While viewers are increasingly turning to catch-up TV and subscription services for entertainment shows on demand, news helps shore up audiences on traditional TV because it remains an appointment to view and is not offered by Netflix, Amazon or Disney.
Still, the question lingers: Why is the BBC watering down its 24-hour national TV coverage when British broadcasters are investing in UK current affairs to stop audiences defecting to the streaming giants. "We’re not stepping away from UK coverage, we’re making that coverage better – on TV and online." "Rather than running two parallel TV news channels, we’ll have one, better, channel, with the trusted, high-quality news people expect from the BBC. “No, quite the reverse – we’re making better use of the licence fee to give audiences the UK’s best breaking news services, in the ways we know they’re using them, both on TV and online," a spokesman says. The corporation has dismissed the idea that such changes will cause it to cede ground to rivals.
The BBC has defended the decision as being a step towards creating a "digital-led" organisation delivering more for licence fee payers by offering international coverage previously unavailable outside the UK.Ī dedicated team will also create a live feed for when a story breaks of national importance to ensure UK audiences do not suffer, the BBC says. Anything that dilutes the domestic coverage of the 24-hour news service, is bound to reduce audiences – that is the nature of the beast." "You can't straddle BBC News 24 and BBC World convincingly, either. That was all done to save money and streamline. "BBC World Service was a standalone, high-end, product, whereas BBC News was very much London based. "If you go back a decade, to when BBC World Service was merged with BBC News and the old Peter Horrocks regime was wiped out, that was a major editorial error," he adds. With GB News bolstering its patriotic coverage following a fresh £60m investment and Sky News – helmed by the likes of Kay Burley – continuing to benefit from the deep pockets of its American owner Comcast, there is danger that the cutbacks are an open goal for the BBC's rivals.ĭavid Elstein, the former BBC editor and chief executive of Channel 5, says the move is likely to cause a slide in British viewers.
They will put 70 jobs at risk, as part of the BBC's enduring quest to slash its budget amid falling income from the licence fee. Poised to come into force next year, the shake-up will mean that studios at Broadcasting House helm UK and global news coverage during the day, before a a switch to presenters in Washington and Singapore overnight.Ĭost-saving is among the driving forces behind the plans. "The UK licence fee payer will not recognise it." "The replacement channel will be commercial and aimed at an overseas audience. "I do not believe the true extent of the damage to the news channel has been made plain," she said. Taking to Twitter last week, BBC newsreader Martine Croxall lashed out at the plans. The BBC's plan to scrap its two rolling news channels for UK and overseas audiences and launch a global station serving both has become the latest row to engulf the corporation amid fears it will dial down national coverage. However, it told the Belfast Telegraph that the BBC's decision was a "snub to our communities" that had caused immense disappointment and frustration. The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, which organises the events, welcomed the fledgling channel's support. GB News, the insurgent network trying to disrupt Britain's media landscape with its opinionated take on current affairs, delivered the blow-by-blow coverage of unionist pride instead in a boost for the broadcaster's credibility. While the national broadcaster still provided highlights or marches, the second-by-second account of the Orangemen's celebration fell to Auntie's plucky rival to pick up. When the BBC consigned the live broadcast of the Belfast Twelfth of July Parade to the editorial dustbin, more than six decades of in-depth coverage came to an end.
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