Department for Culture Media and Sport
digital britain: attitudes to supporting non-BBC regional news from the TV licence fee
9 November 2009
Background
We commissioned TNS-BMRB to undertake a study of public attitudes to a key proposal in Digital Britain. The proposal of ‘contained contestability’ aims to use a small portion of the TV licence fee to encourage news companies into the regional and local news market.
The research involved a representative survey of the UK, tracking knowledge of the licence fee, news watching, and attitudes to using the licence fee for regional and local news content on TV and other platforms beyond the BBC.
Summary of findings
TNS-BMRB found that regional news was consumed by most people on at least a weekly basis, with six in ten people watching, listening to or looking at regional or local news every day and nine out of ten at least once a week. Those who watched regional news on other (non-BBC) channels were more strongly in favour of licence fee sharing (72% compared with 59% who only watch regional news on the BBC and 60% who either watch other sources or none at all).
The majority of people also valued plurality of sources for TV news about their local area or region, with three quarters of the public feeling it was important to have a choice of TV channels providing regional news. This was felt more strongly among those in the devolved nations and among those who consumed regional news more regularly.
Overall, most people said they would favour sharing the licence fee when asked to choose between this or spending it exclusively on the BBC, with almost two-thirds favouring this proposition.
As a part of the development work for this project, both Ofcom and the BBC Trust were given an opportunity to comment on draft material for the questionnaire
Prior to the release of the full report, we published the headline data from the entire survey. The initial findings revealed a high level of public support for a number of key elements in the Digital proposal. The full report now also provides more analysis of the reasons people hold these opinions and the range of opinions on plurality in local news.
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Interim summary report
15 September 2009
Survey questionnaire testing report
We undertook in depth testing of the wording to ensure respondents understood the questions they were being asked, and were responding on that basis. For full transparency, we are also releasing TNS-BMRB’s report on this testing stage. The full report will be released here after the consultation has closed.
The research will inform ministerial decisions alongside the consultation responses to this proposal.
For more information about this study please email adamc.cooper@culture.gsi.gov.uk
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