What Children Watch

WHAT CHILDREN WATCH
AN ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING PROVISION

BETWEEN 1997-2001, AND CHILDREN’S VIEWS
Kam Atwal, Andrea Millwood-Hargrave and Jane Sancho

with Leila Agyeman and Nicki Karet
June 2003
WHAT CHILDREN WATCH
AN ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING PROVISION
BETWEEN 1997-2001, AND CHILDREN’S VIEWS
Kam Atwal, Andrea Millwood-Hargrave and Jane Sancho

with Leila Agyeman and Nicki Karet
Broadcasting Standards Commission

Independent Television Commission
June 2003
Contents
Executive summary 1
Introduction 5
Section I:
1 Quantitative Analysis of Children’s Programming
Provision: 1996-2001 7
2 Changing Landscape 9
3 Time Measures 11
4 Daypart Analysis 15
5 Diversity in Programme Provision 23
6 Genre Analysis 25
7 Genre Analysis by Channel 35
8 Children’s Viewing Habits 55
9 New Media 63
10 Changes since the 1997 Study 65
Section II:
Background 69
11 The Role of Television 71
12 When, Where and How are Children Watching? 75
13 Children’s Understanding of Television 83
14 Terrestrial versus Multichannel 91
15 Conclusions 99
Appendix I: Methodology 101

Appendix II: Sample 102
Appendix III: Broadcasting Standards Commission 103
Appendix IV: Independent Television Commission 104
Executive Summary
1. Households with children living in them contain a wider range of in-home

entertainment than childfree households and are more likely to be ‘early adopters’
of such equipment.
2. Children in multichannel homes watch significantly more television per day than their
terrestrial only counterparts (an average of 35 minutes more per day at 2 hours and
27 minutes). However, the amount of time they spend specifically viewing ‘children’s
programmes’ is comparable with those living in analogue terrestrial-only homes
[Source: BARB].
3. There has been a dramatic rise in the amount of children’s programming on analogue
terrestrial and other television services over the past five years.
4. The increase has come about principally from the launch of the new analogue terrestrial
service Five (formerly operating as Channel 5), as well as the introduction of dedicated
satellite and cable-delivered channels. (The detailed analyses do not include the free-to-
air dedicated children’s channels, CBBC and CBeebies, launched after the analysis period
in February 2002, increasing provision still further.)
5. Children are able now to tune in to children’s programmes on the dedicated channels at
any time of day. The replay channels which offer rolling schedules, available in
multichannel homes, mean that children in these homes need not worry about missing
their favourite programmes, as they will be repeated.
6. Despite this growth in provision, the range being offered to children, as a proportion of
the time devoted to children’s programming, is variable on different services. In this
context, analogue terrestrial channels offer the most diverse line-up with regard to the
balance of different types of programming e.g. factual, drama, light entertainment,
animation and pre-school, broadcast on a single channel.
7. This being said, the mainstay of the analogue terrestrial channels is animation, as it is
for the dedicated children’s channels. The analyses do not distinguish between types of
animation and, not surprisingly, this is the genre which most children are watching
within children’s programming. In multichannel homes, more than half the time spent
viewing children’s programmes is devoted to this genre.
8. The result of this dramatic increase in animation is a move away, by children in

multichannel homes in particular, from the drama and factual genres in children’s
programming.
9. The provision of drama on the analogue terrestrial channels is more stable than some of
the other genres, with little significant change across the period sampled. On the
dedicated channels, however, there was a steep decline in drama in 2001.
What Children Watch 1

10. Factual programming is almost absent from the dedicated channels and is the genre
most obviously in decline on the analogue channels. The classification system used by
the industry means that some schools programming is classified as ‘factual’, which
boosts the minutage ascribed to this genre. The picture would be even worse, therefore,
if schools programming were removed from the analysis.
11. Light entertainment programming takes a significant proportion of the share of

children’s programming on many channels, and had grown significantly across the
sample period on some of the dedicated channels.
12. Pre-school programme provision was significant within the basket of dedicated
channels as they split to form new services, focused on particular age groups. Provision
of this genre had increased also on the analogue terrestrial channels.
13. Much of the increase in children’s programme provision on the analogue terrestrial
channels is centred on the breakfast slot, while after-school provision remains constant.
14. Children are spending significant amounts of their viewing time per day watching genres
other than those targeted at children. These other genres are not analysed in this report,
which concentrates on children’s programming provision.
15. Interviews with children underscore many of these findings. Television is of significant
importance in their lives. It is pervasive - most homes have more than one television set,
and many of the children interviewed have a set in their bedrooms.
16. With 59% penetration of multichannel television in homes with children, many of the
children in the sample who live in analogue terrestrial-only homes have been exposed to
the other channels and services as well and therefore have some knowledge of them.
17. Television is a prime source of entertainment, if not a preferred activity. The children
interviewed watch at all times; very often the television is on, even if not actively attended to.
18. Children under the age of eight are confused about what is a programme and what is
a channel, especially those in multichannel homes who are switching between so many
more channels and programmes.
19. Those in analogue terrestrial-only homes have more awareness of the times their
favourite programmes are on and what channel they are on, simply because they follow
a linear programme schedule and there is a limited choice of channels. Those with access
to the dedicated channels have many more channels to choose from. They tend to know
which channels their favourite programmes are on, but otherwise have less awareness of
which channel they are watching and flick around more often. They use the electronic
programme guide to navigate their way around and ‘create’ their own schedules.
2 What Children Watch

20. Children in multichannel homes are more demanding of their television schedules,
expecting a large number of different programmes, constantly changing. The research
does not suggest that multichannel children are calling for greater diversity in the type of
content they watch, but this may be a reflection of the fact that they are accustomed to
the range of material they are offered.
21. The issue of programme origination was raised with children, but was not found to
be of significant interest, although many of the children spoke of their enjoyment of
programmes produced in the United States. (The quantitative, BARB-based analysis does
not distinguish country of origin.)
22. Parents, especially parents in analogue terrestrial-only homes, are particularly keen that
UK-originated programming should be available for their children to watch. They feel it
is more authentic and culturally relevant and some felt that it had more of an
educational value.
23. The level of parental knowledge about the material being watched is mixed. While
parents voice concerns, many admit that they police the viewing of their secondary
school-age children less than their younger children.
24. Parents expressed concern about certain aspects of taste and decency when talking about
children’s programming. When talking about programming in general, and not
programming targeted specifically at children, the use of swearing and offensive
language was particularly disliked.
25. Parents felt it was important to retain children’s programme provision on the analogue
terrestrial channels, despite the alternative sources available on cable and satellite
channels. They considered it essential that terrestrial broadcasters catered for the
child audience.
26. Analogue terrestrial parents, in particular, felt that the terrestrial channels offered a better
range of children’s genres which included quality British made programmes.
Additionally, parents who had not chosen to subscribe to satellite or cable channels said
they would resent being forced to pay for additional services in order for their children
to have something to watch.
27. However, there was an acceptance that multichannel television opportunities were part
of the television environment and that it was incumbent on broadcasters to continue to
create programming that captured the attention and fed the demands of the child
audience.

Introduction
Programming for children on television continues to increase. This report updates the survey
last undertaken five years ago, which covered the period from 1992-1996.1 This study,
which considers the five years since then, from 1997-2001, shows that the amount of
children’s programming available (as defined by the industry measurement system, BARB)
has tripled. Some of this has come about because of the launch - during that period - of an
analogue, free to air, terrestrial television channel (Five) and some of the change has been
due to the introduction of new satellite or cable delivered channels. In 2002, two further
dedicated channels were introduced, CBBC and CBeebies, available as free-to-air digital
services. The detailed quantitative analysis only presents limited data on these channels,
however, as they were launched after the sample period.
Within the five years under consideration (to 2001), the television landscape has also
changed. Digital services, satellite, cable and terrestrial, have been introduced and DVDs are
taking the pre-recorded content market by storm. As has been found over many years, it is
within homes with children that the newest forms of in-home entertainment are most
quickly adopted.
The sheer volume of targeted children’s programming available means that there is a wide
range of programme types available. However, the data also show, as did the report which
ran from 1992-1996, that the proportions of diverse content are restricted. While a
significant proportion of the material is animation-based, the terrestrial analogue television
channels still provide a more diverse programme line-up, with regard to the balance of
programme types, than the dedicated services available to multichannel homes. This, in
turn, affects the type of material children in multichannel homes are watching in
comparison with children in analogue terrestrial-only homes. The data also show that
children in multichannel homes watch approximately 35 more minutes of television per day
than those in homes without access to additional broadcast channels.
The previous report, by Professor Messenger Davies, had included a series of interviews
with professionals and those interested in children’s programming provision. At that time,
the research had shown the genre to be under pressure, especially as channels competed for
audiences in what were often seen to be lucrative (within commercial television channels)
time slots. Certain programme categories were felt to be at risk and there was general
pessimism, especially among the traditional broadcasting community, about the
continuation of children’s programming. Those interviewed who came from the emerging
satellite and cable industries were far less pessimistic. This study will examine, through the
analysis of programme provision, whether the pessimism or optimism was justified.
However, it also takes on board one of Professor Messenger Davies’s key calls, which was
for children’s opinions to be heard. The study included interviews and discussions with
children aged 6 to 12, asking them about their viewing habits and the importance of
children’s programming in their lives, while also seeking parents’ views about children’s
programme provision.
1 Messenger Davies, M, and Corbett, B., The Provision of Children’s Television in Britain: 1992-1996; Broadcasting Standards
Commission, 1997.

Section 1
1 Quantitative analysis of children’s
programming provision: 1996-2001
The quantitative component of this research is based on statistics from the BARB industry
panel. The analysis builds on the findings of the 1997 report The Provision of Children’s
Television in Britain: 1992-1996 published by the Broadcasting Standards Commission and
is split into four elements:
■ Analysis of programming provision by daypart - looking at trends in children’s output

across the terrestrial channels throughout the day.
■ The breakdown of provision by programme genre - this section looks at the total time,
in hours, devoted to each genre by channel, investigating any changes in total provision
as well as the role of each of the channels in providing relevant programming.
■ Genre analysis by channel - analysis of the proportion of children’s broadcasting

hours dedicated to each genre by channel between 1996-2001, illustrating the mix of
programming across the terrestrial and dedicated children’s channels.
■ Analysis of children’s viewing habits, in general, and to children’s programming

in particular
Methodological issues
The objective of this study is to highlight the current trends and the changes seen in the provision
of children’s television in the five years from, and including, 1996 (the period of time since the
previous report) to 2001. The analysis is based on genre classifications defined by BARB for
children’s programmes. The advantage of using universally recognised industry data such as
BARB is that it facilitates any future comparisons of trends. The genre categories used are:
■ children’s drama
■ children’s factual
■ children’s animation
■ children’s light entertainment
■ children’s pre-school
There are some drawbacks, however, to using the BARB genre classifications for children’s
programming. For example, some shows targeted at young viewers, either within dedicated
slots or on children’s cable and satellite channels, are not classified as such. For example, the
US-originated comedy show Boy Meets World has been classified as ‘light entertainment -
sitcom US’ rather than ‘children’s light entertainment’. By including ‘light entertainment -
sitcom US’ in the analysis, the figures would be distorted by the inclusion of those
programmes within the genre which are not specifically targeted at children. This means
that a number of programmes targeted at and of appeal to younger viewers may be
excluded from this study.

Since the Messenger Davies study which looked at the five years leading up to 1996, easier
access to computerised data has meant that a broader analysis of trends in the provision of
children’s programming can be conducted. Whereas that study was based on an analysis of
four sample weeks (first week of February, May, August and November) for each year
between 1992-1996, this analysis is based on data for the whole year from 1996 to 2001.
Like the 1997 study, time is the measure used to look at children’s programming provision
on each channel, and within each of the five genres considered.
As the data for the current study are driven entirely by the BARB analyses, data showing
origination of programming are not available. In the 1997 study, as only a sample of
programmes was taken for each year, each programme was analysed individually for
country of origin.
The similarities and differences between the two studies have been summarised below:
The Provision of Children’s What Children Watch,

Television in Britain: 1992-1996 2003
Data source BARB BARB
Period of analysis 4 sample weeks (first week of Whole year data 1996-2001
February, May, August and
November) for each year between
1992-1996
Measure ■ Time ■ Time

■ Access to extra information on
source and origin of
programmes and details of first
or repeat showing
Genre classifications BARB classifications: BARB classifications:

■ Children’s Drama ■ Children’s Drama
■ Children’s Factual - excludes ■ Children’s Factual - including
Schools programming Schools programming
■ Children’s Animation ■ Children’s Animation
■ Children’s Light Entertainment ■ Children’s Light Entertainment
■ Children’s Pre-school ■ Children’s Pre-school
Channel coverage ■ BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 (including ■ BBC1, BBC2, GMTV, ITV1,
TVAM/GMTV),Channel 4 Channel 4, Five
■ The Cartoon Network ■ Boomerang
■ The Disney Channel ■ The Cartoon Network
■ Nickelodeon ■ The Disney Channel, Playhouse
■ Sky One Disney, Toon Disney
■ The Children’s Channel ■ Fox Kids
■ Nickelodeon, Nick Jr
■ The Children’s Channel
■ Trouble
2 Changing landscape
In-home entertainment provision

The television viewing landscape has changed dramatically over recent years - a significant
part of this has been as a result of the way in which younger viewers are consuming media.
As the results of the report published by the ITC and BSC, The Public’s View 2002
highlight, there are striking differences in the ownership of home entertainment between
people in homes with and without children.2
Home entertainment in households
With Children Without Children

% %
Video recorder 92 85
Teletext 88 81
Multichannel 59 46
NICAM stereo television 49 44
Video games 54 20
Personal computer 54 42
Video camera 35 20
Computer with internet 49 39
Widescreen television 31 24
Computer with television/video 16 10
Source: The Public’s View 2002. Base: All respondents
Those homes with children tend to have a wider range of new technologies in the home.
Two-thirds (59%) of people with children have access to multichannel television, while only
46% without children have it. Similarly, 49% of households with children have Internet
access in the home, compared with 39% of those without children. The presence of such a
wide range of home entertainment equipment in the home is undoubtedly changing the way
in which young viewers spend their leisure-time and, therefore, the ways in which they
watch television.
Equipment in eldest child's bedroom
Age of Children
Total 0-3 4-9 10 -15
% % % %
Television 57 33 58 79
Radio 48 21 49 69
Games console 28 16 27 42
Video cassette recorder 32 18 31 46
Computer 12 2 12 19
Satellite/cable 6 1 4 11
Computer with internet 3 2 4 5
Source: The Public’s View 2002. Base: All respondents with children
2 Television: The Public’s View 2002; Independent Television Commission and Broadcasting Standards Commission, 2003.

The Public’s View also looks at the equipment in the eldest child’s bedroom. The majority of
children (57%) have a television set in their bedrooms, rising to 79% of those aged 10-15.
Some of the most surprising figures are those for young children, aged four to nine,
of whom 58% had a television, 49% a radio, 27% a games console and 31% a VCR.

3 Children’s programme provision:
time measures
Terrestrial television
Total hours of children’s programming on terrestrial networks
Hours
5,000
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 3,494 3,986 4,566 4,449 4,524 4,657
■ GMTV ■ Five ■ C4 ■ ITV1 ■ BBC2 ■ BBC1

Source: BARB, Monday-Sunday
■ The overall provision of children’s television across the terrestrial networks has
changed significantly between 1996-2001, with total output increasing by 33% from
3,494 hours to 4,657 hours as a result of the launch of Channel 5 (now Five) and an
increase in time devoted to children on BBC2.
■ Between 1996-1999, skewed by its provision of dedicated schools programming
in the early morning (included, in this analysis, within the children’s factual genre),
Channel 4 was the main provider of children’s programmes.
■ Over this time, BBC2’s role became increasingly significant, overtaking Channel 4
in 2000.
■ BBC1 has steadily increased the number of hours devoted to children since 1997,
making it the second largest supplier of children’s programming, while ITV1’s provision
has fluctuated over the years between a low of 386 hours in 1998 and a high of 448
in 2000.
■ As a result of growing output during breakfast time, GMTV has been facing
increasing competition over the years.

Dedicated channels
The impact of non-terrestrial channels on children’s viewing has been investigated in detail
in this report by examining trends across the following channels (dates indicate month from
which BARB data became available):
■ Boomerang (May 2000)

■ Cartoon Network (November 1996)
■ Disney Channel (October 1995)
■ Playhouse Disney (September 2000)
■ Toon Disney (September 2000)
■ Fox Kids (October 1996)
■ Nickelodeon (September 1993)
■ Nick Jr (September 1999)
■ TCC (January 1993-April 1998)
■ Trouble (September 1998)
Total hours of children’s programming on dedicated channels
Hours
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5000
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 10,236 17,093 15,833 16,334 25,985 32,531
■ Boomerang ■ TCC ■ Playhouse Disney ■ Toon Disney ■ Fox Kids ■ Disney Channel ■ Cartoon Network
■ Nick Jr ■ Nickelodeon ■ Trouble

It is important to note that since this study is principally interested in the diversity of
programming available to children, in the multichannel homes analysis we concentrate on
the main channels such as Nickelodeon and Fox Kids and exclude the replay channels.
■ Overall provision has tripled from 10,236 hours in 1996 to 32,531 hours in 2001.
■ Between 1996 and 1997, following the launch of The Cartoon Network, output
increased by 67% to 17,093 hours.
■ With the closure of TCC in 1998 and the launch of Trouble a few months later, total
hours of children’s programming remained fairly constant between 1997-1999.
■ 2000 saw the launch of a number of new channels including Boomerang and the Disney
spin-off channels, Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney, resulting in a 59% rise in
dedicated children’s entertainment. This trend followed through to 2001, the first full
year of transmission for many of the new channels.
■ Since then, two further dedicated channels have been launched as free to air services,
CBBC and CBeebies. These became operational in 2002, after the sample period and so
only limited analyses of their performance are included here.

4 Children’s programme provision:
daypart analysis
Tracking the amount of time dedicated to children’s programming across the five main
networks provides an overview of the changes that have occurred between 1996-2001. In
order to understand these trends in more detail data have been split into the following time
slots:
■ Breakfast (0600-0929)
■ Morning (0930-1159)
■ Early afternoon (1200-1529)
■ After-school (1530-1729)
Although some children’s programming is scheduled after 1730, in line with the 1997 study
this time slot has been excluded, although the ‘total’ figure includes all programming
throughout the day.
Hours of children’s programming by daypart: total terrestrial
Hours
5,000
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 3,494 3,986 4,566 4,449 4,524 4,657
■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929


■ As noted, the total hours dedicated to children’s programming across the five terrestrial
channels have increased from 3,494 in 1996 to 4,657 in 2001, an increase of 33%. As
well as increased provision on BBC channels, this trend is associated with the launch of
Five in 1997.
■ The most significant change has been the rise in breakfast-time programming, making it
by far the most important daypart for children’s entertainment. There has been an
increase of 121% in provision at this time over the five-year period being considered.
■ There has been a commensurate fall during the 1200-1529 slot, accelerated by
Channel 4 and Five cutting provision during this time segment.
■ Overall provision during the 0930-1159 and 1530-1729 slots has remained consistent
over the past six years (with BBC1 and ITV1 continuing to be the main providers at this
time of day).
■ It should be noted that the children’s programming slot in the afternoon on BBC1 is
longer than that on ITV1, although the difference has varied.
BBC1
Hours of children’s programming by daypart: BBC1
Hours
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 832 767 795 858 870 889
■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929


■ Since 1996, the total amount of children’s programming on BBC1 has increased
by 7% from 832 hours to 889 hours in 2001, following a dip in 1997. This overall
figure hides a much larger increase (64%) in programming during the breakfast slot
from 206 hours in 1996 to 338 hours in 2001.
■ The after-school slot remains the most dominant for BBC1- time devoted to children
during this part of the day rose by 22% from 344 hours in 1996 to 420 hours the
following year, remaining fairly consistent between 1997-2001 (416 hours).
■ However, over this time, output during the morning and early afternoon dayparts
declined. Provision during the 0930-1159 slot fell from 178 hours in 1996 to 64 hours
in 2001 - a decrease of 64%. Output during 1200-1529 fell by 26% from 92 hours in
1996 to 68 hours in 2001.
BBC2
Hours of children’s programming by daypart: BBC2
Hours
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 923 930 1,042 1,059 1,183 1,292
■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929

■ BBC2’s provision of children’s programming has increased steadily each year from
923 hours in 1996 to 1,292 hours in 2001, and it is now the largest single provider of
children’s programming amongst the terrestrial channels.
■ Similar to trends observed on BBC1, there has been significant growth in time
devoted to children during the breakfast slot, with the extension of the weekday slot
from 0730-0830 to 0700-0900 in 1999.
■ Overall, between 1996-2001, children’s programming provision during the
0600-1159 slot has risen from 727 hours to 1,156 hours, an increase of 59%.

ITV1
Hours of children’s programming by daypart: ITV1
Hours
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 460 409 386 406 448 430
■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159

■ There was a high of 460 hours of children’s programming on ITV1 in 1996, which
declined marginally to 430 hours in 2001.
■ Provision during the morning slot (0930-1159) more than halved from 105 hours in
1996 to 42 hours in 2001. Over the same period, output during the early afternoon slot
(1200-1529) increased as the start of the after-school slot moved from 1530 to
1525 in 1999 and then 1520 in 2000, allowing for more programming targeted at
the very young.

GMTV3
Hours of children’s programming by daypart: GMTV
Hours
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 280 320 352 348 386 366
■ 0600-0929
■ As with BBC1 and BBC2, children’s programming during the GMTV slot at breakfast
time increased by 38% from 280 hours in 1996 to 386 hours in 2000, although the rise
has been less dramatic than that seen on the BBC channel and has now fallen back
slightly to 366 hours in 2001.
3 GMTV was not considered separately from ITV11 in the 1997 study.

Channel 4
Hours of children’s programming by daypart: Channel 4
Hours
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 1,000 1,008 1,141 1,066 956 835
■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929

■ With the disappearance of programming in the afternoon, the total amount of time
devoted to children on Channel 4 has declined from a peak of 1,141 hours in 1998 to
835 hours in 2001.
■ Back in 1996, the 0930-1159 slot was the predominant daypart for children’s
programmes on Channel 4, providing a long list of factual programming as part of the
schools programme output (4 Learning). However, since 1997 and the increase in time
dedicated to children’s programming between 0600 and 0929 which is associated with
the scheduling of programmes such as Sesame Street, this daypart has become the
mainstay of children’s entertainment on Channel 4.

Five (formerly Channel 5)
Hours of children’s programming by daypart: Five
Hours
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 552 850 712 682 845
■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929

■ Since its first full year of transmission, Five’s provision of children’s programming has
declined from a high of 850 hours in 1998 to 682 hours in 2000, picking up again in
2001 (845 hours).
■ Much of the fall between 1998-2000 was as a result of a decline in dedicated children’s
programming from 0930-1529, whereas provision during breakfast time has been on
an upward trend, peaking at 728 hours in 2001.
■ Accounting for a small proportion of total hours, programming during the 1530-1729
slot amounted to 29 hours in 1999, rising to 37 hours in 2001, as a result of the
introduction of children’s programming on weekend afternoons.

13 18 30 15 25
9 1 76 7 6

5 Diversity in programme provision
An analysis of trends in children’s programme provision across the entire television

environment shows that the main increase in targeted children’s material is driven by
animation. Drama, on the other hand, has decreased to the level it was at the start of the
sample period while the other genres have remained stable.
Total hours devoted to children’s programming: 1996-2001
Hours
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 13,729 21,059 20,350 20,751 30,502 37,183
■ Drama ■ Factual ■ Animation ■ Light entertainment ■ Pre-school

Sum of children’s output on terrestrial networks and dedicated children’s channels
■ Closer analysis of the range of children’s programming available on the main networks
and the dedicated channels in 2001 as a proportion of total time devoted to this
audience, further illustrates the difference in choice made available to those in terrestrial
households and those in multichannel homes.
Diversity in children’s programming: 2001
Terrestrial networks
Dedicated channels
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%


■ Although animation programming dominates in both cases,4 the main networks provide
greater diversity of programme types in the more restricted amount of broadcast time.
■ Drama accounts for 13% of the output on the terrestrial channels and 9% on the
dedicated channels.
■ 18% of the output from the terrestrial channels consists of factual material compared
with only 1% of the total output on the dedicated channels; however it must be borne in
mind that the factual genre within BARB includes schools programming.
■ Light entertainment programming represents 15% of the total time provided for
children’s programmes on terrestrial television, while accounting for 7% of the
dedicated line-up.
■ The very young are also well catered for on the terrestrial channels with a quarter
of the output devoted to pre-school programming compared with 6% across the
dedicated channels.
■ As mentioned, some schools programming on BBC2 and Channel 4 is classified by
BARB under the children’s factual category - some will be classified under one of the
various documentaries sub-genres. The data available are not able to offer a finer
analysis, but the figures below indicate the amount (in hours) of schools programming
output on Channel 4 and BBC2 since 1996.
Channel 4 Schools Programming Hours/Annum
1996 356
1997 457
1998 420
1999 419
2000 399
2001 565
Source: ITC
BBC2 Schools Programming Genre Hours/Annum
1996-1997 Schools (Network) 561

2000-2001 Education for children 892
2001-2002 Education for children 678
Source: BBC Annual Reports
4 The analysis is not able to distinguish within genres by looking at, for example, types of animation.

6 Genre analysis
Analysis of the breakdown of provision by genre provides insight into the diversity of
children’s programming. This section looks at the total time, in hours, devoted to each genre
by channel, illustrating whether there have been significant changes in total provision, as
well as the role of each of the channels in providing relevant programming.
Children’s drama
Hours devoted to children’s drama on terrestrial channels
Hours
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Hours 429 485 569 620 595 586

■ Total drama provision across the main networks peaked at 620 hours in 1999, falling
to 586 hours in 2001. Since its launch, Five has played a key role in providing this type
of programming and, along with BBC1, contributed significantly to this peak. BBC2 has
also increased output, whereas ITV1’s provision has remained consistent at an average
of 109 hours per year.

Children’s factual (including schools programmes)
Hours devoted to children’s factual on terrestrial channels
Hours
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Hours 817 860 839 914 956 848

■ Factual programming, as captured within BARB analyses, includes schools

programming, available primarily on Channel 4 and BBC2. Due to this fact, the total
hours devoted to factual material (including schools programming on Channel 4)
increased steadily from 839 hours in 1998 to 956 hours in 2000.
■ BBC2 is the second largest provider of factual programming, a genre which includes a
mixture of schools and other factual programming. BBC2 dedicated 306 hours of its
2001 schedule to the genre.
■ ITV1’s provision in this genre, while low, has stabilised5.
5 Since 2002, the ITC has agreed annual minimum requirements with ITV1 for originated material, including children’s factual (52
hours per annum).

Children’s animation
Hours devoted to children’s animation on terrestrial channels
Hours
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Hours 1,252 985 1,108 1,201 1,280 1,381

■ Back in 1996, the provision of animation was more equally distributed between the
channels than any other genre, but since then there have been significant changes in
supply. Following sharp falls in output from BBC1 and Channel 4, the total number of
hours of animation fell from 1,252 (1996) to 985 hours in 1997.
■ Between 1997-2000, BBC1’s animation output continued to decline from 251 to 210
hours, picking up again in 2001 to 252 hours.
■ Over the same period, ITV1’s supply has remained fairly consistent. As BBC2 has
strengthened its position as the key terrestrial provider of children’s television, so has its
role as the supplier of animation expanded, with output increasing from 253 hours in
1997 to 437 hours in 2001.
■ Although it was the move away from animation on BBC1 that led to the fall in
provision across the terrestrial networks in 1997, the total hours devoted to this genre
on BBC channels (1 and 2) increased marginally from 682 hours in 1996 to 689 hours
in 2001.
■ Animated output on GMTV increased from 91 hours in 1997 to a high of 170 in
2000 - a rise of 87%, falling back in 2001 to 127 hours (a decrease of 25%).

Children’s light entertainment
Hours devoted to children’s light entertainment on terrestrial channels
Hours
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 460 733 748 599 644 678

■ Time devoted to children’s light entertainment peaked at 748 hours in 1998.

■ BBC1’s provision steadily increased between 1996-2001 from 130 hours to 233 hours –
over the same period BBC2’s role weakened.
■ GMTV has consistently been a principal provider of this programming, with 196 hours
dedicated to the genre in 2001.
■ ITV1’s supply has remained stable over time with between 40-55 hours of light
entertainment output.
■ During its first two years Five showed on average 190 hours per year of comedy
programmes, games shows etc. targeted at children, but since then has cut output to
89 hours (2001).

Pre-school
Hours devoted to children’s pre-school on terrestrial channels
Hours
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Hours 535 904 1,253 1,084 1,043 1,158

■ As a result of increased supply from BBC2, Channel 4 and Five, the total hours of pre-
school programming on terrestrial channels more than doubled from 535 hours in 1996
to 1,253 hours in 1998. This peak was followed by a dip between 1999-2000, and
increased supply on BBC2 and Five again led to a rise in pre-school programming
in 2001.

Dedicated channels
The 1997 BSC study did not include analysis of the output by genre across the
numerous non-terrestrial channels dedicated to children’s programming. The growth in
the impact of these channels on viewing habits has meant this should now be a key
component of our study.
Children’s Drama
Total hours of children’s drama on children’s channels
Hours
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 2,133 1,928 2,872 3,911 4,329 3,061
■ Between 1996-2000, the total provision of drama programming on non-terrestrial

channels doubled, from 2,133 to 4,329 hours as a result of increased supply from established
channels such as Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and Fox Kids, as well as Trouble,
launched in 1998. However, in 2001, drama output was slashed, falling to 3,061 hours
(a decrease of 29%) as each of the dominant players moved away from this genre.

Children’s factual
Total hours of children’s factual on children’s channels
Hours
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 106 283 109 265 339 398
■ The Children’s Channel played a major role in the provision of factual programming on
non-terrestrial channels, broadcasting 273 hours in 1997 - however, the majority of this
was accounted for by only one programme, Art Attack.
■ Although there has been an upward trend in the time devoted to factual programming,
total output across the children’s channels in 2001 amounted to 398 hours. The Disney
Channel is now the most significant, supplying three-quarters of the output.

Children’s animation
Total hours of children’s animation on children’s channels
Hours
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 6,339 13,013 11,324 10,326 18,258 24,679
■ Over the past six years, the amount of animation shown across the dedicated channels has
quadrupled from 6,339 hours to 24,679 hours, with all channels except Trouble
screening these programmes. The first significant jump in the provision of animation
was seen in 1997 in this analysis and was associated with the launch of Cartoon
Network (supplying 4,508 hours of animation in 1997) and Fox Kids.
■ Between 1997-1999, time devoted to animation declined steadily from 13,013 hours
to 10,326 hours as a result of the closure of TCC and a marginal decline in supply
on Nickelodeon.
■ In 2000-2001, the next notable leap in hours of animation on the dedicated channels
was associated with increased supply from the Cartoon Network and the launch of
Boomerang, Nick Jr, Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney, channels targeted specifically at
the very young.

Children’s light entertainment
Total hours of children’s light entertainment on children’s channels
Hours
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Hours 1,101 1,316 845 1,246 1,810 2,307
■ There has been a strong upward trend in light entertainment programming across
non-terrestrial channels, with output growing almost three-fold from 845 hours (1998)
to 2,307 hours in 2001. With only a handful of channels supplying this type of
programming, growth has predominantly been as a result of increased emphasis on
Trouble and Nickelodeon, as well as the launch of Toon Disney.

Pre-school
Total hours of children’s pre-school on children’s channels
Hours
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
556 550 682 585 1,250 2,086
■ Between 1997 and 1999, there were only two key channels, Nickelodeon and the Disney
Channel, catering for the needs of very young viewers. However, the launch of channels
devoted specifically to these viewers resulted in total output increasing from 585 hours
in 1999 to 2,086 hours in 2001. Nickelodeon’s pre-school programming was transferred
to Nick Jr, now the most significant channel across this genre, and the Disney Channel
also reduced its provision when Playhouse Disney was launched in 2000.

7 Genre analysis by channel
This section investigates the range of programming supplied by each channel. The total
time dedicated to children has been divided into the five genre classifications as defined
by BARB (children’s drama, factual, animation, light entertainment and pre-school) to
illustrate the mix of programming across each of the terrestrial channels and a range of
non-terrestrial channels. The figures in the following charts are based on the proportion of
the total children’s broadcasting hours dedicated to each genre across each channel between
1996-2001.
Children’s programming by genre: total terrestrial
1996 3,494
1997 3,986
1998 4,517
1999 4,417
2000 4,517
2001 4,652
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Although BBC1 dedicated a greater proportion of its schedule to drama, overall drama
provision has remained fairly static at around 14% of the schedule. Factual
programming fell from 23% in 1996 to 18% in 2001 - much of which was driven by
the decline on BBC2, although it continues to be the main provider of such
programming along with Channel 4 (schools programming).
■ As a result of BBC1 and Channel 4’s move away from animation, the overall proportion
of children’s programming represented by this genre fell from 36% in 1996 to 25% in
1997, but picked up slightly as a result of Five’s launch in 1997. In 2001, BBC1
provided marginally less than the average with 28% of its schedule made up of
cartoons, whereas BBC2 (34%), GMTV (35%), ITV1 (49%) and Five (32%) all devoted
more than a third of total children’s time to the genre.
■ BBC1 and GMTV are the key terrestrial channels providing children’s light
entertainment. The proportion of children’s programmes on the main networks
represented by game shows, comedy shows etc fluctuated between 13%-18%.

■ Pre-school offerings increased from 15% in 1996 to a peak of 28% of the total
provision in 1998. In 2001, a quarter of the time devoted to children across the five
main networks consisted of programmes targeted at the very young - both Channel 4
and Five are particularly strong in this area.
■ Considerable gaps have appeared in the range of programmes offered by ITV1 and
BBC1. BBC1 has widened the diversity of its programming, with more pre-school and light
entertainment as emphasis has moved away from animation on the channel, although - with
BBC2 - the total hours devoted to this genre have, in fact, increased slightly.
■ ITV1 has continued to rely heavily on animation.
BBC1
Children’s programming by genre: BBC1 Hours
1996 832
1997 767
1998 795
1999 858
2000 870
2001 889
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ As noted in the 1997 report, drama on BBC1 continued to fluctuate, with a

low of 14% (1996) and a high of 24% (1999).
■ Similarly, the proportion of children’s television devoted to factual programming, such as
Blue Peter, Newsround and The Really Wild Show, varied between 14%-18%.
■ The 1997 study highlighted a steady upward trend in animation as a share of the
children’s schedule between 1992-1996. However, the more recent data suggest this
trend has reversed, with animation accounting for 28% of the schedule in 2001,
compared with half (49%) of the schedule in 1996.
■ As a result of the decline in animated programmes, provision of light entertainment
increased from 16% of the 1996 schedule to 26% in 2001 with the introduction of
shows such as Keenan and Kel and Steps to the Stars.
■ The downward trend in pre-school programming seen between 1992-1996 also reversed
with 14% of BBC1’s children’s schedule in 2001 dedicated to this genre, including
programmes such as Teletubbies, Tweenies and Bill and Ben.

BBC2
Children’s programming by genre: BBC2 Hours
1996 923
1997 930
1998 1,041
1999 1,057
2000 1,176
2001 1,288
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Drama programmes represented 15% of BBC2’s schedule in 1996. This share fell to a
low of 7% in 1999, picking up again in 2001-2002 with the launch of programmes such
as Maid Marion and Her Merry Men as well as re-runs of Byker Grove on Sunday
mornings.
■ With programmes such as Record Breakers, The Really Wild Show and Take Two,
factual was the dominant genre in 1996, but has since been in decline, representing a
quarter of the 2001 schedule, despite the fact that schools programming forms part of
the total output.
■ Over this period, animation replaced factual as the dominant feature of BBC2’s
children’s line-up, accounting for a third of total provision.
■ Pre-school programming increased from 14% in 1996 to 20% in 1997 when the
Teletubbies phenomenon began, and since then, has varied between 20%-23% of the
total children’s broadcasting hours on BBC2.

GMTV6
Children’s programming by genre: GMTV Hours
1996 280
1997 320
1998 352
1999 348
2000 386
2001 366
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Three key genres, animation, light entertainment and pre-school dominate

GMTV’s schedule.
■ There is no licensing requirement on GMTV to provide any drama output.
■ In 1997, there was a decline in the proportion of total time devoted to animation,
falling from 38% of the schedule in 1996 to 28% in 1997. During this period,
pre-school programming increased, accounting for 15% of output.
■ However, in 1998, emphasis moved away from light entertainment, back to animation
and increasingly towards pre-school. The split in provision remained stable between
1998-2000 - in 2001, there was a return to a similar divide in output as seen in 1997.
6 GMTV was not considered separately in the 1997 study.

ITV1
Children’s programming by genre: ITV1 Hours
1996 460
1997 409
1998 386
1999 406
2000 448
2001 430
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ The overall picture on ITV1 has changed little over the past six years. Animation continues
to be by far the most prevalent genre of programming, representing half of the schedule
in 2001. As a result of the increase in animated programming, pre-school material has
been in decline since 1998. The proportion of ITV1’s schedule dedicated to drama has
fluctuated between 20%-26%.
■ In comparison with the BBC channels, factual programming continues to play a
relatively small role, with only 7% of the schedule devoted to a handful of programmes
such as Art Attack, How II and Brilliant Creatures in 2001.
■ The share of total time devoted to children’s light entertainment has varied
between 10-13%.

Channel 4
Children’s programming by genre: Channel 4 Hours
1996 1,000
1997 989
1998 1,109
1999 1,041
2000 956
2001 835
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Programming within the factual genre, much of which is accounted for by schools
programming, and the pre-school genre such as Sesame Street and The Hoobs dominate
Channel 4’s schedule for children.
■ In 1996, animation accounted for 27% of the total schedule. Over the years, however, as
emphasis has moved towards early morning pre-school programming, this genre has
been in decline, representing only 9% of provision in 2001.
■ It is important to note here that some of Channel 4’s most popular shows targeted at
young viewers during dedicated slots such as T4 are not classified as children’s shows.
Examples of this include:
■ Boy Meets World: light entertainment - sitcom US

■ Malibu: drama serials non-UK
■ Sister, Sister: light entertainment - sitcom US

Five
Children’s programming by genre: Five Hours
1996
1997 552
1998 834
1999 710
2000 682
2001 845
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Five’s mix of children’s programming has varied significantly since its launch in 1997.
■ Light entertainment has been on the decline since 1997, accounting for only 11% of total
time in 2002, compared with a third of the schedule in its launch year. Figures suggest this
genre has been cannibalised by animation as the proportion of the schedule dedicated to
such programming has moved steadily upwards from 10% to 32% in 2001.
■ Pre-school programming has consistently represented a large proportion of Five’s
children’s provision, ranging from 30% in 2000 to a high of 44% in 1998.

Dedicated children’s channels
Before analysing the mix of programming available on the dedicated children’s channels, it is
useful to study the profile of each. The chart below looks at the age and gender profile of these
services and illustrates the way in which each channel serves notably different audiences.
Boomerang, Nick Jr, the Cartoon Network, Fox Kids, CBeebies and Playhouse Disney are all
biased towards the younger four to nine year old viewers, whereas Trouble is more specifically
targeted at young teenagers. Audiences of the most established channels, Nickelodeon and the
Disney Channel, are more evenly balanced both by age and gender.
Channel profile, multichannel homes, 2002
Nick Jr
CBeebies
Playhouse Disney
Boomerang
Cartoon Network
Fox Kids
CBBC
Toon Disney
Disney Channel
Nickelodeon
Trouble
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%
■ Boys 4-9 ■ Boys 10-15 ■ Girls 4-9 ■ Girls 10-15

Base: Children in multichannel homes.

Dedicated channels
Children’s programming by genre: dedicated channels Hours
1996 10,236
1997 17,093
1998 15,833
1999 16,334
2000 25,985
2001 32,531
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ The chart above represents the split by genre of the combined provision across the
dedicated children’s channels. It highlights once again the overwhelming dominance of
animation, which represents 76% of total time in 2001, compared with 30% on
terrestrial channels.
■ Although the proportion of time devoted to drama peaked at a high of 24% in 1999,
driven in the main by Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and Fox Kids, this genre
represented only 9% of the line-up in 2001 (versus 13% on terrestrial channels).
■ As a proportion of children’s programming available, factual programming is virtually
non-existent. In comparison, this genre represents 18% of programming across the
terrestrial networks, albeit they are transmitting for a shorter period of time.

TCC
Children’s programming by genre: TCC Hours
1996 2,775
1997 2,621
1998 658
1999
2000
2001
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ In 1996, more than a third of the TCC schedule was represented by animation (38%),
with a similar proportion of the time devoted to drama programming (36%). However
from 1997, until the close of the channel in April 1998, emphasis shifted to cartoons,
accounting for more than three-quarters of the channel’s output. Factual programming
increased as a proportion of the schedule from 3% in 1996 to 10% in 1997 but,
as with light entertainment and pre-school material, the supply of this genre
diminished in 1998.

Trouble
Children’s programming by genre: Trouble Hours
1996
1997
1998 636
1999 1,721
2000 1,922
2001 1,276
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Trouble was launched in 1998, and viewing data are available on the BARB panel from
September 1998. Targeted at the teenage market, data illustrates the channel’s reliance
on drama and light entertainment programming. In its first full year of transmission,
63% of the schedule was represented by drama programmes such as USA High, Sweet
Valley High and California Dreams. Over the years there has been a downward trend in
provision of these programmes, substituted by light entertainment programmes including
Saved by the Bell and Planet Pop.

Nickelodeon
Children’s programming by genre: Nickelodeon Hours
1996 3,312
1997 3,728
1998 3,726
1999 3,728
2000 3,950
2001 4,116
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Nickelodeon continues to depend heavily on animation, which represents more than half
of its total output. The share of its schedule devoted to cartoons declined from 67% in
1996 to 50% in 2000, picking up again in 2001 (58%). During this downward trend
between 1997-2000, animation was substituted by drama programmes such as Two of a
Kind, Animorphs and Driven Crazy, which increased as a proportion of the schedule
from 17% to 37%. However, in 2001, the increase in animation combined with the
growth in children’s light entertainment led to a fall in drama provision. Factual
programming fails to represent a significant amount of the channel’s output, with the
provision in pre-school programming also disappearing over the years.

Nick Jr
Children’s programming by genre: Nick Jr Hours
1996
1997
1998
1999 400
2000 3,392
2001 3,712
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Nickelodeon’s diminishing provision of pre-school programming since 1999 was

compensated for by the launch of Nick Jr, targeted specifically at the younger end of the
children’s audience. The channel was launched in 1999, and data are available on the
BARB panel from September 1999. Again, there is heavy reliance on animation,
representing more than 60% of the schedule. The remainder is represented by drama
(11%) and pre-school programming such as Mr Men and Little Miss, Sesame Street and
PB Bear and Friends.

Cartoon Network
Children’s programming by genre: Cartoon Network Hours
1996 759
1997 4,600
1998 4,673
1999 4,781
2000 6,403
2001 5,408
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Predictably, there is little variation in the programming on the Cartoon Network, with
the schedule consisting almost entirely of animation. However, once again, the
drawbacks to the use of BARB data are highlighted with many of the animation
programmes classified as ‘light entertainment-animation cartoons’ including Dino and
Cavemouse, Flintstones and Ed, Edd and Eddy. This results in some of the programmes
shown on the channel being excluded from the analysis.

The Disney Channel
Children’s programming by genre: Disney Channel Hours
1996 2,603
1997 2,428
1998 3,046
1999 2,888
2000 2,725
2001 2,610
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ In comparison to other non-terrestrial services, the Disney Channel appears to provide a

more diverse schedule. Although animated programmes continue to dominate, its share
of the channel’s total provision dropped from 67% in 1996 to 53% in 2001 as
a result of the move towards children’s drama (including LA7, Miami 7 and Sweet
Valley High) which represented a quarter of the 2001 line-up. Factual programming has
steadily become a more significant part of the schedule, represented by programmes such
as How Things Work, Art Attack and Bug Juice.

Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney
Children’s programming by genre: Toon Disney Hours
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000 958
2001 4,770
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

Children’s programming by genre: Playhouse Disney Hours
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000 660
2001 2,625
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ The steady decline away from animation and pre-school on the Disney Channel may be
associated with the launch of Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney in 2000. Although
animation programmes represent the majority of the schedule on both channels, 15% of
the output on Toon Disney is light entertainment, and a quarter of the total transmission
time on Playhouse Disney is dedicated to pre-school. This may help to explain the
difference in the age profile of the two spin-off channels.

Fox Kids
Children’s programming by genre: Fox Kids Hours
1996 787
1997 3,716
1998 3,094
1999 2,816
2000 3,203
2001 3,557
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Fox Kids was launched in 1996 - data for the channel are available from October of
that year. Its bias towards a relatively young audience (aged four to nine years) may be
explained by the fact that more than 80% of its programming provision in 2001
consisted of cartoons. Between 1997-1999, there was a steady move away from animation
in favour of children’s drama (representing 37% of the schedule in 1999), including
Fantastic Four and Grimm’s Fairy Tales, but since then emphasis has once again returned to
animated programming. There is little provision of factual, light entertainment or pre-school
programming.
51
What Children Watch
Boomerang
Children’s programming by genre: Boomerang Hours
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000 2,773
2001 4,458
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%

■ Viewing figures for Boomerang are available from May 2000. The range in
programming on this channel is similar to that seen on the Cartoon Network. In 2001,
cartoons represented 99% of the schedule - the remaining 1% was accounted for by
some light entertainment programming.

CBeebies and CBBC
Children’s programming by genre: BBC channels, February-December 2002 Hours
CBeebies 3,344
CBBC 2,609
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%
■ Drama ■ Factual ■ Animation ■ Light entertainment ■ Pre-school ■ Miscellaneous

■ Although the report does not look in detail at programming provision in 2002, the
impact CBBC and CBeebies have made since launch (page 60, Audience Share by
Channel) suggests some reference needs to be made to the range of programming
provided by the two new BBC channels.
■ The chart above looks at the proportion of children’s programming output dedicated
to each genre on the two channels based on 11 months of data since launch in February
2002.
■ As the profile of the two channels suggests (page 42) target audiences are notably
different. With pre-school programming representing more than 50% of its output,
CBeebies caters for younger children - 90% of its audience is aged between four and
nine years. Cartoons account for 15% of the schedule, and both drama and light
entertainment programming represent 10% of output.
■ In comparison, CBBC targets a wider range of viewers and this is reflected in the range
of programming provided. Although the channel does not offer any pre-school
programming (supplied in the main by CBeebies), 37% of its output in 2002 was
represented by factual programming, including Newsround and Xchange during the
morning segment. Animation (27% of output) and drama (13%) provision is
concentrated during the afternoon slot.

8 Children’s viewing habits
Children’s total viewing

According to BARB figures, the average individual in the United Kingdom in 2002 watched
3 hours 34 minutes of television each day. Viewing among children aged 4-15 is considerably
lower, at an average of 2 hours 23 minutes per day. There are, however, significant differences
in the viewing habits of those in multichannel homes compared with those receiving the five
terrestrial channels. Children in multichannel homes watch on average 35 minutes more per day
(2 hours 27 minutes) than those in analogue terrestrial homes watching only 1 hour 52 minutes
per day. Figures on children’s viewing suggest a similar amount of time (approximately 30
minutes) is spent watching children’s programming. Therefore the difference in total viewing
between analogue terrestrial and multichannel children must be accounted for by other genres
such as drama, films and music.
Non-terrestrial channels account for over a third of children’s viewing, compared with only
22% of viewing by the average individual. Both ITV1 and BBC1 combined represent 41%
of viewing, compared with 50% of viewing by individuals. BBC2, as the most dominant
provider of children’s material across the five main networks, maintains its audience share
among viewers aged 4-15 years (11%). The popularity of BBC2 is further demonstrated in
terrestrial homes where the channel makes up 16% of viewing by individuals and 22% of
children’s viewing. More significantly, over half of all viewing by children in multichannel
homes is of channels other than the main networks, compared with 42% of viewing by
individuals in these homes. BBC2’s share falls to 6% in multichannel homes, as children turn
to the niche children’s channels. ITV1 and BBC1 account for 32% of children’s viewing.
Within multichannel homes, viewing by children of the main networks has decreased by
20% from an average of 1 hour 25 minutes/day in 1997 to 1 hour 8 minutes/day in 2002.
Viewing by this audience of children’s programmes on the terrestrial channels has decreased
by a greater amount: from 12 minutes per day in 1997 to 8 minutes in 2002 - a fall of 33%.
Audience share by channel: individuals vs children, 2002
All individuals
All children
Terrestrial individuals
Terrestrial children
Multichannel individuals
Multichannel children
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%
■ BBC1 ■ BBC2 ■ ITV1 ■ C4 ■ Five ■ Others

The chart above shows how total children’s viewing is divided between channels across TV
household type in comparison with the average individual.
Average TVR by quarter hour, children
30
All children
25 Multichannel children
20
Average TVR
15
10
0
0600 - 0615
0645 - 0700
0730 - 0745
0815 - 0830
0900 - 0915
0945 - 1000
1030 - 1045
1115 - 1130
1200 - 1215
1245 - 1300
1330 - 1345
1415 - 1430
1500 - 1515
1545 - 1600
1630 - 1645
1715 - 1730
1800 - 1815
1845 - 1900
1930 - 1945
2015 - 2030
2100 - 2115
2145 - 2200
2230 - 2245
2315 - 2330
Quarter hour
Source: BARB, Monday-Sunday (2002)
The graph above illustrates children’s viewing patterns throughout the day. The first peak of
the day occurs during the breakfast time slot and peters out after 0900. The second peak
starts at 1530 as audiences return home from school, representing the start of the evening’s
viewing which reaches a pinnacle between 1945-2000 when 26% of children are watching
(2.4 million children). Children are watching, in significant numbers, programmes that fall
outside the children’s programming genre. After this time, there is a steady decline in
audiences although even after the Watershed a significant proportion of this group continues
to watch television. The data suggest 18.79% of all children are watching between 2100-
2230, rising to 19.5% of those in multichannel homes. Viewing during this segment is also
higher among older children with 23.8% of 10-15 years old watching compared with
13.5% of four to nine year olds.

As the table below shows, the top television programmes, across the entire children’s
audience in 2002, were….
Top programmes (all children) 2002
Programme Genre Channel 000s Viewers
EastEnders Drama: soap operas UK BBC1 2,371

Pop Idol Live Final Entertainment: family shows ITV1 2,218
Only Fools and Horses Entertainment: situation comedy UK BBC1 2,087
A Bug's Life Films: cinema US BBC1 1,942
The Mummy Films: cinema US BBC1 1,919
World Cup 2002:
Argentina vs England Sport: football BBC1 1,910
Coronation Street Drama: soaps UK ITV1 1,804
World Cup 2002:
England vs Denmark Sport: football BBC1 1,738
World Cup 2002:
England vs Nigeria Sport: football BBC1 1,733
World Cup 2002:
England vs Sweden Sport: football BBC1 1,696
Source: BARB (Highest occurrence only)

Viewing to children’s programmes
Diversity in children’s viewing, 2002
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%
■ Drama ■ Factual ■ Animation ■ Light entertainment ■ Pre-school ■ Miscellaneous
Viewing to children’s programming, 2002
Average Minutes of Viewing Per Day Terrestrial Children Multichannel Children
Total 30 29
Drama 3.6 1.6
Factual 5.2 1.6
Animation 11.9 15.6
Light entertainment 5.0 3.0
Pre-school 3.8 4.6
Miscellaneous 0.7 2.4
Source: BARB Monday-Sunday

Terrestrial Children: BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, Five
Multichannel Children: BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, GMTV, Channel 4, Five, Boomerang, Cartoon Network Total, Disney
Channel Total, Playhouse Disney, Toon Disney, Fox Kids Total, Nickelodeon Total, Nick Jr Trouble, CBBC, CBeebies
The above graph and table illustrate the differences (by proportion of viewing time and in
terms of actual minutes per day, respectively) in the viewing of children’s programmes
between children in terrestrial households and those in multichannel homes. The graph
shows how viewing in 2002 was split across the children’s genres. In multichannel homes,
we look at total viewing of Nickelodeon, Fox Kids, Cartoon Network and the Disney
Channel, taking into account viewing of the replay channels.
Although children in multichannel homes have a wide range of children’s channels available,
the amount of time spent watching programmes classified within the children’s genres stands
at around 30 minutes per day - similar to the amount spent by children in terrestrial homes.

Although children in multichannel homes have many more programmes to watch, the split
in viewing by genre suggests that the domination of animation across dedicated channels
influences their viewing choices. Animated programmes make up 39% of viewing by
children with access to analogue terrestrial channels only - in comparison, more than half of
all viewing of children’s programmes in multichannel homes was of animation (54%). Thus,
while multichannel children have access to more programming, they are watching a less
diverse range of children’s programmes than those living in terrestrial homes. In particular,
faced with a wider choice of other programming, only 5% of the total viewing time in
multichannel homes was spent watching factual material.

Audience share by channel: multichannel children
Boomerang
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network Total
CBBC
CBeebies
Disney Channel
Disney Channel Total
Toon Disney
Playhouse Disney
Fox Kids
Fox Kids Total
Nick Jr
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon Total
Trouble
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7%
■ 2000 ■ 2001 ■ 2002


With the influx of new channels over the years, the dedicated children’s channels have seen
dramatic movements in audience share. The more established channels, Cartoon Network,
Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, have all suffered from declining audience share. At
the same time, new players such as Boomerang, the spin-off Disney Channels, Trouble and,
more recently, the new BBC channels, CBBC and CBeebies, have made a notable impact on
the long-running channels.
Audience share by quarter hour, 2002

Weekday viewing by children in multichannel homes
80
BBC1
BBC2
70 ITV1
C4
Five
Other
60
50
Share, %
40
30
20
10
0
0600 - 0615
0645 - 0700
0730 - 0745
0815 - 0830
0900 - 0915
0945 - 1000
1030 - 1045
1115 - 1130
1200 - 1215
1245 - 1300
1330 - 1345
1415 - 1430
1500 - 1515
1545 - 1600
1630 - 1645
1715 - 1730
1800 - 1815
1845 - 1900
1930 - 1945
2015 - 2030
2100 - 2115
2145 - 2200
2230 - 2245
2315 - 2330
2400 - 2415
Source: BARB, Monday-Friday
Channel performance throughout the day highlights some interesting trends in the viewing
habits of multichannel children. Viewing of non-terrestrial channels is highest during the
daytime segment between 0930-1530, when viewing of terrestrial channels is at its lowest.
In the early morning (0600-0930) the terrestrial channels, in particular BBC2, perform
relatively well, although it is clear that, as viewing of the non-terrestrial channels increases,
these channels lose audiences. The fall in viewing of non-terrestrial channels and the
increase in viewing of BBC1 and ITV1 between 1530-1730 demonstrates the continuing
importance of the main networks in multichannel homes - this is also illustrated by the list
of top-rating children’s programmes in these homes. Viewing of non-terrestrial channels dips
during the evening as viewing of BBC1 and ITV1 increases, although audiences switch back
to these channels after 2030.

Top children's programmes, 2002
Programme Genre Channel Viewers, proportion Viewers, 000s

of children(%)
All children
Newsround Factual BBC1 10.9 1,007
Smart on the road Factual BBC1 10.7 989
All About Me Light Entertainment BBC1 10.6 976
Christmas at Club Blue Peter Light Entertainment BBC1 10.4 958
CBBC at the Fame Academy Light Entertainment BBC1 10.3 949
Blue Peter Factual BBC1 9.9 915
Grange Hill Drama BBC1 9.7 894
Film: Snow White Animation CH4 9.7 893
Viva S Club Drama BBC1 9.6 885
Mona the Vampire Animation BBC1 9.4 865
All About Me Light Entertainment BBC1 7.8 446
Newsround Factual BBC1 6.7 385
Bob the Builder Animation BBC1 6.2 355
Stig of the Dump Drama BBC1 6.1 352
Fingertips Factual ITV1 6.1 349
Smart on the Road Factual BBC1 6.1 348
Blue Peter Factual BBC1 6.0 346
The Ghost Hunter Drama BBC1 6.0 343
The Cramp Twins Animation BBC1 5.9 340
The Story of Tracy Beaker Drama BBC1 5.7 330
Source: BARB (highest occurrence only)

9 New media
Since the previous study conducted by the Broadcasting Standards Commission in 1997,
Internet penetration has risen from 5% to 43% (The Public’s View 2002). Figures show
penetration is skewed towards households with children - 49% of these households have
access via a computer in the home.
This, along with the technical development of games consoles and the growth of mobile
‘phone penetration, has meant that today’s children are faced with more diverse media
choices, both as a source of entertainment and of communication. These extra choices will
undoubtedly lead to the fragmentation of children’s leisure time as they spend time away
from the television, using their PCs, mobile phones or games consoles.
Netvalue measures the usage of the Internet at home and is based on a panel of 7000
households. In June 2002, the average child connected to the internet 10 times, spending
28 minutes online during each session. Frequency of usage is marginally lower than among
adults, who connect 17 times per month, but the average session for children is two minutes
longer. Usage is highest on weekends, between 1800-2100 and after school, between
1500-1800, whereas adult usage is heaviest between 1800-midnight.
Figures suggest 52% of 7-16 year olds own a mobile phone, rising to 82% of 14-16 year
olds (Source: NOP). As well as contributing significantly to the millions of SMS messages
sent via mobile phones each day, children are heavy users of the Internet as a means of
communication. They are more likely than the average Internet user to participate in instant
messaging (38% of online children versus an average of 28% of the Internet population)
and visit chat rooms (8% of online children versus an average of 5% of the Internet
population), as shown below.
Online activities: children vs all individuals
Leisure/games
Leisure/entertainment
Media/television
Instant messaging
Chat
0 10 20 30 40 50%
■ Children 4-5 ■ All individuals

Source: Netvalue, June 2002

The chart highlights sectors that children have a strong affinity with compared with the
average Internet user. Surfers aged 4-15 are more likely to visit sites categorised under the
games (ea.com, gamesdomain.com, gamefaqs.com), entertainment (neopets.com,
warnerbros.com, disney.com), instant messaging, and television (BBC, Channel 4, Cartoon
Network, Nickelodeon etc) sectors.

10 Changes since the 1997 study
The analysis conducted in 1997 had been an update of a project, with similar objectives,
conducted for the Broadcasting Standards Commission by Professor Blumler in 19927. That
study had considered the provision and range of children’s programming on the terrestrial
channels between 1981 and 1991. There were significant methodological differences
between the two studies, but broad trends and changes could be found.
This analysis, of children’s programme provision in the five years to 2001, updates Professor
Messenger Davies’s study, which had tracked changes from 1992 to 1996. Again, there are
methodological differences. While Professor Messenger Davies had used BARB-based
analysis tools, she also conducted desk research looking at issues such as origination of
production. The analysis presented here is taken entirely from the BARB, industry-based
measurement system. Despite these differences, an overview of trends in children’s
programme provision can be taken, both in terms of time and variety of material. Data
presented here offer a further analysis of the changes since 1991:
1. Growth in children’s programme provision: measured by time

■ The time devoted to children’s programming between 1991 and 1996 had risen
considerably, due to more programming offered on BBC2, Channel 4 and,
in particular, the introduction of the satellite and cable-delivered channels, devoted
to children’s programming.
■ The current analysis found a further increase. The introduction of Channel 5 (now
Five) and an increase in children’s programming provision on BBC2 have
contributed to this change. In addition, a number of new channels have been
introduced for those in multichannel homes. These are either new services or
channels which target particular age groups, having split from ‘host’ channels (e.g.
from the Disney Channel stable have come two new channels, Toon Disney and
Playhouse Disney).8
2. Change in children’s programme provision: daypart analysis

■ The 1997 study had noted that the increase in children’s programming provision
occurred primarily during the morning slot and weekends.
■ This analysis of the years from 1996 showed that the increase on analogue terrestrial
channels continued to be in the provision of children’s programming in the early
morning or breakfast slot (0600-0929).
■ There was little change in the late morning (0930 –1159) or after school
(1530-1729) slots.
■ Provision in the early afternoon slot (1200-1529) had fallen over this period.
7 Blumler, J. G., The Future of Children’s Television in Britain: An Enquiry for the Broadcasting Standards Council, 1992.
8 It needs to be borne in mind that two further BBC children’s channels were launched in 2002.

3. Diversity in children’s programme provision
■ Professor Messenger Davies’s study had shown that animation had become the dominant
form of children’s programming on all channels, regardless of whether they were
terrestrial or satellite or cable-delivered. While recognising that the general increase
in this genre was driven by provision on the dedicated satellite and cable channels,
the study was also able to show significant increases on the BBC and commercial
terrestrial channels.
■ The analysis of genres since Professor Messenger Davies’s study shows that
animation is still the main genre within children’s output across all channels.
However, the analyses do not differentiate between the styles of animation, which
are varied, nor is any information available on country of origin.
■ Three-quarters of the output on the dedicated channels falls within this category.
■ BBC2 also increased its output of animated programming, as did Five and GMTV,
the breakfast time commercial Channel 3 service.
■ The 1997 study had shown that, despite the increased concentration on animation in all
the schedules, the provision of drama on the BBC channels had remained stable, while
Channel 4 had increased its provision. The analysis had also shown an arrest in the
decline of time devoted to the drama genre on ITV1.
■ The analysis of output since then confirms that drama provision has continued to
increase, albeit slowly, with Five making a significant contribution to this genre,
especially around 1999. This peak in provision on the channel appears to have fallen
back in the past two years (to 2001).
■ BBC1 also made a significant contribution to this genre, but the level of output has
decreased since 1999, with BBC2 taking an increasing share.
■ Provision on ITV1 has remained constant.
■ While there had been growth in this genre across the period sampled on the
dedicated satellite- and cable-delivered channels, a sharp decline was noted in 2001,
and the output will have to be tracked to see what is happening.
■ BBC1 was noted to be the main home of factual programming in the 1997 study, with
provision on BBC2 overtaking it in the last year considered (1996). While Channel 4
was noted to be increasing its minutage across the sample period to 1996, the genre was
considered to be declining across all the schedules.

■ In this analysis to 2001, the dedicated channels offered virtually no factual
programming, while Channel 4’s dominance continued. This is due primarily to the
fact that schools programming, a significant proportion of Channel 4’s output, is
classified by BARB as factual.
■ BBC2 is another key provider of factual programming (including schools
programming) while the other commercial analogue terrestrial services continue to
show a decline in provision in this area.
■ Light entertainment programming on ITV1 was high in the 1997 study and represented a
far greater share of its schedule than BBC1. By 1996, this genre on BBC2 was beginning
to match the levels on BBC1.
■ Comparative data, to 2001, showed there was some provision of light entertainment
on the dedicated children’s channels, based around a few channels. Output had
grown almost threefold across the period monitored.
■ BBC1 led BBC2 in this area within the sample period.
■ ITV1's output remained stable while there was some decline noted in Five’s
provision
in this area.
■ This genre was the main constituent of children’s programming for GMTV.
■ Both Professor Blumler and Professor Messenger Davies referred to the importance of
‘the provision of pre-school programmes as a separate indicator of a broadcasting
organisation’s commitment to children as a unique and different audience’. There was,
however, a decline noted in this category on both Channel 4 and BBC1, as the latter
shifted programmes to BBC2.
■ The analysis of the years from 1996 to 2001 suggested fluctuating provision of
programming aimed at the pre-school audience on analogue terrestrial television,
with a dip in provision corrected by 2001.
■ Much of the increase in provision in the last year surveyed came from Five.
■ On the dedicated channels, the increased targeting of age groups meant that
pre-school provision increased dramatically, with both Nickelodeon and the Disney
Channel creating formats designed exclusively for this audience.

Section 2
The opinions of children and parents
about children’s programming provision
Background
The study carried out previously by Professor Messenger Davies included interviews with
professionals, but not children themselves. This latest study, as well as providing an update
of the actual amount and range of children’s programming available, includes qualitative
research with both children and some parents to find out their respective expectations of
children’s programming and whether these are being met.
Qualitative research is useful for telling us something about the story behind the viewing
figures. It does not provide statistics, but offers an insight into the views and opinions held
by audiences. It helps to answer questions such as: what do children think about what they
watch? How do they select the programmes they see, and how has multichannel television
changed their viewing habits? What are parents’ concerns with current output, and are these
different from children’s concerns? Are children happy with the range and diversity of
programming aimed specifically at them? How are children using the electronic programme
guide (EPG), and what effect has it had on their viewing habits?
Focus groups and trio depth interviews were carried out with a range of children aged
6 - 12 years, along with some family observations and discussion groups with parents.9 This
research provides an understanding of the importance of children’s television to children,
both on terrestrial and digital channels.
Objectives
The key objective for this part of the project was to understand both children’s and parents’
responses to current children’s programming in the United Kingdom, in the context of the
growth of multichannel access and digital television and its associated interactive services.
More specifically, the research aimed to look at:

■ the differences between multichannel and terrestrial-only homes, both in terms of their
demands, and perceptions of what they get, from the children’s genre;
■ the impact of scheduling and of the electronic programme guide (EPG) on viewing;
■ audience responses to ‘traditional’ quality measures;
■ attitudes towards merchandise-based programming;
■ opinions about the origination of programmes.
9 See Appendices 1 and 2 for details of methodology and sample.

11 The role of television
The work of Professor Livingstone and Moira Bovill (2001)10 found that the importance of
television to young people and children is very clear. It is the most pervasive medium in
European homes and the one children spend most time with by far. Out of a list of 16
media, both boys and girls in the majority of the 12 European countries surveyed named
television as the medium they would miss most. This finding was particularly true for
British children, emphasising the United Kindom’s strong screen entertainment culture. UK
children have one of the highest levels of personal ownership of television sets in Europe.
Uniquely, they are as likely to have a television set in their bedroom as they are to have a
shelf of books.
Livingstone and Bovill set out to look at the role of the media and how they shape, as well as
are shaped by, children’s and young people’s identity and culture, and their relations with
family, peers, school and community. The framework for their study was initially conceived as
a follow-up to Himmelweit et al’s 1958 postwar study, Television and the Child.11 Despite the
dramatic technological changes over the decades since this original study, in many respects
children’s lives are as they were 20 or even 40 years ago. ‘Children grow up, watch television,
ride their bikes, argue with their parents, study hard, or become disaffected with school, just
as they always did... Then, just as we find today, children prefer to play outside with their
friends than use the media, mainly watching television to relieve boredom.’
This new, much smaller scale qualitative research shows a high degree of continuity with
previous studies. The findings reinforce the continued importance of television viewing
within the context of children’s busy lives, but also show that, regardless of the increased
access to new media, additional television channels etc, children continue to enjoy doing
many of the things that they have always enjoyed doing. The research took place over the
summer months when most children said that their favourite thing to do was to play outside
with their friends. Parents encourage their children to be outside if the weather is good,
although there are concerns for their children’s personal safety.
There are well-documented differences in media use between the genders. In this study, the
boys were found to enjoy computer games and games consoles - PlayStation 2 was still a
firm favourite. The girls were more likely to read on occasions, although this was not a
popular activity for the majority, and to listen to music.
In general, however, television is very much the main leisure activity in the home. Most of
the children in the study could not imagine life without television. They were asked what
they would do if their television was taken away:
‘I wouldn’t be able to live without my TV.’

(Girl, aged 9, Manchester)
‘I would be really disappointed if I didn’t have TV anymore.’

(Boy, aged 8, London)
10 Livingstone, S. and Bovill, M., Children and Their Changing Media Environment A European Comparative Study, 2001.
11 Himmelweit, H. T., Oppenheim, A. N. and Vince, P., Television And The Child, 1958.

‘Life without TV... no way!’
(Girl, aged 8, Birmingham)
‘I would be really angry if I didn’t have TV to watch. What would I do?’

(Girl, aged 11, London)
The light bulb effect

Just like a light bulb, the television is always on. It tends to be put on first thing in the morning
when the household wakes up, and it is often still on last thing at night. One father said:
‘I switch it off when I go to bed at night - I’m usually the last one awake - and the kids
turn it on in the morning.’
(Father, London)
The television is almost like a member of the family in its own right. And it is continually
evolving, especially in multichannel homes where there are new channels and programmes
on offer all the time. In these homes, children find it almost impossible to turn it off
because there is always something to watch. BARB data show that children in multichannel
homes are watching 35 minutes more per day (four hours a week) than children in
terrestrial homes.
In many households, the television stays on even when no one is in. Parents in these
households see it as a burglar deterrent. It also stays on while mothers are getting on with
their household chores. They like to have some background noise in the house, so they just
leave it on even if they are not watching it.
Equipment in the home

Virtually every home these days contains more than one television set, and the number of
sets per household in the United Kingdom is increasing. Nowadays, particularly in homes
with children, there is practically a television set in every room in the house. Some families
who took part in this research were found to have as many as six or seven televisions in the
home. The bathroom seems to be the only room that does not contain a television, although
one family admitted that they did have a small portable that on occasions found its way
into the bathroom. Television sets were usually located in:
■ the living room

■ parents’ bedroom
■ the kitchen
■ all the children’s bedrooms
■ TV room/play room
It is not uncommon for all the televisions in the house to be on at the same time.

Access to multichannel television
Normally only one of the television sets in the home has multichannel access on it, however,
and this is usually the main set. In some homes, there is the ability to watch these additional
channels one other set, but this television is still controlled via the main set. This main set is
the one family members fight for control of, with the exception of mothers who rarely
becomes involved in debates over viewing. As long as they have access to soap operas on the
main set, most mothers are happy.
TVs in bedrooms
Many children aged nine and over have a television in their bedroom. It is usually a hand-
me-down or they have been given it as a birthday or Christmas present. Most children are
now being bought a combined television/video. Parents have an issue about televisions in
bedrooms if they have younger children (under nines), or are first-time mothers. They often
feel uncomfortable admitting that their child has a television in his/her bedroom. They feel
they have to justify it in some way and will say that it helps their child to get to sleep or
that it is just there for the PlayStation, or that there is no aerial because it is only used for
watching videos.
The VCR
The video recorder still plays an important role in children’s lives. All children have a video
collection and regularly watch videos, especially younger children. Mothers of younger
children like the control this offers - they appreciate the reassurance of knowing exactly
what their children are watching. Watching films on video is an activity which many
families enjoy together. Perhaps this contributes to the fact that many children are watching
films targeted at a much older age group. Most of the children who took part in this
research had seen films with certificate ratings of 12 and 15. Parents are less concerned
about their children watching these kinds of films if they are around to check up or to
watch with them.

12 When, where and how
are children watching?
When and where?

To a large extent, children are watching when they want. Most children are
watching television:
■ in the morning before school

■ as soon as they get home from school
■ some during dinner
■ while doing their homework
■ weekend mornings
■ weekend evenings
Although some parents do try to control the amount of television their children watch, in
reality there seems to be very little ‘policing’.
Mornings before school

Since 1996, there has been a significant growth (over 120%) in the provision of children’s
programming on the terrestrial channels during the breakfast slot (0600-0929), particularly
on the BBC channels, Five and Channel 4. In line with this, and coupled with the
availability of children’s programmes on the dedicated channels, most children are watching
television in the morning before school. Parents and children give a number of different
reasons for this ‘morning fix’. Some children say that having background noise helps wake
them up. Parents say it helps kto eep them occupied until they themselves get up. Children
watch television while having their breakfast and just before they leave for school. It fills in
time if they are waiting for friends to collect them en route. Some say their parents offer
them the chance to watch television as a reward for getting ready for school.
There are some households where television is not allowed in the morning as ‘it gets in the
way’, but these families are very much in the minority.
Afternoons after school

Viewing patterns show that the second peak for the child audience occurs at 1530 (Page 56
of this report). Putting the television on is almost like a reflex action. Children arrive home
from school, and often the first thing they do is to put the television on. They immediately
want to know what is on. Children, especially those from terrestrial-only homes, know that
the afternoon is when the ‘good’ programmes are scheduled.

(Boy, aged 12, Birmingham)
Afternoon television is seen by both children and parents as time to relax after a hard day at
school. It is children’s ‘chill out’ time - a chance to escape from the real world. The mother
endorses this time and hands over responsibility to her children. She trusts what is on
during weekday afternoons, and especially on the analogue terrestrial channels, knowing the
programming is targeted at children. She allows them to take control of their viewing while
she is busy elsewhere.

Over dinner/tea
It is taken for granted in most homes that the television is left on when children do their
homework. Children themselves often say it helps them to concentrate. They are used to
having background noise; it is something they have always done and is a comfort to them.
‘You might not necessarily be really watching and listening, but it’s always
on in the background.’
Children have learnt to screen in and out; to attend to the television and then to filter it out if
they are doing something else, e.g. homework. It is almost as if they have developed the ability
to multi-task. Some parents insist that the television goes off, but the vast majority feel that, as
long as their children finish their homework, the television can stay on. Most of the children
who took part in the research were amazed that turning the television off might be a
consideration. They could not conceive why it would be thought necessary.
Weekend mornings
Weekend mornings were thought by most respondents to provide the best children’s
television. Children felt there was always something on for them to watch at this time,
whether they had terrestrial or multichannel television. Terrestrial-only viewers considered
that they were particularly well catered for.
‘I love it when I wake up on a Saturday, and you just know there is going
to be good telly.’
(Terrestrial, boy, aged 12, Manchester)
Evenings
In the lounge
Children have less control over viewing in the evenings. Evenings tend to be more family
viewing time where the household is often watching more ‘adult’ programming. Parents take
more control if there is a specific programme on that they want to watch. As another
report, Striking a Balance12 found, parents are keen to protect their own ‘leisure space’.
After the Watershed there is some regulation of children’s viewing. The more potentially
inappropriate adult programmes are often banned outright, or parents decide to watch with
their children. For example, Bad Girls and Big Brother were cited as programmes that
parents watched with their children. Watching these kinds of programmes, from the
children’s point of view, is often a good way to negotiate going to bed later, every child’s
primary goal. Parents admitted that they often gave in to pestering.
‘They’re always like, “Please, please, please, I have to watch it.”‘

(Father, London)
12 Edited by Hanley, P., Striking a Balance: the control of children’s media consumption, British Broadcasting Corporation,
Broadcasting Standards Commission and Independent Television Commission, 2002.

In the bedroom
Many children watch television in bed before going to sleep. They say it helps them to fall
asleep. Children have ultimate control over what they watch in the evening in their
bedroom, but currently it is only the terrestrial channels they are viewing.
‘You can watch anything you want in your room, but there’s not many channels.’
Some mothers of younger children control their viewing by having the bedroom
television linked to a VCR rather than to an aerial. They may watch part of a video
before going to sleep.
‘I always put on a video just before they go to bed - one of their favourites. It helps
them to unwind and relax before sleeping.’
(Mother, Manchester)
Children tend to flick during evening viewing in their bedrooms and stay up beyond their
official bedtime. This is something parents are aware of, but nevertheless tolerate.
How do children watch?

Children sit very close to the television set. The best seat is the one nearest the television. It
is the chair or space that siblings argue over. It is likely to be the easiest place to flick from.
It is easier for multichannel children to read the electronic programme guide (EPG) if they
are sitting close to the television.
‘You just get the best view when you sit near.’
Sitting close means less disturbance from other family members. Children described the
sense of control they have when they are in close proximity to the television set where
no one can get in their way.

(Boy, aged 10, Edinburgh)
Who do children like to watch with?

Given the choice, all the children in the research said that they would prefer to watch on
their own. The reasons that they gave were to do with control. When alone, they gain
control of the remote control and choose what to watch and when to flick. If they are on
their own they can choose where to sit as well. Children mentioned the fact that watching
with others can be annoying because their parents always talk through programmes,
younger siblings are a nuisance, and older siblings take away control of the remote.

They did mention some programmes that they preferred to watch with others, such as
football with their father, films and game shows such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
with the whole family, and soap operas with their mother.
Control of the remote

For all the children, having control of the remote control is the ultimate aim. They
acknowledge that whomever has it in their hands has control, so the ‘controller’ rarely puts
it down. If s/he does, someone else will take it and assume control. Others in the room
usually make requests to the ‘controller’. These ‘back seat controllers’ are typically peers
who may or may not be listened to. Ownership will be passed on when the ‘controller’
leaves the room.
Older siblings tend to be in charge, so younger children often have to watch what their older
brothers and sisters want to watch. Younger children gain control when the older members of
the family do not want to watch any more or are not that bothered about what is on.
Parental regulation
Pre-Watershed, children are given free range to watch pretty much what they want. Parents
assume that programming before 2100 is suitable for their children to watch alone. Post
2100 parents differ in terms of what they consider suitable for their children to watch. Some
parents are stricter than others, but most seem to give in quite easily to their children’s
pestering. Many parents feel it is just not worth the argument, especially with children aged
10 years and older. Ten appears to be the age when parents start to become more relaxed
about monitoring their children’s viewing. This ties in with the findings from Striking a
Balance, which found that, around this age (the top class in junior school), there is a drive
towards separation from parental influences.
All the parents were aware that their children may watch ‘unsuitable’ programmes when not
in their care, e.g. at friends’ houses, grandparents’ homes, in their bedrooms.

Fathers know more than mothers do?
Mothers think they know what their children watch, but the reality is that most rarely
watch television with their children. They are usually too busy elsewhere, clearing up and
making dinner etc.
‘I’d like to think I know what they watch, but I never remember the [programme]
names or anything.’
(Mother, Birmingham)
Fathers, on the other hand, say they do not have a clue about their children’s viewing, but in
practice were found to spend more time watching television with their children than they
said they did or realised they did. It appears to be almost subconscious viewing. One father,
for example, was unaware that he was singing along, word perfect, to the tune of the Power
Puff Girls! It is likely that mothers find it hard to sit down and watch television with their
children because they are always conscious of the chores that have to be done.
Summary
To summarise, the role of television in children’s lives is a bit like a noisy light bulb. It is on
all the time, and everywhere in the home. Children prefer, ideally, to watch it on their own.
They feel they would be lost without television and spend most of their time trying to gain
control of it.

13 Children’s understanding
of television
Programmes and channels

Children are confused as to what is a programme and what is a channel, particularly those
under the age of eight years. Multichannel viewing has largely created this confusion
because today’s children are switching, between so many more channels and programmes.
They get the words mixed up and call programmes ‘channels’ and vice versa.
‘BBC is a programme with lots of programmes on it.’

Children are unaware that they are mixing up programmes and channels, and believe that
they know exactly what they are talking about. They do not ‘feel’ confused and do not
regard it as a problem.
Genres
Younger children under the age of eight years have some understanding of different
programmes and segment them on a very basic level - programmes ‘for me’, programmes
‘for adults’ and programmes ‘for everybody’. The main bulk of viewing of children this age
is of the children’s programming genre only. By about nine years of age, however, children
start to understand and become more aware of the different genres and their repertoire of
genres increases. They talk about preferring to watch music programmes versus cartoons, or
real-life programmes, nature programmes etc.
Channel loyalty
In general, there is less channel loyalty than there once was. Children are programme
seekers, rather than channel seekers. They tend to search out their favourite programmes.
Multichannel children are aided by the EPG to search for programmes rather than to look
for specific channels. Although they do still have favourite channels, the distinction between
channels is blurred when there are so many to choose from. Multichannel children are not
always aware of what is on when.
Terrestrial-only children, with a limited number of channels to choose from, and in the
absence of an EPG to help organize their viewing, are more aware of the channel they are
watching at a given time. This does not necessarily result in greater channel loyalty,
however, as terrestrial children do not feel a particularly strong affinity with any of the five
channels on offer. That said, they are aware of CITV and CBBC as branding, and the
younger children in the research spontaneously referred to CBeebies, so they do have a sense
that parts of the terrestrial networks are dedicated to programming especially for children,
and this is appreciated. Terrestrial parents feel that this demonstrates that broadcasters care
about their child audience. They considered it would be unacceptable for any of the

terrestrial channels to stop showing children’s programming or to limit the provision. They
thought it would demonstrate a lack of interest on the part of terrestrial broadcasters in serving
a part of their viewing audience. Additionally, these parents had so far resisted paying for more
channels and strongly objected to being forced down the route of having to pay for dedicated
channels as a result of a diminished children’s service on free-to-air channels.
‘If children’s television was taken away, then it would be videos, I suppose. It certainly
wouldn’t make me necessarily be lulled into purchasing digital TV.’
(Mother, Edinburgh)
When talking of the removal of children’s television from one of the terrestrial channels:
‘I think it’s saying that the kids aren’t good enough so we’re putting the boring cricket
match on instead of programmes for the kids.’
(Mother, Edinburgh)
‘Not everybody has access [to digital] and not everybody can afford digital, so the BBC
has a duty to give everybody across the range the opportunity to watch programmes
they enjoy. Possibly ITV1 don’t have that duty, but then it can fund programmes from
advertising, so it should cater for everyone, too.’
(Mother, Edinburgh)
Favourite programmes
Children have lots of favourite programmes, and these change all the time. For terrestrial
viewers, in particular, their favourites are dependent on the schedules and what is currently
being broadcast. Children easily forget if a programme has not been on for a few weeks.
Multichannel schedules are far more predictable, as they show most of the same
programmes each day/week.
But in reality there is little difference between the ‘favourites’ of multichannel and terrestrial,
however, only children. They tend to like the same programmes. The key difference is that
children in multichannel homes get to see their favourite programmes more often.

Some favourite programmes
Young girls Older girls (9+)
Power Puff Girls Saved by the Bell

Recess The Simpsons
Sabrina EastEnders
Tom and Jerry Friends
EastEnders Recess
Casualty and Holby City
Sabrina
Young boys Older boys (9+)
Bay Blades Lads Army

Dragon Ball Z The Simpsons
The Simpsons Football
Wrestling (some) Malcolm in the Middle
Dexter’s Laboratory Buffy
Robot Wars Scrap Heap Challenge
Robot Wars

The Simpsons
The Simpsons is a show for the whole family. Everyone enjoys it, even mothers. It is the
kind of programme that children like watching over and over again. It has something in it
for everyone. It was spontaneously mentioned as a ‘favourite’ in every children’s group. It is
easy watching and a programme that makes everyone laugh.
You’ve Been Framed

Children love this programme. It is funny, easy to watch and they hugely enjoy seeing adults
making fools of themselves. This is a really popular programme with all age groups.
Sabrina
Sabrina is still very popular, especially with girls who relate strongly to the main character.
They see her as ‘a girl like me but a bit different’. It has make-believe and fantasy for
younger children, but also real-life teenage issues for the older girls. Children also think it
looks good, in terms of its production values. They have a sense that it is ‘high quality’.
Again, they like to watch it repeatedly.
‘The kind of programme you can watch over and over again.’

‘I think for children like mine, Sabrina is less harmful than Grange Hill. Grange Hill is
very real, whereas Sabrina is a bit of a fantasy really.’
(Mother, Edinburgh)
Blue Peter
Blue Peter remains popular with terrestrial viewers, but multichannel children are less
enthusiastic about it. Some of the children said that they tuned in to the parts of the
programme they liked, but often did not watch the whole programme. They thought it was
quite mixed, with good and bad bits. Multichannel viewers have less patience when
watching and switch over more quickly. They are less likely to return because of the choice
of other programmes available.
Art Attack
Art Attack is still very popular. It is one of the programmes that all children enjoy watching
and talking about. It is clever and intriguing.
‘You always want to be able to do what he does.’

They know their parents approve of them watching this programme and they recognise
themselves that it has an educational value, but it is also fun.
Newsround
Newsround is not a programme that most children say they actively choose to watch,
although viewing figures show that it was the top children’s programme in 2002. Many are
perhaps watching it because of its scheduling, i.e. immediately before Neighbours on BBC1.
But children say they are interested in news stories that are especially relevant to them,
e.g. if they involve children or are of great significance, such as the terrorist attack on the
Twin Towers and the war in Iraq. Some multichannel children are watching adult news
channels i.e. Sky News and BBC News 24.
Soap Operas
Ownership of the soap operas resides with mother. Most children watch them because their
mothers do. Girls and mothers refer to watching soap operas together as ‘bonding’ time.
Viewing soap operas allows children a window into the adult world. They feel more grown
up watching programmes that deal with real-life issues and relationships. Striking a Balance
comments on the fact that parents feel that their children are maturing earlier; although they
highlight the difficulty in judging whether their physical and social maturity is matched by
their emotional maturity, and that there is a need to educate children about the real world.
The media, and soap operas in particular, are thought by parents to have a role in this.13
Even young children of six and seven years of age are watching soap operas with their
mothers. There are mothers who have concerns about some of the issues in the soap operas
13 Millwood Hargrave, A. with Gatfield, L., Soap Box or Soft Soap? Broadcasting Standards Commission, 2002.

but these tend to be the ones who do not watch them. Those who do are largely happy to
continue to allow their children to watch with them.
Sport
Sport is fathers’ domain. Fathers usually control the sport watching, and boys love watching
with them. Football is a favourite. It creates a sense of togetherness when the whole family
watches events such as the World Cup. Other sporting events, which have united the family,
include the Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon etc.
Music channels
Multichannel children, especially older children, are watching music channels a lot. They
find them easy to turn to - they are always there and there is always something to watch.
These channels offer good ‘in between’ viewing, even the young ones aged five or six will
tune in for short periods. They learn the moves and the words, and it allows them into the
world of music, a world that terrestrial viewers rarely get to see on a regular basis.
Nature programmes
Nature and wildlife programmes are very popular with both girls and boys and these are
often watched as a family. Children know that their parents like them to watch these
programmes, but they do enjoy them.
‘They’re good because you actually learn something.’

Nature programmes are more popular with terrestrial viewers, especially when shown on a
Sunday night. Boys tend to enjoy the more violent series such as Ultimate Killers and
Walking with Beasts, and episodes about sharks or crocodiles. Girls prefer programmes
about cuter animals such as dolphins, elephants or baby animals.
Cartoons
Cartoons are what children love to watch. They see them as television they own - television
that is really for them. They watch cartoons every day, especially the boys. They are fun and
easy to watch.
‘No brainer TV.’


In general, all children like to watch a variety of programmes. Watching anything for too
long can become boring. As one child said, ‘You can even tire of watching The Simpsons’.
They value diversity in programming, something which is underpinned by the viewing
figures which show that children’s top programmes (see p57 of the report) include a range
of genres: factual (including news), light entertainment, animation and drama. This is the
same across both terrestrial and multichannel households.

Gender differences in programme content
Girls have a clear interest in human relationships, particularly friendships and romance as
they grow older. The girls in this research tended to favour real-life issue programmes. The
cartoons they preferred often had an element of ‘real life’, e.g. Recess and Rugrats. The girls
liked soap operas and dramas such as Casualty and Holby City.
The boys tended to be more into sports, action, adventure, fantasy and noise. They cited
among their favourite programmes action manga cartoons such as BeyBlades and Dragon
Ball Z, and loud and interactive game shows such as Scrapheap Challenge and Robot Wars.
And many were avid watchers of football. Boys’ interests in action and adventure have been
found also to influence their choice of electronic games, reading material and video rentals,
as well as affecting their musical tastes.14
14 Lemish, D. Liebes, T. and Seidman, V., Gendered Media Meanings and Uses. In: Children and their Changing Media Environment,
edited by Livingstone S. and Bovill M., 2001.

14 Terrestrial versus multichannel
Overview
Terrestrial and multichannel television are two different worlds. Multichannel children
always have something to watch whatever the time of day, so they tend to watch television
more than terrestrial-only children do. Viewing figures show that multichannel children are
watching 35 minutes more per day. It is harder for those in multichannel homes to actively
turn the television off when they know that there are always programmes on for them to
see. But increased choice does not necessarily mean greater diversity. The earlier part of this
report shows that the balance of children’s programming on individual dedicated channels is
more limited, when considered as a proportion of broadcast time, than on the individual
terrestrial channels. Even when the hours of transmission are taken into account, the
balance of programming on the main dedicated channels is weighted towards light
entertainment in the form of animation.
Notably, although multichannel children have more programmes available specifically for
them, they are not watching any more children’s programming than are terrestrial children
(30 minutes per day). The rest of the time, therefore, they are watching genres outside
children’s television.
Terrestrial children do not have the same luxury of always having children’s programmes to
turn to, so often when they turn on the television they cannot find anything to watch. As a
result, they are more selective about their viewing and only watch at certain times. If there is
nothing on that they want to see, they will turn the television off.
It is fair to say that terrestrial children are a ‘dying breed’. Most are part-time multichannel
viewers anyway. They may watch at their father’s house if their parents are separated or
divorced, at grandparents’ or at friends’ homes. Given the choice, most would like to have
multichannel television at home. But they accept not having it because there is a sense that
they will get it in the end - it is only a matter of time.
Terrestrial children tend to switch on the television set and flick. Sometimes they know what
is going to be on and have made an appointment to view. More often than not they switch
on and hope they will find something to watch. They have a feel for when their programmes
are on, but otherwise they will flick around until they find something. If nothing is on, they
will turn the television off.
Terrestrial children know exactly when the children’s programmes are on, although not
necessarily the schedules themselves. For example, they know that the best times for them
are immediately after school and on Saturday mornings. If they can read, some will use a
television guide magazine, although most find the guides quite complicated. Some prefer to
use a newspaper and a few said that they turned to teletext.

Sunday night is the one time when many terrestrial children wish they had multichannel
television. It is only terrestrial children who get ‘the Sunday Night Blues’. Not only do they
have homework to complete and school the next day, but also there is nothing to watch on
television. Terrestrial children know that those with multichannel television do not have the
same problem. For those with cable and satellite channels, Sunday night is just the same as
every other night.
‘There’s hardly ever anything to watch on a Sunday, only sometimes they have a good
nature programme on.’
.
All those with multichannel television said that life before Sky was really boring. They were
enthusiastic about having access to lots of channels. Before Sky or cable, they said that they
often found it difficult to find something to watch; there was less choice and not enough
programmes for children. They said that they frequently ended up watching programmes
that they did not really like. They referred to terrestrial television as ‘plain TV’.
When asked about terrestrial or ‘plain TV’, multichannel children said that it was not really
for them. They watched it sometimes, but it was not a first choice to view. They mentioned
that they sometimes watched programmes with the rest of the family on the five terrestrial
channels, but otherwise did not choose to visit these channels very often.
Younger children who had always had multichannel television did not really know about
‘plain TV’. BBC1 to them was just a channel with a number like all the rest. Some referred
to the BBC channels as Channel One and Channel Two.
Multichannel television has changed the lives of mothers who have younger children,
especially those with pre-schoolers. It offers a day-long schedule that the children can turn
to whenever they want, which allows mothers to get on with their chores. It is almost like a
substitute nanny.
Multichannel children are becoming more sophisticated at a younger age. They watch
more and they see more, therefore, they want more and expect more. Although they put
up with more repeats, they are also constantly looking for the new and different, and they
often find it. They have more to explore and are open to a much wider repertoire of
programmes and channels. For many, having five channels is an unimaginable thought.
What would you watch?

The EPG has brought viewing to life and made it more interactive. Multichannel viewers
have a number of different ways to decide what to watch. The length of time children have
had multichannel television affects how they use the EPG. Long-term users tend to know the
numbers of their favourite channels and flick through them in what seems an organised way,
starting with the number of their favourite channel and working their way through. They
are actively looking for programmes, but have an awareness of which channels their
‘favourites’ are on. Those who have not had multichannel television for long start with the
programme guide lists, either looking at ‘All Channels’, or looking in the ‘Kids’ section.
This research uncovered evidence that children do plan their viewing in advance using the
EPG. Children who have little or no control of the remote control in their family are using
the EPG to gain some control. They utilize the EPG’s ‘programme planners’ at the beginning
of the day to plan their viewing. The programme they want to watch flashes up a reminder
on screen five minutes before it is about to start. Other family members will often then
relinquish control and allow them to watch their favourite programme.
The decision on what to watch is quick. Children flick through or read through, making
decisions very quickly. Frequently the channels further on in the electronic guide do not even
get a look-in as children have already made their decision before they get there. Those
channels which may be missing out, currently include CBBC, CBeebies, some of the Disney
channels and Discovery Kids.
Children tend to have some idea of what they want to watch, and as soon as they see it they
press ‘select’. Typically, they do not go back to the TV guide page again. Once they have
made an initial choice, they then flick through, looking at what is on elsewhere while they
watch what they have selected, or alternatively they use numbers they know.
The replay channels

There is no longer any need for children to rush back from something to see a programme
or even to video programmes. The popular children’s channels all have replay channels that
show the same programmes an hour later than the normal channel. Children are aware of
this and will catch up on any programme they have missed. If they do not, they know that it
will be on again in the next few days. There is less urgency to watch their favourite
programmes because they are always available.

Interactive television
Interactive television is by no means being used to its full potential, although most with
multichannel television are aware that interactive services are available to them. Children
rarely use it and have little to say about it at the moment. Some parents said they used it for
news and had used it during the Big Brother 2002 series, which was on when fieldwork was
being conducted. Very few mothers use it for shopping. They do not trust it and feel it lacks
choice - it is easier currently, for example, to order clothes from a mail order catalogue, so
there is low incentive to shop interactively. Children consider the games are reasonable, but
nowhere near as good as their games consoles. They think the graphics are slow and ‘not
that brilliant’. E-mail is currently not as easy to use via the television as it is on the home
computer, so most do not bother.
The majority have an awareness that technology moves on very quickly, however, and that it
is improving all the time, so they believe the future lies with interactivity, but currently it is
far too slow and difficult to use and does not do enough to warrant their involvement.
Quality issues
Children and parents have different views when it comes to what makes a good
programme. Children tend to be looking for a bit of escapism, a good storyline and
humour. Parents prefer children to be watching programmes that have some sort
of moral or educational value, and they especially dislike slang.
A quality programme
For Children For Parents
Looks good Ideally has a moral

Bright and colourful Educational value
Good storyline Good storyline
Humour Good production values
Escapism No slang (especially mothers of younger children)
The one thing that parents will not tolerate is swearing. They find it offensive and
unnecessary. It is not what they want to be seen allowing their children to watch. It works
against what they are trying to teach their children about good manners and behaviour. But,
parents will tolerate it under certain circumstances, e.g. when it is used in a real-life
situation. Parents and children, especially boys, cited Lads Army as an example of a
programme that they were allowed to watch which contained a high level of bad language.
Parents’ reasoning was that this was not swearing for swearing’s sake. They did not consider
programmes such as South Park to be in the same category and objected to the language
used in the cartoon, which they felt was designed to appeal to children, even though
children are not the target audience.

About programming generally:
‘I can’t bear it when they swear all the time and my kids are watching with me. It makes
them think it’s okay to swear, and it’s just not helpful.’
(Mother, Birmingham)
Merchandising
The issue of merchandising was raised with parents. There was not a great deal of
antagonism towards merchandise-based programming. The popularity of merchanised
products is at its peak among children under the age of four. Mothers get a great deal of
vicarious pleasure from giving their youngsters presents, they know their children will love.
To children this age it is the real thing.
By seven years, however, the desire to have lots of favourite television programme products
lessens considerably. At this age, it is more the occasional T-shirt or pencil case that is being
bought, often as a gift rather than something the seven year old has specifically asked for.
As children grow older, they tend to look for products that are endorsed or sponsored by
their favourite personalities, e.g. sportsmen or women, or pop stars.
Repeats
Children tolerate repeats well. They use them to get a ‘quick fix’. If they have seen
something many times before, they might dip in and out. Repeats used to be more of an
issue, but now many see there are some benefits. Most children will not watch the same
episode twice in a day, but other than that they are happy to watch the episode over and
over again. It does not appear to be a contentious issue, but rather something they have
grown used to and accept. For those who have always had multichannel television, it is
what they have always known.
‘I’d rather watch a repeat of something I like than a new episode of something I don’t.’
That is not to say, however, that, if new and different programmes were to dry up, children
would not eventually become bored with the limited choice of programming available.

Programme origination
American children’s programming dominates the dedicated channels and, in many cases, is an
increasing part of the terrestrial broadcasters children’s schedules. In 1996, American
productions made up a quarter of the output of children’s programming on ITV1 (Source: ITC).
This has risen to 30% in 2002, although the level has been relatively stable over the past four
years. Five has seen a marked increase year-on-year from 16% of total output in 2001 to 35%
in 2002. Channel 4 shows a significant reduction in its purchase of American content (down
from 84% of total children’s output in 1997 to 43% in 2001 to 27% in 2002).
Children’s views
Most children, especially those under the age of 10-11 years, know little about the origin of
the programmes that they watch. It is not something that concerns them. Children in
London often assume a programme is from the United States and children outside London,
e.g. Scotland, often believe that everything comes from London. It is not until around 11 or
12 years that they start to understand and have an opinion about ‘foreign’ material and
then they can be quite judgmental, e.g. ‘It’s American rubbish’.
Parents’ views
The majority of the parents interviewed were quite happy with the type of children’s
programmes on offer, but more so on the terrestrial channels. Some were critical of the
domination of animation on most of the dedicated children’s channels. They were aware of
the American influence across children’s programming generally, but were pragmatic about
the fact that their children enjoy many of the American shows such as Sabrina, Hey Arnold,
and Keenan & Kel. They felt that these kinds of programmes enable children to escape into
a fantasy world away from the reality of school and homework. They offer a bit of light
relief and are often funny and make children laugh.
‘I just like good programmes, I don’t care where they come from.’
Mothers of younger children (under eight) and especially terrestrial-only mothers had more
issues. Some were concerned about children picking up American accents, but the main
worry was that these programmes were not ‘homemade’ and therefore were considered to
be less culturally relevant. Some mothers also felt they were less educational.
‘There are certain American ones which do actually really annoy me... teaching kids to
pronounce things in a certain way, and the language isn’t right for British kids.’
(Mother, Edinburgh)
‘Cheap, rubbish. Bought-in TV.’


‘I find Friends quite shallow. It’s in snippets. It’s a bit like reading The Sun - a little bit
here and a bit there. The British ones tend to follow more of a story, more of a theme -
a bit more in depth.’
‘Look at the Teletubbies. That’s a UK creation and that swept the world.’
(Mother, Edinburgh)
Given the choice, however, it is the American shows that many children seem to prefer
watching. Children think that they look better and perceive them to have higher production
values. They make them laugh, and they find the humour more sophisticated. They allow
for escapism, and for some children they were seen to be aspirationa,l with clever, funny
characters living in worlds which children found attractive. American programmes were
perceived to be ‘for my age group and above’ which gives children a sense that they are not
being spoken down to. Programming appeal has been found to be linked to perceptions by
children of its positioning as ‘older’ or ‘younger’ than themselves (Messenger Davies et al).15
While there are different types of UK-based children’s dramas, few seem to incorporate all
of the values of the US-based dramas. Often slapstick humour is used, and, while many
children love it, it can feel young. Programmes such as My Parents Are Aliens are enjoyed,
but tend to be seen as being for younger children. Book-based dramas such as The Worst
Witch and The Queen’s Nose are very popular with the under 10s but, whilst older children
still watch them, given the choice they would prefer more ‘grown up’ programming.
US shows appear to have a far broader appeal. They are more multi-leveled so there is
something in them for everyone. British programmes such as Grange Hill and Byker Grove
are well liked and remembered by terrestrial children, but they are almost forgotten by
multichannel children. The latter always have the choice to watch something else. These
kinds of UK children’s soap dramas are often seen as depressing, and, although they are
more relevant to British children’s lives, they do not fit well with the ‘home from school
mood’ and the need of children for a bit of escapism. Children want to chill out and relax
when they get home from school and not have to think about anything too heavy. Given the
choice, most would opt to watch a funny US programme.
15 Messenger Davies, M., O’Malley, K. and Corbett, B., Channels to the Future. Children’s views about broadcasting provision.
In: What Price Creativity? edited by Ralph, S., Langham Brown, J. and Lees, T., 1997.

15 Conclusions
New media abound, but television retains its importance as the primary source of leisure
entertainment for children. Nevertheless, it has to continue to compete. The leisure industry
is expanding at a rapid rate as new technologies flood the market. Many of the early
adopters of these technologies are households with children. The competition for children’s
leisure time has never been greater.
Television has had to evolve to keep pace. The landscape of children’s television, in
particular, has changed dramatically. Currently, there are 10 main dedicated children’s
channels broadcasting children’s programming 24 hours a day. The provision of children’s
programming overall has tripled in the past five years. Not only do children have access to
their own programmes whenever they want, but also the development of dedicated replay
channels, which repeat schedules every hour, means that they never have to worry about
missing their favourite programmes. Perhaps it is not surprising that it is harder for
multichannel children than it is for terrestrial children to turn the television off.
Terrestrial children have far less flexibility about when they can view and less choice about
what to watch. Television may be a disappointment to them at times, but they do value
what they have and look forward to the times of day when there are programmes on for
them. They are much more able than are multichannel children to turn the television off
when their programmes have ended and to find alternative forms of entertainment.
Most of children’s everyday viewing occurs within the children’s genre, but they also
regularly dip into:
■ music
■ soap operas
■ real-life dramas
■ sport
■ some nature programmes
Multichannel television has created a sense of ownership among the child audience.
Children now feel that they own a part of television. And having additional dedicated
channels has raised their expectations and demands. Children want and expect a good
choice of programmes across a number of channels. They expect to see new programmes on
offer all or most of the time, and they eagerly embrace these new offerings.
Dedicated channels have changed the way children view. This audience no longer has to
worry about missing their favourite programmes because they know they will be on again.
Neither do they have to confine their viewing to certain times of the day because whatever
the time of day there will be programmes on for them to watch. The electronic programme
guide has given children more control over their viewing, and they are adept at using it.

Although terrestrial viewers are less sophisticated, most have regular access to cable or
satellite channels and therefore have many of these expectations as well. They know it is
only a matter of time until they get digital television themselves. Terrestrial parents,
however, would seem to have more conservative views. They do not see a need for any more
television. They consider there is already too much content that is not of good quality. It
may be quite a difficult task to shift these terrestrial ‘die hards’’ views.
In essence, whether multichannel or terrestrial, children are looking for good programmes.
They have little channel loyalty, especially in the multichannel world where there are so
many options to choose from. Children are a critical audience and they want high quality
programmes that entertain, contain humour, provide interesting information and above all,
do not speak down to them.
While multichannel children are watching more television than terrestrial children are, it is
significant that it is not more children’s programmes they are tuning in to but other kinds of
programming. Analogue terrestrial broadcasters offer a better balance of programming
across the hours they broadcast and more original British productions, which are valued by
parents and enjoyed by children. The challenge facing terrestrial broadcasters is to continue
to compete within an increasingly competitive market place. The BBC has taken the step of
creating its own dedicated channels, CBBC and CBeebies, available in multichannel homes.
It remains to be seen whether other terrestrial broadcasters will see an economic need to
follow suit.
As far as the future is concerned, viewers’ expectations are:

■ access to digital channels will be available on every set in the home,
■ interactive television will be used on a regular basis,
■ internet access via the television will be available to all households,
■ there will be televisions in every room and possibly even in the car.
Everyone realises that the future is changing. Children are an audience eagerly embracing
the digital age and families will be the early adopters of the latest technology. There are
still a group of parents, however, who remain to be convinced that more choice means
better quality.

Appendix 1: Methodology
Rosenblatt Research was commissioned by the ITC and the BSC to carry out qualitative research involving
children’s groups, mini groups (trios), and family observations with a range of children aged between six
and 12 years. In addition, a number of parent groups was held. A variety of different techniques were used
in order to facilitate understanding of children’s views in relation to children’s programming. The fieldwork
was carried out by Nicki Karet and Abby Jones.
Children’s photo journals

All the children who took part in the research were asked to keep a journal/diary for a week, prior to
coming to their group/trio. They were asked to describe what television programmes they liked watching,
and why, and to say who they liked watching them with. They were asked also to give an account of
what they liked doing when they were not watching television, e.g., leisure activities, seeing friends.
Each child was given a disposable camera and asked to take pictures to illustrate their interests and the
things/people that were important to them. The aim of the journals was to determine how television fits in
to children’s lives. They contain fascinating insights into children’s lives and thoughts. Illustrations from
these diaries are used in this report.
Family observations
Nicki Karet from Rosenblatt Research returned to a number of families and spent several hours with
them during the evening watching television and observing how the family interacted. These sessions
provided detailed information about how different families negotiate viewing and resolve conflict over
viewing.
Parent groups
Groups were commissioned with parents of children aged between four and 12 years. This was to
enable a comparison to be drawn between children’s views, opinions and concerns and parental issues.
By including some parents of children that took part in the research, it was possible to cross check
responses and iron out any discrepancies.

Appendix 2: Sample
Sample structure: phase I - children

Trio/Group Gender Age Type of TV Location Date
1 (trio) Boys 6-7 (yr 2) Digital Manchester 25 June 02

2 (trio) Boys 7-8 (yr 3) Terrestrial London 27 June 02
3 (trio) Girls 7-8 (yr 3) Digital Birmingham 26 June 02
4 Girls 8-9 (yr 4) Digital Manchester 25 June 02
5 Girls 10-11 (yr 5) Digital London 27 June 02
6 Boys 11-12 (yr 6) Terrestrial Birmingham 26 June 02
Sample structure: phase I - parents

Group Gender Social Class Children’s Age Work Status Type of TV Location and Date
1 Mothers C1C2 5–8 Working Terrestrial Manchester

part/full-time 25 June
2 Mothers C2D 7–12 Working Terrestrial Birmingham
full-time 26 June
3 Fathers BC1 4–12 Working Digital London
full-time 27 June
Sample structure: phase 2 - children

Trio/Group Gender Age Type of TV Location Date
7(trio) Girls 6-7 (yr 2) Terrestrial Edinburgh 18 July 02

8 Boys 9-10 (yr 5) Digital Edinburgh 18 July 02
Sample structure: phase 2 - parents

Group Gender Social Class Children’s Age Work Status Type of TV Location and Date
4 Mothers BC1 2-6 Not working Digital Edinburgh 18 July
Two family groups (reconvened from Stage 1)

■ FAMILY ONE (1600 to 1800)
Mothers (Father was at work)
Five children - 11 year old girl with four older brothers aged 19, 16 (twins) and 13
■ FAMILY TWO (1900 to 2100)

Mother and Father
Two girls aged 10 and six

Appendix 3:
The Broadcasting Standards Commission is the statutory body for both standards and fairness in
broadcasting. It is the only organisation within the regulatory framework of UK broadcasting to cover all
television and radio. This includes the BBC and commercial broadcasters, as well as text, cable, satellite
and digital services.
As an independent organisation, the Broadcasting Standards Commission considers the portrayal of

violence, sexual conduct and matters of taste and decency. It also provides redress for people who
believe they have been unfairly treated or subjected to unwarranted infringement of privacy. The
Commission has three main tasks set out in the 1996 Broadcasting Act:
■ Produce codes of practice relating to standards and fairness;

■ Consider and adjudicate on complaints;
■ Monitor, research and report on standards and fairness in broadcasting.
This report is published as part of a programme into attitudes towards issues and fairness in
broadcasting. This research, which was carried out by independent experts, is not a statement of
Commission policy. Its role is to offer guidance and practical information to Commissioners and
broadcasters in their work.
© 2003 Broadcasting Standards Commission. All rights reserved.

Appendix 4: The Independent
Television Commission
The Independent Television Commission licenses and regulates all television services broadcast
in or from the United Kingdom, other than services funded by the BBC licence fee and S4C in Wales.
It operates in the interest of viewers by: setting standards for programme content, advertising,
sponsorship and technical quality; monitoring broadcasters’ output to ensure that it meets those
standards and applying a range of penalties if it does not; ensuring that ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5
fulfil their statutory public service obligations; planning frequency allocation and coverage for digital
terrestrial services; ensuring that viewers can receive television services on fair and competitive terms;
and investigating complaints and regularly publishing its findings.

105
7 The Sanctuary
London SW1P 3JS
Tel 020 7808 1000

Fax 020 7233 0397
Email bsc@bsc.org.uk
www.bsc.org.uk
Independent Television Commission

33 Foley Street
London W1W 7TL
Tel 020 7255 3000

Fax 020 7306 7800
Minicom 020 7306 7753
Email publicaffairs@itc.org.uk
www.itc.org.uk
ISBN 1 872521 54 1

What Children Watch

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WHAT CHILDREN WATCH

AN ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING PROVISION

Kam Atwal, Andrea Millwood-Hargrave and Jane Sancho

Kam Atwal, Andrea Millwood-Hargrave and Jane Sancho

Broadcasting Standards Commission

Appendix I: Methodology 101

1. Households with children living in them contain a wider range of in-home

8. The result of this dramatic increase in animation is a move away, by children in

What Children Watch 1

11. Light entertainment programming takes a significant proportion of the share of

2 What Children Watch

What Children Watch 3

What Children Watch 5

■ Analysis of programming provision by daypart - looking at trends in children’s output

■ Genre analysis by channel - analysis of the proportion of children’s broadcasting

■ Analysis of children’s viewing habits, in general, and to children’s programming

What Children Watch 7

The Provision of Children’s What Children Watch,

Data source BARB BARB

Measure ■ Time ■ Time

Genre classifications BARB classifications: BARB classifications:

In-home entertainment provision

Home entertainment in households

With Children Without Children

Source: The Public’s View 2002. Base: All respondents

Equipment in eldest child's bedroom

What Children Watch 9

10 What Children Watch

Total hours of children’s programming on terrestrial networks

■ GMTV ■ Five ■ C4 ■ ITV1 ■ BBC2 ■ BBC1

What Children Watch 11

■ Boomerang (May 2000)

Total hours of children’s programming on dedicated channels

Source: BARB, Monday-Sunday

12 What Children Watch

What Children Watch 13

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929

What Children Watch 15

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: BBC1

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929

16 What Children Watch

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929

What Children Watch 17

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: ITV1

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159

18 What Children Watch

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: GMTV

What Children Watch 19

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: Channel 4

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929

20 What Children Watch

Hours of children’s programming by daypart: Five

■ 1530-1729 ■ 1200-1529 ■ 0930-1159 ■ 0600-0929

What Children Watch 21

22 What Children Watch

An analysis of trends in children’s programme provision across the entire television

Total hours devoted to children’s programming: 1996-2001

■ Drama ■ Factual ■ Animation ■ Light entertainment ■ Pre-school

Diversity in children’s programming: 2001

■ Drama ■ Factual ■ Animation ■ Light entertainment ■ Pre-school

What Children Watch 23

Channel 4 Schools Programming Hours/Annum

BBC2 Schools Programming Genre Hours/Annum