Changing attitudes of viewers and listeners revealed
03/04/2020
03 April 2020
TV and radio programmes that are unsuitable for children, or which contain hateful or discriminatory content, should be the priorities for Ofcom's work in upholding standards according to viewers and listeners.
A new study of audiences' expectations in the digital world reveals broad support for broadcasting rules, which ensure audiences are protected while freedom of expression is upheld. And the research, commissioned by Ofcom, finds widespread agreement among audiences that society's views around offence have shifted in recent years.
People told us that they expect regulation to focus on cases of content inciting crime and causing harm, even if it airs on smaller, non-mainstream channels or stations aimed at particular communities. Similarly, many want to see priority given to cases involving discriminatory content targeted at specific groups, particularly if it risks harming vulnerable people.
The pattern of offence-related audience complaints made to Ofcom over the last five years also reflects these shifting priorities. Concerns around swearing, for example, have trended downwards falling by 45% between 2015 and 2019. In comparison, complaints about racial and gender discrimination have increased by 224% and 148% respectively, during the same period.[1]
Protecting viewers and listeners from harmOfcom's job is to set and enforce broadcasting rules to protect viewers and listeners from harmful or unjustifiably offensive content, among other things. To help us ensure these rules remain effective and up to date, we periodically carry out in-depth research to understand audiences' concerns, needs and priorities. This supplements the tens of thousands of audience complaints we receive each year.
Our latest wave of audience research involved workshops, focus groups and in-depth interviews with members of the public of all ages and backgrounds across the UK to ask for their views about content standards across TV, radio, catch-up, subscription and video sharing services.
What makes todays audiences tick?Viewers and listeners generally think that people themselves are responsible for choosing what programmes they watch or listen to. They value the variety of content available today, and their freedom to access it any time in any place.
But there is also broad support for the role of regulation, and the role of broadcasters, in ensuring that content is appropriate and reflects audiences' expectations. In particular, viewers and listeners told us that:
rules to protect children from unsuitable content are essential. Although participants also feel that parents and carers have a primary role in policing what their kids watch;
rules around incitement of crime, disorder, hatred and abuse are very important. People feel that the consequences of inciting hate crime are the most serious, and want to see these cases prioritised even if the content airs on smaller or non-mainstream channels and stations aimed at specific communities;
discriminatory content against specific groups is more concerning than other offensive content, such as nudity and swearing, and should be prioritised. Many participants reflected on how attitudes towards race and sexuality have changed, pointing out that TV programmes in previous decades included language, storylines and behaviours that are now perceived as discriminatory;
they recognise that offensive content is subjective, and the importance of freedom of expression. But audiences want access to clear information about content in programmes to make informed decisions. Pre-programme warnings are seen as important in mitigating potential offence by telling viewers what to expect;
mistakes during live broadcasts are acceptable if they are genuine and unavoidable. Participants suggested that Ofcom action might not be necessary in the event of accidental on-air swearing, for example, particularly if an apology was made, or the language was made by a member of the public in a way that was beyond broadcasters' control, and the programme was unlikely to be seen or heard by children; and
they are worried about a lack of regulation on video-sharing platforms.[2] Participants felt that they were more likely to come across inappropriate or upsetting content accidentally on these sites, with rolling playlists, pop-ups, and unchecked user-generated content being cited as common concerns.
Comments captured during the workshops and interviews with viewers and listeners
Ofcom comments on the findingsTony Close, Ofcoms Director of Content Standards, commented on the findings. He explains:
People in the UK are passionate about what they see and hear on TV, radio and on-demand. And thanks to social media, debates about programmes today are more animated and immediate than ever.
Word spreads quickly about must-watch' shows that engage and inspire people; those that typify British culture and bring the nation together; and those that move us to tears. But equally, viewers and listeners know when broadcasters get it wrong or fall short of the standards they expect.
A crucial part of our job at Ofcom is to listen to these views and act on them wherever necessary. Last year, that meant assessing around 28,000 complaints and reviewing almost 7,000 hours of programmes.
But complaints figures are only part of the picture. It's important that, from time to time, we carry out extra research to really understand viewers' and listeners' concerns, needs and priorities. This helps us to ensure our broadcasting rules remain effective and up to date.
We know that audiences' tastes, attitudes and preferences change over time. And we've seen significant shifts in social norms that have changed the kind of content they're choosing to w
LINK: | https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__search/s/redirect?collection=web&url=https:... |
See more stories from ofcom |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
17/04/2024
Sundance Institute Launches RFI and RFP Process to Explore Host Locations for the Sundance Film Festival in 2027 and Beyond
Opening today, the exploration is aimed at selecting a location that will preser...
17/04/2024
Spotify's Michael Krause Talks Industry Trends Ahead of Our Music and Podcasting Summits in Germany
On April 18 and 19, experts from across the audio industry-including artists, pu...
17/04/2024
Spotify Brings Entrepreneurs and Trailblazers Together to Talk the Future of Tech in the UK
With its particular combination of talent, ambition, culture, and, of course, wo...
17/04/2024
NextGen Partners With Howard University Professor Nikole Hannah-Jones on Student Podcasting Course
At Spotify, we want to equip student creators with the tools and resources neede...
17/04/2024
Strengthening Australian Industry Capability Through Sovereign Sustainment Support
L3Harris Communications Australia Field Service support continues to grow with a...
17/04/2024
L3Harris Team Aligns 10 Mirrors for NASA's Roman Telescope
An optical technician lays on a diving board suspended between NASAs Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescopes primary and secondary mirrors. The photo is a projected ...
17/04/2024
Graham Media Selects Bitmovin Playback
DENVER Video streaming infrastructure providers Bitmovin has announced that the Graham Media Group has selected Bitmovin Playback to enhance its viewer experien...
17/04/2024
Survey: LGBTQIA+ TV Visibility Drives Viewership Among Young Americans
LGBTQIA+ representation in TV content boosts viewership among young (18-34) Americans, according to a new report from Horowitz Research....
17/04/2024
New NVIDIA RTX A400 and A1000 GPUs Enhance AI-Powered Design and Productivity Workflows
New NVIDIA RTX A400 and A1000 GPUs Enhance AI-Powered Design and Productivity Wo...
17/04/2024
Frezzi Unveils SunLight 2: The Ultimate High-Output Lighting Companion for ENG and Broadcast Production
Frezzi Unveils SunLight 2: The Ultimate High-Output Lighting Companion for ENG a...
17/04/2024
Peakto Search for Lightroom - Find at a glance among thousands of photos AND videos
Peakto Search for Lightroom - Find at a glance among thousands of photos AND vid...
17/04/2024
Simone Pilon Appointed Executive Director at Berklee Valencia
Simone Pilon Appointed Executive Director at Berklee Valencia Pilon, who has served as Berklee Valencia's interim executive director since March 2023, has a...
17/04/2024
CBS Cuts Off Billy Joel Concert Telecast (Updated)
CBS will re-air Sundays Billy Joel concert telecast this Friday (April 19) after several CBS-affiliated stations abruptly cut part of Sundays telecast of the si...
17/04/2024
Jacqueline Matter Named Co-Host on WTTG's Good Day DC'
Jacqueline Matter has been named co-host of Good Day DC at WTTG Washington. Effective immediately, she co-anchors the 4 a.m. newscast with Stephen Graddick, rep...
17/04/2024
TV Usage Takes March Dip While College Hoops Help Cable
Television usage took its usual March dip, dropping 3% from February, according to Nielsen,...
17/04/2024
BET, Tyler Perry Extend Content Agreement Through 2028
BET Media Group, part of Paramount Global, said it and Tyler Perry had reached an agreement extending their content production deal through 2028....
17/04/2024
Warner Bros. Discovery Names David Porter Head of Ad Research
Warner Bros. Discovery said it named David Porter head of ad sales research, data and insights....
17/04/2024
Lionsgate Signs Exec VP Lee Hollin To Long-Term Deal
Lionsgate said it signed a new multi-year employment deal with Lee Hollin, its executive VP, television and head of current programming for Lionsgate Television...
17/04/2024
Jessica Rosenworcel Speaks at the Paley Museum April 16
Federal Communications Commission chair Jessica Rosenworcel sits for an interview at the Paley Museum in New York April 16 at 12:30 p.m. ET. Moderated by Nick T...
17/04/2024
Travis Kelce To Host Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?' on Prime Video
Travis Kelce will host Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, a spinoff of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, that will stream on Prime Video....
17/04/2024
Amy Alvarez Named News Director at Telemundo's KULX Salt Lake City
Amy Alvarez has been named news director at KULX Salt Lake City, the Telemundo station in the market. She comes from KVDA San Antonio, another Telemundo outlet,...
17/04/2024
Frndly Launches Channel Store, Adding 4 Subscription Services to Lineup
Frndly TV, the low-priced, family-friendly streaming service, said it launched a channel store where users can sign up for subscription streaming services....
17/04/2024
TV Tech Announces Winners of Best of Show Awards at 2024 NAB Show
TV Tech has announced its Best of Show Awards for the 2024 NAB Show, April 14-17 in Las Vegas. The awards are judged by a panel of industry experts on the crite...
17/04/2024
Colorfront showcases upgrades across product range
Colorfront has introduced AI vision-analysis tools to assist master QC operations with detecting framing anomalies, dead pixels, bright titles and sparkles By ...
17/04/2024
Meet the Founder and director
By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 17, 2024 Rory Springthorpe, founder and director at outside broadcasting company Vivid Broadcast, talks to TVBEurope a...
17/04/2024
Riedel Enhances Interstellar Technologies Space Launch Wi...
Riedel Communications today announced its collaboration with Interstellar Technologies, a pioneering space transportation company based in Hokkaido, Japan, to o...
17/04/2024
Riedels Simplylive Production Suite Empowers Lafayette Co...
Riedel Communications announced that Lafayette College, a liberal arts college in eastern Pennsylvania and one of 10 core members in the Patriot League, is usin...
17/04/2024
Slovak Telekom and T-Mobile Czech Republic Upgrade Video...
24i, the video streaming platform expert, today announced that Slovak Telekom and T-Mobile Czech Republic, part of the Deutsche Telekom (DT) Group, have extende...
17/04/2024
OpenDrives Recognized on the 2024 CRN Storage 100 List
OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, is honored to announce its inclusion in the...
17/04/2024
Goldbach to Leverage Operatives new converged advertising...
Operative is pleased to announce a new and expanded partnership with Goldbach Media, one of the leading media sales organizations in Switzerland. This partnersh...
17/04/2024
Roberts Communications Network Selects Appear X Platform...
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, and Roberts Communications Network (Roberts), the leading worldwide video distribution and wagering dat...
17/04/2024
Mobilelinks Chooses Appear for UHD Upgrade of DSNG Trucks
Appear enables Mobilelinks to meet updated technical requirements. Appear, the global leader in live production technology, has been selected by Mobilelinks to...
17/04/2024
Appear and Skyline Communications Strengthen Partnership...
The expanded solution offers enhanced visibility and automation of production and distribution workflows for live event contribution applications Appear, the g...
17/04/2024
In a major step in its growth strategy Econocom launches...
Econocom, a sustainable digital enterprise and pioneer of the circular economy in Europe, today announced the launch of an ambitious campaign as part of the rol...
17/04/2024
Newsmax Extends Relationship with 24i to Rapidly Launch P...
24i, the video streaming platform expert, today announced that its 24i Video Cloud for OTT service providers is powering the new Newsmax+ subscription service, ...
17/04/2024
AIMS Welcomes Kakadu Software and 7thSense as New Members
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today announced its newest members: Kakadu Software provider of the world's leading JPEG 2000 development toolk...
17/04/2024
Amagi Integrates Intertrust ExpressPlay DRM for Deliverin...
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV, and Intertrust, the leading digital rights management (DRM) provider, to...
17/04/2024
Amagi Announces Collaboration with Argoid AI to Drive AI-...
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV, today announced a collaboration with Argoid AI, a specialist in AI-power...
17/04/2024
Triveni Digital Awarded Patent for Secure Television Dist...
Triveni Digital today announced that the company has been awarded Patent Number US 11,924,260 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for pioneering Secure Tel...
17/04/2024
Chyron Partners With GALSNGEAR to Host Student Production...
Chyron today announced that it will partner with #GALSNGEAR , a movement to bring parity to women in media and entertainment, at the 2024 NAB Show to host the o...
17/04/2024
Biggest Events Deserve the Biggest Screens, IMAX Says
The Olympics is the world's biggest sporting event, so doesn't it deserve to be shown on the world's biggest screens? That was the subject of Going...
17/04/2024
Broadcasters Tout Milestones for NextGen TV
NAB Show provides an annual opportunity for broadcasters to gather in person and assess the progress the industry has made in its transition to ATSC 3.0. At thi...
17/04/2024
U.S. Digital Advertising Revenues Hits High of $225B
$225 billion: That's how high U.S. digital advertising revenues were in 2023, according to the newly released IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full...
17/04/2024
Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K
Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K Brie Clayton April 16, 2024 0 Comments Revolutionary large format digital film camera with RG...
17/04/2024
Sony Electronics Announces a Compact Wide-Angle FE 16-25mm F2.8 G Zoom Lens
Sony Electronics Announces a Compact Wide-Angle FE 16-25mm F2.8 G Zoom Lens Brie Clayton April 16, 2024 0 Comments A constant F2.8 full-frame E-mount ...
17/04/2024
Ikegami Announces New HDK-X500 3-CMOS HD Camera, OCP-500 Operation Control Panel and Video Monitors
Ikegami Announces New HDK-X500 3-CMOS HD Camera, OCP-500 Operation Control Panel...