four with the aim being it will be cheaper to do that than it would have been with the old set up.

TV Channels are going to become like the yellow pages, we are far from it yet, but in 5 to 10 years we will be there. The channels will drop like flies! The BBC being the national broadcaster, should try to stay ahead of the game. How much could it get away with cutting while being within the rules of the charter I wonder. If the BBC is on the ball, it will already be working it out, just in case.

History has already proven this standpoint to be absolute BS many times over. Cinema was going to kill off live theatre, television was going to kill off live theatre, the cinema and radio, home video was going to kill off cinema, and now we have this idea that on demand is going to kill off TV channels. Please, stop falling for this idea. TV channels will adapt and in a wierd way, go back to what they were, mostly live programming. We're already seeing this with ITV having live programmes from 6am to 2pm every weekday. Live is the future of TV channels. They're not going away anytime soon, if ever.

[CantGetIn]

I wouldn't say there is anything funny about it. It is the reality and I still think the BBC and many others have yet to accept it. The BBC can very easily cater for everyone with one children channel and may need to when the money really stars to go down. Even though what is saved will be small, the BBC likes to make gestures.

As the closure of BBC Three demonstrated or perhaps gave us a preview, channels will not need to exist in the near future. The fact that is was raised from the dead is bizarre while BBC four yet may still close. The BBC can very easily fit it all in considering the amount of repeats that are shown. As I say, they missed a trick with not bring BBC choice back and instead now suggesting closing BBC four. The only way it makes sense to me, is that the BBC always planned it, and with the re-introduction of BBC three in a much cheaper setup, this could be merged with BBC four with the aim being it will be cheaper to do that than it would have been with the old set up.

TV Channels are going to become like the yellow pages, we are far from it yet, but in 5 to 10 years we will be there. The channels will drop like flies! The BBC being the national broadcaster, should try to stay ahead of the game. How much could it get away with cutting while being within the rules of the charter I wonder. If the BBC is on the ball, it will already be working it out, just in case.

History has already proven this standpoint to be absolute BS many times over. Cinema was going to kill off live theatre, television was going to kill off live theatre, the cinema and radio, home video was going to kill off cinema, and now we have this idea that on demand is going to kill off TV channels. Please, stop falling for this idea. TV channels will adapt and in a wierd way, go back to what they were, mostly live programming. We're already seeing this with ITV having live programmes from 6am to 2pm every weekday. Live is the future of TV channels. They're not going away anytime soon, if ever.

I am not sure that the "BS" term was necessary but anyway, I think that is rather a bad example to use, seeing as the number of theatres and cinemas has significantly reduced since TV became mainstream. There is now perhaps a lot of bespoke cinemas and theatres re-opening etc, but on the whole the numbers are much much lower than 50 years etc ago. Nobody is saying every TV station is going to close down or the BBC won't have any TV station at all, what is logical is that the number of channels is greatly reduced and in the end only a handful will exist. I can't see any reason why the BBC would need more than two, one for news, and one to fulfil commitments to those who cannot access on demand. A showcase channel if you like. I am taking about in 10 years.

I note the BBC annual plan was just released

https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/docume...2-2023.pdf

3.1 Rise of online media services
The transition of audiences from broadcast media to online media has been a key trend for over a decade. While the adoption of online services was initially associated with younger audiences, this is no longer the case and we are increasingly seeing consumption of online services being the norm for all audiences, with online the primary route to market for many media players.

This dramatic shift in consumption has prompted industry analysts to predict that 2022 will be the last year in the UK when traditional broadcasters make up more than 50% of total video viewing across all screens.

I think the writing is on the wall here, if people do not agree that is fine.

[thePineapple]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/docume...2-2023.pdf

3.1 Rise of online media services
The transition of audiences from broadcast media to online media has been a key trend for over a decade. While the adoption of online services was initially associated with younger audiences, this is no longer the case and we are increasingly seeing consumption of online services being the norm for all audiences, with online the primary route to market for many media players.

This dramatic shift in consumption has prompted industry analysts to predict that 2022 will be the last year in the UK when traditional broadcasters make up more than 50% of total video viewing across all screens.

I think the writing is on the wall here, if people do not agree that is fine.

I feel like we're getting so bogged down in minute detail that we can't see the bigger picture here - In an age where 96% of households had internet in 2020, 70% of those people use it to read/watch the news, 70% use it for social networking, and 66% use it to watch video content, over half of all video streamed is still made by traditional broadcasters. I feel that's more an achievement than something to prove that television will become almost completely irrelevant in the future!