Nation asked to have its say on BBC’s future
The BBC is asking audiences to have their say about the future of the organisation, by launching the biggest public engagement exercise the Corporation has ever undertaken.
From today BBC account holders across the UK will start to receive an online questionnaire to help identify what they want from the BBC now, and what they want from it in the future.
The “Our BBC, Our future” questionnaire kicks off a conversation with the public about the future of the BBC, ahead of the forthcoming review of the Corporation’s Royal Charter which sets the BBC’s mission and public purposes.
It will ensure the people who watch, listen, and use the BBC help drive the debate about its future.
The questionnaire is part of the biggest ever public engagement exercise run by the BBC with the aim of seeking up to one million responses.
It is open to anyone with a BBC account and email invites to fill in the questionnaire will be emailed out to all current account holders over the course of the coming weeks.
The current Charter runs until 2027 and the BBC wants to use the views of the public to help shape what comes next. The questionnaire to account holders is the first part of this engagement and the BBC will conduct a range of audience research and polling in 2025 and 2026.
Tim Davie BBC Director-General said: “The BBC belongs to all of us and we all have a say in its future. By taking part in this short questionnaire, people will be able to tell us what they want the BBC to offer, what we do well, what we could do better, and what they want us to focus on in years to come.
“I hope as many people as possible take a few minutes to tell us what really matters to them and how we can best play our part.”
Hayley Valentine, director, BBC Scotland, added: “It’s really important that Scotland’s voice is heard and I would love our audiences to be involved in shaping the BBC of the future. This is a unique opportunity for audiences across Scotland to have their say and really make a difference.”
When audiences open the questionnaire, the introduction will read: “Our BBC, Our Future. We’d love to know your views on the future of the BBC. The BBC belongs to all of us. That’s why it matters that we understand what you want the BBC to offer you and your family, and the UK overall. We’d also like your thoughts on some ideas we have for the future.
“There are seven sections in the questionnaire. In total, it will take around 10 minutes to complete. At the end, there will be a chance to tell us anything else important to you about the BBC. All of your answers will remain confidential.”
Providing multiple choice answers the questionnaire asks:
what you/your family watch, listen to or use?
what programmes/content you want from the BBC?
what the BBC should provide overall?
what kind of organisation you want the BBC to be in the future?
how you feel the BBC is doing now?
what the BBC should stand for in the future?
There is also a free text box for audiences to share anything else important that the BBC could offer or improve in the future.
Findings from the questionnaire will be published along with what that could mean for the future of the BBC, later this year.
The findings will help inform the BBC’s discussions with government as part of Charter Review, following which the scale and scope of the BBC’s services will be agreed. The Charter Review process will also set out how the BBC is regulated in the modern global media market.
