BBC, Value for money?

I’ve used so much of the BBC services over the last year while on furlough.
6 Music whilst DIYing, BBC sounds app has loads of quality content. The BBC weather app has become my go to. Local football commentary on Saturday’s. iPlayer is just quality compared to ITV hub and All4. The ITV equivalent programmes are often so dumbed down it’s frustrating - and the adverts match too ( betting and food delivery mostly). ITV is free and it’s content quality reflects that. I’m more than happy to pay for the BBC, the value our family gets out of is tremendous.

I think the argument for many is that with a budget of four billion, there should be more accountability.
In a business where what you spend depends on your level of profit, budgets for anything are usually never generous.
The BBC know what money they are getting every year and "just have to think of ways to spend it."

The quality of some of the programmes are excellent, but they have as many "schedule fillers" and repeats as the rest of the channels. So why do we need BBC3..again?
I've got an idea.

In my retail business I had to set a budget, which had to be approved by my bosses. It was always fair, in that it was possibly achievable, "in theory."
If I came in on budget, I'd get my bonus. Coming in any better wouldn't benefit me at all, In fact they'd be looking to make the budget more difficult to achieve the following year. So If I thought that might be the case, say nine months into the year, I'd look for things on which to spend money, to avoid that. But the BBC are often bleating about money.
 
Last edited:
I think the argument for many is that with a budget of four billion, there should be more accountability.
In a business where what you spend depends on your level of profit, budgets for anything are usually never generous.
The BBC know what money they are getting every year and "just have to think of ways to spend it."

The quality of some of the programmes are excellent, but they have as many "schedule fillers" and repeats as the rest of the channels. So why do we need BBC3..again?
BBC 3 has a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t be normally be interested in but it does seem to give new talent a first break (for good and bad) Fleabag, This County started there and won many awards. We watched Surrogates on 3 last week and that was an eye opening documentary series that had us all gripped and a few tears were shed - not by me honestly.
 
BBC 3 has a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t be normally be interested in but it does seem to give new talent a first break (for good and bad) Fleabag, This County started there and won many awards. We watched Surrogates on 3 last week and that was an eye opening documentary series that had us all gripped and a few tears were shed - not by me honestly.

But you're talking programmes, the BBC has more than enough capacity with three channels and i-Player.
It's just a case of scheduling so that minor interests can be accommodated. It's like those who like cheap to produce quiz programmes will know what time of the day they are usually on. As a country we have a high density of home TV recording equipment, so people have every chance of getting what they like and watching it when they want.
 
But you're talking programmes, the BBC has more than enough capacity with three channels and i-Player.
It's just a case of scheduling so that minor interests can be accommodated. It's like those who like cheap to produce quiz programmes will know what time of the day they are usually on. As a country we have a high density of home TV recording equipment, so people have every chance of getting what they like and watching it when they want.
Curating the more niche or experimental programs together in its own channel makes sense as it’s less likely too annoy or even offend “mainstream” viewers. Some people don’t want to see programs about minorities, drag queens or gaming etc mixed in with Country File and the Repair Shop 😁
 
I can't wait for all the DS crew to discover this thread....
Found it. Not a debate I ever got into on DS mind. However I get my 50p per day's worth easily from BBC radio alone, add BBC 4 documentaries and I am more than happy with the value for money. Quality documentary isn't abundant on TV even with cable. Wildlife is quite well catered for and there are hundreds of cheap and shallow crimey things but science and history not so much, so I do watch most of the BBC's output.
 
A pleasant change of tone on this thread over the last few days after 55 pages
There was a long running down with the BBC thread on DS. It may still be there actually as 'Broadcasting' may not have ben included in the cull. But if you read it, it seems to comprise of the same small handful of anti BBC posters grumbling. As the tone seemed to be a place to grumble about the BBC or licence fee and they have been doing it for years, I never bothered to comment. There was no way on God's good earth minds were going to be changed and life is too short for squabbling with virtual people.
 
There was no way on God's good earth minds were going to be changed and life is too short for squabbling with virtual people.
Doesn't that go both ways though? Would you have changed your mind?

Anyhow, it's not really about changing people's minds is it? Some people find it good value and some people don't. Some people don't mind being forced to pay for it and some people don't like it. It's pretty hard to change people's minds either way.
 
Oh I've found it! The licence fee is one of my pet peeves, it is ridiculous that it exists in the 21st century.

Not as ridiculous as elephants’ noses.
 
Doesn't that go both ways though? Would you have changed your mind?

Anyhow, it's not really about changing people's minds is it? Some people find it good value and some people don't. Some people don't mind being forced to pay for it and some people don't like it. It's pretty hard to change people's minds either way.

maybe not necessarily change minds but in some cases put people right on some often quoted inaccuracies when discussing the BbC, licence fee and related matters.
 
Doesn't that go both ways though? Would you have changed your mind?

Anyhow, it's not really about changing people's minds is it? Some people find it good value and some people don't. Some people don't mind being forced to pay for it and some people don't like it. It's pretty hard to change people's minds either way.
No probably not :blush: Although they do more and more as an organisation that disappoints me. But that was why it made sense to leave them alone.
 
Well the big difference between that "debate" in the other place was it was limited to the BBC's political output wrt possible bias in light of how it reports on the current government's actions and its role as state broadcaster. This thread is about whether the BBC as a whole is value for money, so that obviously encompasses a wide variety of programmes and categories.

As such, I'd say it probably is value for money even if I am one who doesn't rate their news service at all. As a disclaimer, I don't live in the UK and have no access to iPlayer. On the occasions I have gone back there to visit over the last 20 years I've seen a radical dumbing down in the way the news is presented and put together.
 
As such, I'd say it probably is value for money even if I am one who doesn't rate their news service at all. As a disclaimer, I don't live in the UK and have no access to iPlayer. On the occasions I have gone back there to visit over the last 20 years I've seen a radical dumbing down in the way the news is presented and put together.

It could be argued that the "dumbing down" is to fit the audience as i believe they used to be accused of being too "po faced" and traditional in their news reporting and presentation.

Maybe, despite what some say on here, running a major content and media provider is actually quite tricky
 
It could be argued that the "dumbing down" is to fit the audience as i believe they used to be accused of being too "po faced" and traditional in their news reporting and presentation.

Maybe, despite what some say on here, running a major content and media provider is actually quite tricky

You could argue that the TV audience gets the quality of programmes they deserve. i.e. if enough people are willing to watch it then it'll get scheduled. Of course with commercial TV, they'll sometimes take off a series that doesn't get a sufficently high enough number of viewers that satisfies advertisers.
With the BBC it's different. When a programme is poorly received and makes the press, the BBC are likely to say they are satisfied with the viewing numbers. They don't really care, "they've got your money."

But the BBC must care about viewing numbers as they mostly pitch documentaries and other programmes that will appeal to as wide an audience as possible. This does lead to some dumbing down and so they sometimes don't go into too much detail, which may annoy some. The closest you might get in some is the presenter having ago at something. "It's hard to think of one who hasn't had a go at splitting slates."
 
Last edited:
As a PSB they dont necessarily "chase" viewers or use it as a measure whether a show should be renewed or cancelled. They do however need to meet the Public purpose requirements of the Royal charter that they have to adhere to :-

1. To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them

2. To support learning for people of all ages

3. To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services

4. To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom

5. To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world


All very little to do with viewing figures or "they've got your money", if that was they case why dont they just have "Watching paint drying - LIVE" and "Navel Gazing with Brian Cox" ?


You may not agree with these Public purposes, or possibly that the BBC dont meet them, however that is down to the Royal Charter and its monitoring by OFCOM and the government of the day
 
See the thing is the world has moved on. There's a lot of stuff we the licence payers fund which we either know nothing about, nor find useful. There's always someone who will bring up "the charter."
To continue to suffer the number of repeats and schedule fillers, because of the BBC's other commitments, some would argue the charter needs changing.

I'll give you an analogy.

Back in the fifties and sixties the band leader Victor Sylvester had a popular regular programme of dance music on BBC radio. It would appear from what he said he was inundated with letters from "British West Hartlepools" and other far flung countries with requests for particular tunes they wanted his orchestra to play and he obliged.
Now those same people don't have to wait probably weeks, to listen in to a particular BBC programme, (if it were still broadcast). they can hear the same tune, by going on YouTube on their smart phone.

As I said, the world has moved on and the BBC has nowhere near the same foreign influence or use it once had.
 
Last edited:
How can the charter fail to be brought up, its what governs the BBC .

As I said you may or may not like the charter but its one of the key factors when many of the arguments are brought up here and elsewhere.

The analogy has some merit and maybe the charter needs changing but that's not the BBCs issue and it is at the moment bound by the charter as it is.
 
How can the charter fail to be brought up, its what governs the BBC .

As I said you may or may not like the charter but its one of the key factors when many of the arguments are brought up here and elsewhere.

The analogy has some merit and maybe the charter needs changing but that's not the BBCs issue and it is at the moment bound by the charter as it is.

Eh?

Of course the BBC are bound by the charter. Did I say they weren't?

What I said was, "some would argue the charter needs changing."
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom