Katie Heyes
The BBC has announced that they will be ceasing broadcast of CBBC and BBC Four, with both becoming online-only services.
As part of plans to shift its focus towards streaming services, the corporation has confirmed that certain television and radio channels will close. Instead, content will be produced specifically for its streaming service BBC iPlayer.
“These changes could lead to up to 1,000 job losses”
This digital revamp was announced by BBC director-general Tim Davie in response to the government’s decision to freeze the licence fee at £159 for the next two years.
In a statement to BBC News, he shed a positive light on the upcoming change: “This is our moment to build a digital-first BBC. Something genuinely new, a Reithian organisation for the digital age, a positive force for the UK and the world. To do that we need to evolve faster and embrace the huge shifts in the market around us.”
Despite his optimism, numerous problems have been brought to the surface. While these changes will lead to cuts of £200 million per year, but could also lead to up to 1,000 job losses over the next few years.
Additionally, the announcement that CBBC will be discontinued as a broadcast television service has faced strong opposition from viewers.
Members of the public have taken to social media to express their concerns that low-income families may not have access to streaming services. As such, younger generations will be deprived of vital programming and educational resources.
I am so annoyed that the BBC are getting rid of CBBC. When I was a kid, my parents couldn’t afford Sky and all the Disney channels that came along with it, CBBC was all I had and I loved it. I can imagine plenty of families are in the same position today.
— beeeee (@beffybadbelly) May 26, 2022
Another Twitter user, @catsfeettowel, highlighted how this change undermines the organisation’s commitment to universality by depriving working-class children of academic materials: “Not all kids have access to streaming services, just as before the digital switchover in 2012 not all kids had access to CBBC and access to kid’s TV slots on mainstream telly was necessary. This is really s** and shutting out largely working-class kids from culture and education.”
“the end of an era in children’s entertainment.”
Over the years, CBBC has released numerous shows which were instant hits amongst younger viewers. According to the Guardian, the Doctor Who Spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures had approximately 1.25 million viewers tuning in to watch each episode of the first series. The CBBC television adaptation of Horrible Histories achieved a similar feat, winning a slew of awards, including a Royal Television Society award for best children’s programme in 2011.
With CBBC TV shows receiving success from audiences and critics alike, viewers are reminiscing over the beloved shows of their childhood, declaring this change as the end of an era in children’s entertainment.
Featured image courtesy of Elliott Brown via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Katie Heyes
Hi, I'm Katie, a Modern Languages graduate from Durham University and I'm currently training for the NCTJ qualification. I have been doing freelance writing for a number of magazines such as Palatinate UK, Sur in English and the Indiependent with a particular interest in Theatre and Film. I hope to share my passion for these particular subjects for future magazines.