Understanding Context, Axe or Keep?
Imagine you are a TV HEAD (you are in charge of a channel.)
Write an argument for EITHER KEEPING BBC3 OR AXING IT?
Firstly, I was shocked and outraged that they even considered axing BBC Three, because in my opinion BBC Three hosts some of the greatest shows on TV – Pramface, Don’t tell the Bride, Snog, Marry, Avoid, Russell Howard’s Good News, Gavin and Stacy? I understand that if a channel gets little or no viewer ship there is no point in having it but BBC Three is the only BBC Channel that appeals to ‘Young People’. Axe it and where will these young people fuel their daily fix?
Previous Pulp Singer, Jarvis Cocker spoke recently, defending the plans to axe the channel. He mentions in an article in Radio Times that ‘Young People don’t watch Television’ which at first can seem like a blatant lie, because us young people are the main culprits for late night telly and so called vegetating. However the now music presenter Cocker also said, ‘it is all about tablets’ meaning that we fuel our obsession with television online.
The BBC aren’t planning on completely axing the Channel, they are just shifting it to iPlayer so it’s audience can view online. Which makes perfect since, considering that last year during the month of March 2013 BBC 3 had only 1.4% total monthly viewing, where as during the month of March 2013 81% requested TV off iPlayer from a device (ie: Tablet, Mobile Phone, Computer, Game Console) – 19% for TV Platforms (Smart TVs).
Yet BBC Three are planning to make “far fewer shows” after it shifts to iPlayer only. Digital Spy says that the channels’ most popular programmes will only be made available online, which questions what ones? According to Digital Spy the BBC has recommissioned Bad Education, Bluestone 42 and Some Girls, which may seem like a bit of a range in audiences but its hardly a dent in the programmes currently available. Channel controller Zai Bennett also claims that BBC One and Two will have added responsibility to appeal to the younger audience. I’m sorry but why change the history of two channels just to axe another, BBC One is set to feature the news, one off documentaries and classic films not sitcoms like Him and Her – that is BBC Three’s job! If BBC One and Two must cater to BBC Three’s audience as well, I have to question what is the point when BBC is axing the BBC Three to iPlayer purely because said teenagers are interested in watching TV online.
Although, you could say that it is the audience’s fault for shifting their attention to the latest gadget, instead of the latest Big Screen, leaving BBC with no choice to move the target audience’s channel in sync with the audience. It seems understandable, yet the shift just encourages teenagers to stay in their rooms on their Androids and iPads, instead of being sociable. What happened to Family Time and spending Friday nights in watching a movie?
Since I am against this unnecessary and quite frankly, stupid decision to move BBC Three to iPlayer and dilute it’s programmes, I want to suggest an improvement. BBC Three currently only broadcasts from 7pm, which targets the audience well since some of the shows feature adult comedy with use of mild language. However, there is no reason they can’t create a few new shows, still targeting the audience and having them broadcasting earlier in the day. BBC Three has shown some great movies in the past, why not have something like a Midday Movie. Some improvements for BBC Three:
- Offering new content will keep the ever-changing teenage generation interested. Right now BBC Three feels like it is on constant repeat, as much as I love seeing the repeats of Gavin and Stacy, it is boring watching it over and over again.
- Target more of the male audience, there is a lot of shows on BBC Three that mainly target females (Hair, Pramface, Some Girls) Plus the aesthetic outlook of BBC Three’s branding is pink and very feminine.
- Broadcast earlier in the day.
James Corden, who previously acted as Smithy in Gavin and Stacy says: “BBC Three as a channel should always be at the forefront of things that are new and exciting,” which I agree with although Corden agrees with the switch, he is right about one thing, BBC Three should be at the forefront of the new and exciting, the new and exciting programmes, on TV.
In February 2014, the average time an individual person spends watching BBC Three is just 23 Seconds, but BBC 4 is 14 seconds, yet they have no plans to axe that, do they?
Top Gear: To Keep or to Axe?
I strongly think that Top Gear should be kept, that is an opinion coming from someone who isn’t the show’s biggest fan. I would suggest an improvement of appealing to more Females, possibly adding a Female presenter in hope that it will obtain more female audience, but with little luck the show will get a model-like presenter and increase the male audience in an instant.
According to Express, alongside others, Top Gear is one of the TV Programmes set to be axed by the BBC. Former Director of Communications Ed Williams said ‘[Top Gear] is coming to the end of [its] natural [life]’ Top Gear is the longest running show (first airing in 2001 on BBC Two) set to be axed within the next five years.
I agree with Ed Williams in that eventually shows must come to an end, however Top Gear is the longest running show and still has dedicated fans.
Fan’s Tweet to Top Gear Presenter Jeremy Clarkson
In my opinion, the success of this show – or any show for that matter – stands in the content. Top Gear is a aesthetically a show about Cars and yet in each segment, in each episode brings a new story, which helps to keep the audience loyal to the show. Top Gear has only got six episode’s in one season, two less than the American version but as one fan says: ‘its the Quality not the Quantity.’
Some facts about Top Gear:
- During the last day of the Sochi Games 2014, Top Gear was watched by 4.7million people, beating ITV’s Family Fortunes.
- The programme currently holds the World Record of Most Watched Factual Programme, Worldwide.
- There is an international version of the show, which is edited by the BBC before being sold to other countries – the BBC World version is cut 30-minutes short.
- The first original Top Gear started in 1977, which eventually became axed in 2001 as Jeremy Clarkson left to widen his TV career. It was then revived in 2002, when Clarkson returned to the show, boasting the ratings.
In summery I really feel the UK should turn to the US for inspiration. According to imdb, How I met your Mother, a USA made Programme is in the top ten list of most popular TV Programmes. It is a programme that started off as a modern, remake of the TV series Friends and gradually branded itself into a highly successful TV series. I love it because ultimately it is the longest story of how a man meets his wife. Although this programme does not necessarily have the exact same audience as BBC Three – it targets the young generation – or Top Gear, I think the idea of developing an old programme into something new until the new programme forms its own independence is brilliant. After all, Media is there to be remixed and re branded.
Blogging my Degree. 