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Governors’ review of services New media

Overview

The BBC is a tri-media organisation. Much of its television and radio output is supported and extended by online and interactive provision, and is reported on elsewhere in this document.

We are strongly committed to bringing the benefits of digital technologies to everyone in the UK, whether through the internet, radio, television or mobile devices.

The BBC’s role in developing a digital UK is both direct – by encouraging media literacy, and indirect

– by encouraging digital take-up through the provision of attractive content.

The BBC’s new media services complement and enrich our broadcast services, extend our educational reach, and deliver public value by enabling people to communicate with each other in communities built around shared passions, interests and localities. We are working to ensure that these communities – especially where they involve the young or the vulnerable – operate in a safe environment.

40 BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2003/2004

Remit bbc.co.uk: to use the internet to complement the full range of the BBC’s broadcast output, extending the depth, interactivity and ease of access to the information, education and entertainment on offer; and to encourage participation in the digital world and to provide a safe home on the internet.

In March 2004, for the first time, half the British population aged over 15 used the internet. Some 45% of them – more than 10 million – visited bbc.co.uk. This statistic has added to the evidence that the rapid growth of the internet in the UK has been fuelled by the availability of BBC content and by the efforts made by the BBC to open up the digital world to new users. A good example is the People’s War World War Two site which has been designed in partnership with Age Concern to introduce over-60s to the internet. It is attracting up to 140,000 users a month. The overall growth in use has been achieved despite a change in investment priorities that shifted funding away from the internet towards interactive television.

In 2003, as part of our review of bbc.co.uk, we endorsed criteria which new bbc.co.uk sites have to meet. They include: contributing to the BBC’s purpose and embodying BBC values; demonstrating value for money; providing distinctive content; and an assessment of potential market impact. Existing sites were also assessed. Some sites, such as Legacies,

Spy Watch and Science and Nature were decommissioned or slimmed down over the year. Others, such as the BBC Films site, were charged with becoming more editorially distinctive.

Remit

BBCi: to offer all-day up-to-the-minute news, weather, education, entertainment and other information to all digital television audiences via the red button on the remote control; to enhance the value of the BBC’s television proposition to all digital audiences through video, audio, pictures and text.

Audiences to BBC interactive services have grown strongly over the year and now reach half the digital population monthly. The BBC’s 24/7 interactive TV service was relaunched with a simpler user interface and the number of new enhanced television (eTV) services was nearly doubled, to 190. For example, the drama documentary

The Genius of Mozart was enhanced with an interactive application – an illustration of how eTV can deepen and enrich the experience for audiences.

However, we note that the growth in people using interactivity is not keeping up with the growth in its availability. The BBC needs to understand and change this trend if eTV is to reach its full potential.

Monthly reach 2003/2004 of bbc.co.uk and BBCi (millions)

The BBC has begun piloting iCan, which attempts to engage people who feel disconnected from current political processes but who want to make a difference in civic life. iCan puts people in touch with one another and gives them tools to enable them to maximise their influence by working and campaigning together. This is potentially a very significant community initiative but it does carry editorial risks and we are monitoring developments to ensure that robust systems are in place to prevent the BBC’s impartiality being compromised.

We are also keeping under review the question of moderation of the BBC’s community sites. The BBC has traditionally used pre-moderation (checking messages before publication), and post-moderation (checking messages shortly after publication). This year, in response to the rapid growth in use of message boards and chatrooms, reactive moderation was introduced. Here messages are checked only when the BBC is alerted by users. This increases response times for users and reduces cost but carries editorial risks and we have asked management to ensure robust risk-management systems are in place.

We are clear that BBC message boards for children or vulnerable groups should always be pre-moderated. The BBC is continuing to work closely with the Home Office Task Force drafting guidance on moderation for the industry. In 2003 the BBC launched Chatguide, which gives guidance on using chatrooms.

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