Transcript Research into accessibility of www.bbc.co.uk
Key challenges for public broadcasters February 22 nd 2006 Nic Newman | Head of Product Development and Technology
Key challenges
• • •
Need for change – how worried should we be?
Read/write web – responding to the participation challenge Audio video revolution – how do we respond?
Mark Thompson “ … we're going to have to change the BBC more rapidly and radically over the next three to five years than at any previous point in its history ” .
BBC Journalism is valued hugely
•
Research emphasised that audiences place “News” as the top valued programme type in terms of importance to the country
79 70 48 44 43 42 40 37 31 27 25 16 News Regional News Wildlife Current Affairs Soaps Consumer Progs British Comedy Sport British Drama Cookery Quiz Shows Reality Source: BBC Value Research, Human Capital/Martin Hamblin GFK, 2004
Overall reach is strong but falling among under 34s
Source: PBTS, Seen/Heard BBC News Last Week
Weekly reach (%) of BBC News across TV, radio and online by age
Terrestrial homes Digital homes
97%
73 News 54 40 21 2004 Current Affairs All adults 64 15-34 54 2005 Soaps
Reach is falling in digital TV homes, especially for current affairs Weekly reach
(%) Source: BARB / BBC Analysis, Q2 2005 All individuals cumulative reach (15 mins) across BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1, Channel 4 & Five
New audience research describes three types of news consumer
‘Traditionalists’
Three Core Groups
‘Mix and Matchers’ ‘Clickers and Flickers’ Covers a range of people – generally older and more downmarket They won’t work in an office with internet access Old and young alike Generally will have multi-channel TV and/or broadband internet access at home Generally young and more monied/educated olders All will have broadband internet access on their desk (at home and/or at work) …and multi-channel TV at home
Today, Traditionalists dominate
Approx nos of people ‘Traditionalists’ ‘Mix and Matchers’ ‘Clickers and Flickers’ ‘Level to which they embrace new technology’
As take up of technology increases the balance will shift from traditionalists
Approx nos of people ‘Traditionalists’ ‘Mix and Matchers’ ‘Clickers and Flickers’ ‘Level to which they embrace new technology’
Our audiences recognise a new world is emerging rapidly
• • Greater choice
of platforms and providers
• Greater power
/ behaviour to shape personal consumption around own lifestyle
• Greater opportunity
for involvement Greater ability to compare / contrast providers –
less loyalty
We are highly thought of but they want change
They think we are
Upstanding Respected Accurate Formal
+ + + +
They would like us to be more
Modern Accessible Courageous Dynamic
Others are already there
Fear is that we will lose out to the technology gatekeepers
Should we really be worried?
news
It’s “1 in 4.8 billion”
It’s “1 in 4.8 billion”
But increasing need to satisfy shareholders may change things
I’m an optimist
It’s the content that
still
counts “ The value of news content will outweigh the broadcast, print and even online "containers," that the industry produced during the first phase of the new media revolution. “
– Tom Curley, AP CEO But
the content alone is not enough ….
Challenge of participation
Always someone who knows more than you do …
BBC and participation
“I could hear them screaming and two village men came running to help but the floor split into two, leaving cracks in between and my wife's leg got stuck inside. My wife was pulling my daughter's skirt to keep her alive and away from the wave. We got out safely and went to Chennai, but it was a miraculous escape.”
Rahul Thiagarajan, Chennai, India
BBC and participation
BBC and participation
User Generated Content
User Generated Content On July 7th
20,000 emails on the London Bombings, 1,000 images from the public 3,000 SMS text messages
BBC and participation
BBC and participation
BBC and participation
BBC and participation: Blogs
BBC and participation: Openness
The most open and transparent news organisation in the world
“Create a brilliant world class interactive website for open engagement with audiences in which editors and correspondents all actively participate with the public in discussion about our decisions and dilemmas”
BBC Creative Futures: Dec 05
Other examples
BBC and accessibility
BBC and participation: Challenges ahead
• • • • •
Involve our readers/users more Text, pictures and video Simple intefaces to allow users to send and interact Staff up to follow up and verify content Sharing the content across the BBC
• •
This complements and improves our work Opportunity not a threat!
backstage.bbc.co.uk
API
New tricks with our content
Creative Archive
In video too…
Audio video revolution
Audio video revolution
Ultimately the internet's going to be
the most important medium we operate in and it's going to be an important way of delivering TV and radio
. It already is ... New technology is transforming the TV industry, and broadcasters that don't embrace the internet may ultimately become extinct.
Mark Thompson
Observer Jan 2006
Audio video revolution
Once the BBC's TV channels are streamed live over the internet, its
interactive media player
will … allow viewers to save programmes and download the previous week's schedule, as well as access its extensive archive:
Mark Thompson
Observer Jan 2006
Opportunities and threats: Google Video
What’s going on … why 2006?
-
Industry ready
(rights, independents etc) -
Consumers ready
- primed by music on demand and already downloading video -
Technology is ready
(broadband links, DRM, storage, wireless links PC and TV)
Consumers love Video on Demand 50% of viewing in Sky+ Homes is timeshifted IMP trial each person downloads 5 programmes a week Quality is improving
Technology: Broadband pipes 60% of the UK’s internet users are now on Broadband Average connection speed is now 1MB/sec BT
becoming TV provider later in the year, Virgin and NTL about to merge. Convergence telephony and content
BBC News video usage Over 100% growth Dec 04 to Dec 05
• • • • • Oil Fire: 525,808 uniques 1.8m hits 11/12/05 Airbus super jumbo launch: 413,162 unique users and 1.0m hits on 27/4/05 Shuttle landing: 403,887 unique users and 1.1m hits on 9/8/05 Bush clip of door exit: 385,147 unique users and 0.73 hits on 21/10/05 London bomber/Katrina: 370,581 unique users and 0.98m hits on 2/9/05
BBC Radio usage: Audio on demand
Radio player 1.2m unique users week Over 50% of BBC bandwidth taken by streaming radio Podcasts 500,000 a week and rising
Video on demand: Web and IPTV
Selected programmes on web Download trials (g IMP, Vodcasting) Cable TV (Homechoice and others) IPTV (Media Centre)
Video on demand: Web and IPTV
What is next ….
My BBC Player
• • • • Integrated interface and standards for all audio and video on bbc.co.uk (incorporates News player, Sport player and radio player) Free Live TV on the internet (all channels) Free Downloads of all BBC TV and radio programmes (7 day catch up) International proposition too It is a big deal. It is costing millions of pounds and will drive the industry in the UK
What is next ….
My BBC Player issues
• • • Cost – can we afford it?
Quality – can the internet deliver it?
What does this do to the way we produce programmes and channels?
We don’t know all the answers … but
we will work it out
if we just get on with it
4 Themes going forward
• • • •
Digital Open Creative Simple
Creative Digital Open Simple
That it ….
Paving the way to the player: Audio video search
End March 2006 Adding radio player search and tv programmes Iterate through to Player launch
Issues around distribution
• Currently we use the unicast model of streaming almost exclusively Users BBC • Cost increases linearly with consumption!
• Today our current video streaming infrastructure will support approximately 60,000 concurrent users for bbc.co.uk as a whole at 256kbit/sec in UK.
• There is a natural rate at which this infrastructure can be grown approx double capacity every 12 months • Overflow can be taken by CDN provider • Quality subject to Internet Congestion • User must have good permanent connection to internet for duration of consumption
Issues around distribution
• New ways of distributing content • Multicasting BBC ISP ISP • New Multicast capacity for live TV within MyBBCPlayer Users Users
A glimpse into the future
Media Is Mobile
What excellence means to our audiences
Trust Accuracy Speed Dialogue Personalised
Continuous news is having an increasing impact on our reputation
•
Audiences tell us at that our coverage of big news events, especially as they unfold, is increasingly shaping their view of BBC journalism.
•
This means that our continuous news offerings are taking on a more central role in determining how BBC journalism is perceived.