大象传媒

The 大象传媒 Trust today begins the most ambitious service licence review of 大象传媒 Television it has undertaken as it looks at how well 大象传媒 One, Two, Three and Four are performing.

A three month public consultation also starts today and the Trust is inviting 大象传媒 audiences to get in touch with their views on the four channels.

This is the Trust's second review of 大象传媒 Television but the first to look at these four channels together; 大象传媒 One, Two and Four were reviewed in 2010 and 大象传媒 Three in 2009 as part of the Trust's review into younger audiences.

The Television review, which was announced in February 2013, will over the coming months assess whether each of the four 大象传媒 channels is fulfilling the commitments defined in its service licence, which set out what the public can expect of 大象传媒 services. It will consider whether any changes to the current licences are needed along with each service's future direction.

The review will follow up the Executive's progress on the Trust's previous recommendations for the channels and examine the extent to which the 大象传媒 television services provide distinctive programmes, which all audiences around the United Kingdom watch and enjoy. As part of this, the Trust will consider how well the services are adapting to meet changing audience expectations and viewing pattens, primarily in response to technological developments.

The review will also consider whether each channel is delivering high quality content across all genres, including sport (except News and Current Affairs which is being covered separately in a review launched in September 2013) and if each channel is delivering value for money.

大象传媒 Trustee David Liddiment said:

"The licence fee places a great obligation on the 大象传媒 to be bolder than other broadcasters in delivering ambitious and distinctive programmes for its audiences. This review will allow us to make sure that the 大象传媒 is doing just that.   

"We want to hear from the millions of viewers who watch the channels to tell us what they think."

大象传媒 Trustee Suzanna Taverne said:

"In this fully digital age the television landscape is changing dramatically and 大象传媒 television can be viewed anytime, anywhere on pretty much any device and our viewers have never been more discerning. We want to make sure the 大象传媒 is delivering the highest quality content to all audiences; however they choose to access it.

We'd encourage those who watch 大象传媒 television to get in touch through our consultation to tell us how they think these four channels are doing."

In addition to the public consultation, the Trust will also carry out audience research.

This review will not look at impartiality as the Trust has an ongoing commitment to reviewing impartiality and published the review of breadth of opinion reflected in 大象传媒 output earlier this year. Market impact and the 大象传媒's supply arrangements are also out of scope of this review.

The terms of reference and public consultation for the review can be found below. The final conclusions of the review will be published in Summer 2014.

 (PDF file)

Notes to editors

1. Each 大象传媒 service is reviewed against its licence at least once every five years. More information on service reviews carried out by the Trust can be found here along with links to the Trust's 2010 review of 大象传媒 One, Two and Four and the review of services for younger audiences.
2. The Trust publishes a report setting out its view on progress against service reviews annually. The Trust's 2013 Service Review progress report  (PDF file)
3. The Trust's workplan for 2013/14 set out its plans for reviewing the four 大象传媒 television channels this year.