Lesson 1

British Broadcasting TV Channels

Objectives :
Show understanding of remits and
brand identities of British television
companies .
Mass or Niche Audience? July 2014
: Reorder the channels into
most and least popular and guess
how many hours a week are
spent watching them

BBC 3
Channel 4
BBC 1
ITV
BBC2
Channel 5
Sky 1

BBC1 5 hrs 48 minutes (p/w)
ITV 3 hrs 21
BBC2 1 hr 20
Channel 4 1 hr 8 mins
Channel 5 54 minutes
BBC 3 17 minutes
Sky 1 11 minutes

Mass = broad mainstream
Niche = smaller, more specific
Mass or Niche Programmes?
PSB Broadcasting
The BBC and Channel 4 are both publicly owned broadcasters. Their funding differs, in
that the BBC is primarily funded by the licence fee while Channel 4 is commercially
funded through advertisement. Unlike ITV or Sky they do not have shareholders.
Because they are publicly funded they each have a remit or set of conditions they
must adhere to. At a time when the schedules are swamped with cheaply made reality tv and
cheaper foreign imports publicly owned companies help to preserve quality and British
made programming.

The BBC remit : Lord Reith (The BBCs original Director General) declared the intention
to inform, educate and entertain. In the modern age, the BBC has a number of
competitors whose intention is to make profit. For this reason its remit is to provide
high quality and diverse programmes. It has a series of channels for mainstream
television (BBC1) and some for more niche audiences (BBC2/BBC3/BBC4)

Channel 4 remit : The station was introduced in 1982. It was tasked with creating more
be innovative, experimental and distinctive programming than the BBCs chief
commercial rival, ITV. It has been particularly successful in its experimental comedy
such as Brass Eye/Ali G, drama such as Shameless and This is England and its film
making wing.

Close exercise/ Stick in books
________ and ________ are public service broadcasters. Channel 4 are funded by ___________ .
Both stations have a _______ or set of rules they must stick to. They help to ensure quality
because these broadcasters are meant to avoid cheaper, poorer quality programmes such as
________ ______ or ________ ________ _________ . The remit of the BBC , historically is to
_________ , ___________ and entertain. Recently it has been instructed to provide __________
and _______ programming. _________ is the more mainstream branch of the BBC while
__________ and ___________ provide more niche broadcasting.

Channel 4s remit involves producing ___________, _____________ and __________
programming. It should be less commercial than a mainstream broadcaster like _________ .
Comedy successes on the channel have included ___________ and __________ .



BBC High Quality and Diverse? Channel 4 , innovative,
experimental and distinctive? You decide.
Use the schedule guide to decide if the BBC and Channel 4 are achieving their remit.

Can you find five programmes on BBC and Channel 4 that are less obviously
mainstream and more diverse than you would find on ITV/Sky 1 or Channel 5?

Which type of programmes/ genre are dominating the television channels?
Find examples

Are foreign imports and reality shows more common on some channels than others?

Is the prime time slot 6-10.30 p.m of more obvious quality than daytime and early
evening broadcasting?

Think of a headline to sum up the brand identity of each channel/company.


Knowledge Assessment
Imagine that you have to explain brand
identities of television stations to a group of
people. Make clear :
Which are mass or niche channels
What kind of programming dominates their
scheduling
What their remit is
If you can find any examples of their remit being
achieved
Lesson 2 : Starter Quiz
1. What is a niche audience?
2. Name 2 mainstream and 2 niche channels.
3. What is BBCs remit?
4. What is Channel 4s remit?
5. Name two experimental channel 4 shows.
6. Name two threats to quality broadcasting.
7. What time of day is prime time TV?