BBC Trust

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

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

This is the Trust's second review of BBC Television but the first to look at these four channels together; BBC One, Two and Four were reviewed in 2010 and BBC 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 BBC channels is fulfilling the commitments defined in its service licence, which set out what the public can expect of BBC 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 BBC 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.

BBC Trustee David Liddiment said:

"The licence fee places a great obligation on the BBC 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 BBC is doing just that.   

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

BBC Trustee Suzanna Taverne said:

"In this fully digital age the television landscape is changing dramatically and BBC 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 BBC is delivering the highest quality content to all audiences; however they choose to access it.

We'd encourage those who watch BBC 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 BBC output earlier this year. Market impact and the BBC'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.

Terms of reference (PDF file)

Notes to editors

1. Each BBC 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 BBC 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 can be found here (PDF file)
3. The Trust's workplan for 2013/14 set out its plans for reviewing the four BBC television channels this year.