BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2008/09

A portfolio of distinctive services designed to meet the needs of our diverse audiences.

From the hugely popular BBC One – watched by four out of five people in the UK every week last year – and Radio 2 (the most popular national radio station in the UK with over 13 million listeners) to those with smaller audiences such as BBC Parliament, CBBC and Radio 3, each drawing in its own discerning and loyal audience to its distinctive offer – the BBC seeks to connect with as many UK viewers and listeners as it can at some point each week.

We are funded by a licence fee – so it is only right that each household gets value back from us for their investment, and we are pleased to report that, last year, we were welcomed by 93% of the UK population into their homes in an average week.…

Memorable and original programmes that stand out.

…that 93% of British people who come to our content each week have a wide range of interests and passions, and our ambition is to offer them a range of programmes and content that they cannot find anywhere else.

So whether it’s programmes that capture the mood of the nation – from the millions of viewers who secretly watch the Eurovision Song Contest (not to mention those who listened on Radio 2 or via BBC iPlayer) – or unique and original drama with Little Dorrit or programmes that unite communities of interest like Antiques Roadshow or Songs Of Praise or live sport – 42 million watched our coverage of the Olympics and a million more people visited our sports websites than in a normal week – we want audiences to know that the BBC has something distinctive that they want to experience, and that we are worth visiting.