BBC Scotland Channel

[Roger Darthwell]

I give you BBC Three where Two Pints, Family Guy and American Dad were repeated again and again. It may be a national PSB for Scotland, but it's also a digital multichannel where you build audiences on repetitive scheduling.

I suspect a regular slot for Still Game along with Scot Squad on regularly is what viewers will discover it for rather than the worthy PSB type programming they also schedule.

BBC Three no longer have the rights for Family Guy and American Dad though

The point still stands about repetitive scheduling, regardless if the channel has it or not.

All right, so you think that BBC Scotland will become a success due to it's repeats?

[Brekkie]

I give you BBC Three where Two Pints, Family Guy and American Dad were repeated again and again. It may be a national PSB for Scotland, but it's also a digital multichannel where you build audiences on repetitive scheduling.

I suspect a regular slot for Still Game along with Scot Squad on regularly is what viewers will discover it for rather than the worthy PSB type programming they also schedule.

BBC Three no longer have the rights for Family Guy and American Dad though, also BBC Three did not build it's audiences on repeats, there were repeats because it's budget was slashed before it's closure

BBC3 absolutely built it's audience on repeats with Family Guy in the 11pm hour often it's highest rated show of the day. As London Lite says it's a common strategy for digital channels to have popular shows repeated on a loop from beginning to end and back again as not only does it fill hours but it brings an audience to the channel who otherwise wouldn't tune in and gives them the chance to advertise their original content to them or schedule shows after in the hope of them sticking around.

[Roger Darthwell]

I give you BBC Three where Two Pints, Family Guy and American Dad were repeated again and again. It may be a national PSB for Scotland, but it's also a digital multichannel where you build audiences on repetitive scheduling.

I suspect a regular slot for Still Game along with Scot Squad on regularly is what viewers will discover it for rather than the worthy PSB type programming they also schedule.

BBC Three no longer have the rights for Family Guy and American Dad though, also BBC Three did not build it's audiences on repeats, there were repeats because it's budget was slashed before it's closure

BBC3 absolutely built it's audience on repeats with Family Guy in the 11pm hour often it's highest rated show of the day. As London Lite says it's a common strategy for digital channels to have popular shows repeated on a loop from beginning to end and back again as not only does it fill hours but it brings an audience to the channel who otherwise wouldn't tune in and gives them the chance to advertise their original content to them or schedule shows after in the hope of them sticking around.

I understand....at the end of the day this is a forum, and forums are places where you respectfully debate opinions, and that is what makes this place special.......but I have a question, what if the viewers don't stick around?

[gottago]

I might be wrong but I feel like Father Ted has been continuously repeated on a loop over and over and over again on More4 on Sunday night since the channel launched.

[London Lite]

I might be wrong but I feel like Father Ted has been continuously repeated on a loop over and over and over again on More4 on Sunday night since the channel launched.

Only Fools and Horses on Gold is another show that is scheduled heavily on that channel, but while it's complained about on forums like this, it still rates really well with viewers who then discover the Gold Originals and other classic content wrapped around it.

[Brekkie]

I might be wrong but I feel like Father Ted has been continuously repeated on a loop over and over and over again on More4 on Sunday night since the channel launched.

Grand Designs on weekday evenings too whilst I think Everyone Loves Raymond has been repeated without a break on C4 ever since they ditched live breakfast TV 16 years ago, and Frasier ever since that was added to the morning schedules.

Most of these channels have content they could cycle in to the schedules once a rerun reaches it's finale - but they've found out over the years that'll lose them far more viewers in most cases than just starting back from the beginning again.

[tellyblues]

I give you BBC Three where Two Pints, Family Guy and American Dad were repeated again and again. It may be a national PSB for Scotland, but it's also a digital multichannel where you build audiences on repetitive scheduling.

I suspect a regular slot for Still Game along with Scot Squad on regularly is what viewers will discover it for rather than the worthy PSB type programming they also schedule.

How much of an increase in audience would you expect from a programme that will very recently have been shown in full, is almost 20 years old and has itself pushed the limits of the audience BBC Scotland can realistically achieve?

None of the BBC3 shows you mention - or Only Fools and Horses for that matter - come anywhere close to the status that Still Game has in Scotland. Everyone has seen it. Those few people new to it can get it on YouTube.

Aside from all that, why did the BBC make a big deal of the 50/50 split in "old" and "new" programming when BBC Scotland was first proposed? IMO, it was because they were aware that people would not get behind a channel that consisted mostly of repeats. That is the situation at present, unlikely to improve. Time and money has been wasted on formats that were never going to prove popular for the fact that we are not a nation that will stand for insulting, parochial crap. While some may rejoice how economical these programmes are, it is not what viewers expected nor what they want.

[London Lite]

I give you BBC Three where Two Pints, Family Guy and American Dad were repeated again and again. It may be a national PSB for Scotland, but it's also a digital multichannel where you build audiences on repetitive scheduling.

I suspect a regular slot for Still Game along with Scot Squad on regularly is what viewers will discover it for rather than the worthy PSB type programming they also schedule.

How much of an increase in audience would you expect from a programme that will very recently have been shown in full, is almost 20 years old and has itself pushed the limits of the audience BBC Scotland can realistically achieve?

None of the BBC3 shows you mention - or Only Fools and Horses for that matter - come anywhere close to the status that Still Game has in Scotland. Everyone has seen it. Those few people new to it can get it on YouTube.

Aside from all that, why did the BBC make a big deal of the 50/50 split in "old" and "new" programming when BBC Scotland was first proposed? IMO, it was because they were aware that people would not get behind a channel that consisted mostly of repeats. That is the situation at present, unlikely to improve. Time and money has been wasted on formats that were never going to prove popular for the fact that we are not a nation that will stand for insulting, parochial crap. While some may rejoice how economical these programmes are, it is not what viewers expected nor what they want.

"Everyone" has watched Only Fools and Horses again and again, but it doesn't stop that sitcom from being watched. Still Game is no different.

While it may frustrate you and others with similar views, the facts are that repetitive scheduling works in increasing share and that includes a low budget PSB. It works for commercial radio as well where tight playlisting of songs equals more listeners.

[tellyblues]

I give you BBC Three where Two Pints, Family Guy and American Dad were repeated again and again. It may be a national PSB for Scotland, but it's also a digital multichannel where you build audiences on repetitive scheduling.

I suspect a regular slot for Still Game along with Scot Squad on regularly is what viewers will discover it for rather than the worthy PSB type programming they also schedule.

How much of an increase in audience would you expect from a programme that will very recently have been shown in full, is almost 20 years old and has itself pushed the limits of the audience BBC Scotland can realistically achieve?

None of the BBC3 shows you mention - or Only Fools and Horses for that matter - come anywhere close to the status that Still Game has in Scotland. Everyone has seen it. Those few people new to it can get it on YouTube.

Aside from all that, why did the BBC make a big deal of the 50/50 split in "old" and "new" programming when BBC Scotland was first proposed? IMO, it was because they were aware that people would not get behind a channel that consisted mostly of repeats. That is the situation at present, unlikely to improve. Time and money has been wasted on formats that were never going to prove popular for the fact that we are not a nation that will stand for insulting, parochial crap. While some may rejoice how economical these programmes are, it is not what viewers expected nor what they want.

"Everyone" has watched Only Fools and Horses again and again, but it doesn't stop that sitcom from being watched. Still Game is no different.

While it may frustrate you and others with similar views, the facts are that repetitive scheduling works in increasing share and that includes a low budget PSB. It works for commercial radio as well where tight playlisting of songs equals more listeners.

BBC Scotland is intended for and aimed specifically at viewers in Scotland. It has a prominent EPG slot so is regarded as important here. It is not some general, take-it-or-leave-it entertainment channel that even those in charge of expect people to stumble upon because they find nothing worth watching elsewhere. People make a point of watching Still Game.

I'm not saying that further repeats won't attract viewers but the amount who watch will depreciate given that the interest for the show since it has aired on BBC Scotland has been very high. For months on end, it was the most popular programme on the channel, outperforming first-run shows such as Inside Central Station.

The examples quoted in this thread to prove repetitive scheduling works are those which have been popular. The fact is that the majority of programmes commissioned for BBC Scotland have failed and the likely audience for repeats is miniscule. The ratings show that; most programmes get below 30k.

It shouldn't be forgotten that the majority of those that do better pre-existed the channel, which should be seen as disappointing. Yeah, you could name me Home Of The Year etc but the longer time goes on, the viewership for these shows will get less and less and won't be matched by new shows. This is inevitable given the budget BBC Scotland has to work with and the same could be said for any channel but the difference here though is that viewers were promised something and haven't been given it, and they couldn't care less about marketing strategies.

[James Martin]

Friends has been off air for nearly twice as long as it was on.

It's still repeated ad nauseum.

[Keith]

I give you BBC Three where Two Pints, Family Guy and American Dad were repeated again and again. It may be a national PSB for Scotland, but it's also a digital multichannel where you build audiences on repetitive scheduling.

I suspect a regular slot for Still Game along with Scot Squad on regularly is what viewers will discover it for rather than the worthy PSB type programming they also schedule.

How much of an increase in audience would you expect from a programme that will very recently have been shown in full, is almost 20 years old and has itself pushed the limits of the audience BBC Scotland can realistically achieve?

None of the BBC3 shows you mention - or Only Fools and Horses for that matter - come anywhere close to the status that Still Game has in Scotland. Everyone has seen it. Those few people new to it can get it on YouTube.

Aside from all that, why did the BBC make a big deal of the 50/50 split in "old" and "new" programming when BBC Scotland was first proposed? IMO, it was because they were aware that people would not get behind a channel that consisted mostly of repeats. That is the situation at present, unlikely to improve. Time and money has been wasted on formats that were never going to prove popular for the fact that we are not a nation that will stand for insulting, parochial crap. While some may rejoice how economical these programmes are, it is not what viewers expected nor what they want.

Sounds the same as the schedules of the CBS channels. Much of their programming is on a repeat cycle, whereby when they reach the final episode of the final series it generally goes back to the first episode of the first series (that they have rights to). I'm not sure why you're surprised that BBC Scotland is following this fairly common practice.

[Brekkie]

Even at peak levels of funding BBC3 and BBC4 rarely had more than an hour of new content a night.

Ultimately though this is where BBC Scotland as a channel fails as you have to schedule 6-8 hours a day based around a few hours of original content a week. I do feel us in Wales get a better deal with slightly less content on BBC1/2 Wales, but generally of a higher quality.

[johnnyboy]

Even at peak levels of funding BBC3 and BBC4 rarely had more than an hour of new content a night.

Ultimately though this is where BBC Scotland as a channel fails as you have to schedule 6-8 hours a day based around a few hours of original content a week. I do feel us in Wales get a better deal with slightly less content on BBC1/2 Wales, but generally of a higher quality.

Without wishing to drag the subject off topic, what was BBC 2W like, Brekkie?

Did you feel, as a Welsh person, it spoke to you and served your needs?

And to our Scottish brothers and sisters on the forum, does BBC Scotland speak to you and serve your needs, regardless of the number of repeats or not?

As an Englishman, I dip in and out of BBC Scotland every now and again and I find myself enjoying the Nine when I watch it.

[Brekkie]

Even at peak levels of funding BBC3 and BBC4 rarely had more than an hour of new content a night.

Ultimately though this is where BBC Scotland as a channel fails as you have to schedule 6-8 hours a day based around a few hours of original content a week. I do feel us in Wales get a better deal with slightly less content on BBC1/2 Wales, but generally of a higher quality.

Without wishing to drag the subject off topic, what was BBC 2W like, Brekkie?

Did you feel, as a Welsh person, it spoke to you and served your needs?

TBH I don't remember watching it at all, though think that was due to which direction our aerial of the time was pointing rather than a reflection of the channel. In more recent times though I do feel a couple of drama series a year on BBC1 Wales serves us better than the sort of content which may be commissioned to fill time rather than with a quality threshold in mind - content on a par with what you get from the network, rather than feeling like it's made on a budget.

[tellyblues]

I give you BBC Three where Two Pints, Family Guy and American Dad were repeated again and again. It may be a national PSB for Scotland, but it's also a digital multichannel where you build audiences on repetitive scheduling.

I suspect a regular slot for Still Game along with Scot Squad on regularly is what viewers will discover it for rather than the worthy PSB type programming they also schedule.

How much of an increase in audience would you expect from a programme that will very recently have been shown in full, is almost 20 years old and has itself pushed the limits of the audience BBC Scotland can realistically achieve?

None of the BBC3 shows you mention - or Only Fools and Horses for that matter - come anywhere close to the status that Still Game has in Scotland. Everyone has seen it. Those few people new to it can get it on YouTube.

Aside from all that, why did the BBC make a big deal of the 50/50 split in "old" and "new" programming when BBC Scotland was first proposed? IMO, it was because they were aware that people would not get behind a channel that consisted mostly of repeats. That is the situation at present, unlikely to improve. Time and money has been wasted on formats that were never going to prove popular for the fact that we are not a nation that will stand for insulting, parochial crap. While some may rejoice how economical these programmes are, it is not what viewers expected nor what they want.

Sounds the same as the schedules of the CBS channels. Much of their programming is on a repeat cycle, whereby when they reach the final episode of the final series it generally goes back to the first episode of the first series (that they have rights to). I'm not sure why you're surprised that BBC Scotland is following this fairly common practice.

I expected Still Game to be shown again. It is the timing of it which I am surprised. It is such a popular programme and with little else new being on BBC Scotland, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Not the sort of attention the channel needs.

It may be a common thing for other channels to run programmes on a loop but that's their prerogative, and more importantly, it's probably what their audiences expect.

I don't think this is the case for BBC Scotland. It is seen as being up there with the five main terrestrial channels and ahead of the likes of More4 with regards to the amount of new content on offer. That view may change if the number of repeats increases. I would have thought that to discourage such an opinion, something else would be shown instead of Still Game and which perhaps hasn't already been seen on the channel to further prove that the channel isn't over-reliant on the same shows. Why not Dear Green Place or Happy Hollidays?

Maybe if so many programmes hadn't failed then there wouldn't be so many repeats but that's not the fault of the viewers. It is up to BBC Scotland to commission programmes that people will want to watch. Easier said than done but the litmus test should be "would this programme be successful on another channel?". Being Scottish is not enough. This is a mistake frequently made, most notably BBC3, where it was thought that by simply having young people in programmes meant they were halfway there to being popular.