BBC sustainability is wavering, warns media watchdog

BBC may not be in its full sustainable form as the company faces a “lost generation” problem. The issue has arisen as the younger generation increasingly tunes out of its services, reports Ofcom.

According to stats, the reach of BBC programs among 16 to 24-year olds has declined below 50 percent. In its second annual report on BBC, Ofcom said that the broadcaster was “generally serving people well”, adding that it had maintained its reputation for trusted and accurate reporting.

However, the media watchdog did also warn that the broadcaster was at an increasing risk as it struggled to adapt to the changing media landscape.

Additionally, BBC has outlined a raft of new measures in recent months in a bid to keep up with shifting consumer habits and the rising popularity of streaming services. They have secured permission to keep programs on iPlayer, for longer, while a full overhaul of the service is planned for next year.

The company has also launched BBC Sounds, a streaming app aimed at bringing together all audio programming and podcasts.

But, according to the media watchdog, the broadcaster must do “much more” to connect successfully with children and young adults.

Sharon White, Ofcom chief executive, said: “The BBC is still a vital, valued part of British culture, but we’re concerned that a new generation is tuning out of its services. “So the BBC must set out bolder plans to connect with younger viewers and listeners.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC has a clear plan in place to meet the needs of younger and diverse audiences, outlined in this year’s annual plan. “It is focused on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and BBC News Online. All three have grown strongly in the last year. So our plan is clearly working. But we want to do even more for young and diverse audiences and we will set out our next steps in our upcoming annual plan.”

Also, when looking at news, although BBC still remained a trusted source, younger audiences were increasingly turning to social media or so-called news aggregator apps – such as Apple News or Upday.

Ofcom said it was “concerned” with how the BBC was delivering against its requirements on diversity. It found that certain groups were still dissatisfied with how they were represented and portrayed by the BBC.

A spokesman for BBC said, “We are committed to ensuring the BBC serves all audiences and reflects and represents the whole of today’s UK, and while we have made progress in reflecting this in our workforce we have been clear there is still more to do.”

In its review into news output, Ofcom said the BBC should include more links to other news websites. Under its operating license, the public service broadcaster is required to provide adequate links to third-party sources both to support the wider news industry and to benefit the reader.

The media watchdog added that BBC had withdrawn its “voluntary commitment” to separate financial reports for its production business from those of the rest of the organization, which it said “reduced the granularity of reporting” for BBC Studios.

Ofcom concluded that it would carry out a review into whether the lines of business provided sufficient transparency for stakeholders and for Ofcom.