27-05-2022, 11:05 AM
The problem is I don’t think streaming is the proper solution or the future like people predict. Look at last year when Sky had a massive change. If streaming is good and the future then why didn’t they close channels down. Instead they actually launched more channels not less.
ITV and Channel 4 could save money by closing channels if streaming is so good especially with younger audiences. They could easily move ITV2/Be E4 online only. They haven’t though have they. The BBC themselves have already proved with BBC Three that closing down channels and making them online only is a great way to lose that target audience and very difficult to get back. I think they are going to make the same mistake by losing the CBBC audience completely if it goes Iplayer only. They should actually be building on the branding not getting rid of it by hiding it on Iplayer.
There is also one advantage linear has over online as well. The internet can and does go down occasionally. Other than very rare things like the Billsdale transmitter fire last year linear TV will always be available and ( other than the TV license) does not cost anything. To get CBBC in future that’s households needing to buy both a tv license and then paying for broadband which can be very costly especially if families are poor which at the moment a lot are. The BBC need to get rid of this idea of digital first and really concentrate on what they should be doing providing PSB content for everyone. The Iplayer and linear can happily co exist.
ITV and Channel 4 could save money by closing channels if streaming is so good especially with younger audiences. They could easily move ITV2/Be E4 online only. They haven’t though have they. The BBC themselves have already proved with BBC Three that closing down channels and making them online only is a great way to lose that target audience and very difficult to get back. I think they are going to make the same mistake by losing the CBBC audience completely if it goes Iplayer only. They should actually be building on the branding not getting rid of it by hiding it on Iplayer.
There is also one advantage linear has over online as well. The internet can and does go down occasionally. Other than very rare things like the Billsdale transmitter fire last year linear TV will always be available and ( other than the TV license) does not cost anything. To get CBBC in future that’s households needing to buy both a tv license and then paying for broadband which can be very costly especially if families are poor which at the moment a lot are. The BBC need to get rid of this idea of digital first and really concentrate on what they should be doing providing PSB content for everyone. The Iplayer and linear can happily co exist.