LONDON (Brand Republic) – The BBC’s proposals to launch four digital TV channels and a digital radio service have been welcomed by the public ahead of approval from the UK government.
The BBC ran a six-week public consultation during October and November, following a series of on-air trails about its digital plans. The corporation is obligated to seek the licence payers’ view on any new proposals before they can be cleared by the government.
However, the BBC faces strong opposition to its services from commercial rivals, including MTV, CNN, Nickelodeon, Telewest, Discovery and the Cartoon Network. The commercial sector is angry about the proposals, believing that the corporation is encroaching on their territory and muscling in on already well-served areas.
They also argue that the BBC is not being as closely monitored as it should by the government.
Out of 6,768 respondents, the consultation found that 65% of all replies supported the entire proposal while 73% of respondents thought the new TV channels would be a valuable addition to BBC.
About 86% favoured channels without advertising for pre-school children and teenagers between 13 and 18 years. BBC 3, the proposed name for relaunched entertainment channel BBC Choice, was supported by 87% of respondents.