New audience figures for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Global News
Post categories: ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ News,Ìý³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ News website,Ìý³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World News,ÌýWorld Service
| 11:00 UK time, Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Recent times have not been the easiest for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's international news services.
New Broadcasting House
The challenges our journalists face have never been so severe or varied, from increased harassment and intimidation to persistent efforts to censor ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ content.
With global competition only intensifying, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service has also had to face significant cuts to its funding, undergoing disrupting and painful change.
In this context, we're announcing today that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's global weekly audience estimate has seen a steady rise by 14 million to 239 million in 2012, up 6% from last year.
This has been driven primarily by the performance of our ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Arabic and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian services. As tumultuous events in the Middle East and North Africa unfolded, audiences increasingly turned to the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ for independent news they could trust.
The figures are cause for cautious confidence but certainly not complacency. We still have significant challenges ahead, including the need for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service to make additional savings and the integration of our domestic and international news operations in state-of-the-art new facilities in New Broadcasting House.
And while ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service has managed to increase its overall audience to 180 million from 166 million in 2011 (an 8% increase) by delivering distinctive, high quality journalism, this should not mask that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ no longer serves audiences in some individual countries in the way we did previously.
Funding cuts from the Foreign Office have lessened the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's ability to take our journalism into some countries, and the overall figures would have been even higher still without these reductions.
With the Chinese, Russian and Iranian governments all pumping money into journalism designed to give their own perspective on the world, there's no room for complacency.
But the figures do underline the lasting importance of our international mission.
The combined increase across all our international news services is first and foremost a credit to the dedication, bravery and professionalism of our journalists. In today's world, theirs is a tough calling.
In the past year, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's Arabic Service has seen a record rise in audiences with 25 million adults weekly tuning in. ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian TV has doubled its reach in Iran, with an audience of 6 million people, despite facing a campaign of censorship and intimidation by the Iranian authorities.
Our English language radio programming on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service has also performed well with audiences holding firm at about 44 million overall. Journalists have consistently delivered high-quality international coverage ranging from the global economic crisis, Afghanistan, the deaths of Gaddafi and Osama Bin Laden and famine in the Horn of Africa to South Sudan's independence and the horrific killings in Norway.
But while our mission endures, how we deliver it must evolve.
This rise in our reach shows the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's global strategy, increasing access to our content on new platforms, is working. We must continue to respond to the changing needs of our audiences to stay relevant.
The global audiences for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World News and bbc.com were 145 million for radio (down 1% this year), 97 million for television (up 13% including a 45% increase in ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service TV platforms) and 30 million for online (including a 20% increase for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service online). This includes a strong year for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's international mobile services. The bbc.com mobile site reached 2.7 million unique users per week, a 30% increase from 2011.
None of this is cause for us to rest on our laurels.
But these figures are a step in the right direction as they underline the international desire for the sort of independent journalism that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ provides. Globally, there remains a dire need for journalism that isn't slanted towards any one country, political or commercial viewpoint.
Peter Horrocks is director, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Global News.
Comment number 1.
At 27th Jun 2012, JeremyNye wrote:Bravo! An impressive set of audience figures, and well deserved by the best journalists in the world.
A round of applause too, for the research firms who measured the audiences and the hard working team that puts the data together.
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Comment number 2.
At 27th Jun 2012, paulmerhaba wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 3.
At 27th Jun 2012, Peter Barry wrote:Unfortunately Peter, your good work is being undermined by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ reporters embedded within the Syrian Rebel army.
see:
/blogs/theeditors/2012/06/user_generated_content_and_ara.html
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Comment number 4.
At 28th Jun 2012, JunkkMale wrote:1. JeremyNye
In fact, getting it just about better than right. Who can argue with that?
'..persistent efforts to censor ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ content'
For shame. Modding stuff not agreed with? How dare they?
'the sort of independent journalism that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ provides'
Takes all sorts.
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Comment number 5.
At 28th Jun 2012, This is a colleague announcement wrote:Another New Broadcasting House, just as demolition starts on the old New Broadcasting House in Manchester. The latter's £7 million studio refit had only just been completed, when Children's Programmes were moved to London, and so it was shut.
I think this and other change-for-the-sake-of-making-a-new-DG-look-like-he's-doing-something amounts to a criminally reckless waste of public money.
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Comment number 6.
At 28th Jun 2012, Scotch Get wrote:"This rise in our reach shows the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's global strategy, increasing access to our content on new platforms, is working. We must continue to respond to the changing needs of our audiences to stay relevant."
In other words;
"Get with the programme, people! Twitter and Facebook is where it's at! Follow us Twitter and Facebook!" [sic]
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Comment number 7.
At 28th Jun 2012, This is a colleague announcement wrote:I also read that Children's Programmes, and other formerly Manchester-based programming, have now been moved back from London to Salford, another "state-of-the-art" media complex. (That makes telly programmes, just like old NBH).
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Comment number 8.
At 28th Jun 2012, BluesBerry wrote:I do find a certain bias in ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ reporting, which appears linked to the policies of the United States e.g. in finances and beating the war drums. I wish I could separate the British news/opinion from the American, but this is not possible for me --- only for those at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. Otherwise, I can only assume US & Britain are Siamese twins.
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Comment number 9.
At 28th Jun 2012, BluesBerry wrote:With such a diverse audience, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ should be ever-striving to sit upon the prickly pear - no complacency! With so much trust placed in ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, it must strive to wring ever drop of truth out of each & every story, & then present that truth without western bias, or worse: political propaganda. There is a desperate, searching need for truth - journalism that isn't slanted towards western interests.
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Comment number 10.
At 28th Jun 2012, All for All wrote:"Dire need": universalism, democracy
Recognition not shared by UK govts?
Defence of Capital no longer 'demanded'?
Some ways more free, ideologies seen as weak, status from globalised competition, left 'perfectly divided & satisfactorily ruled' by ourselves, by our acceptance of Inequality, Fear & Greed
Minnows there must be, benighted, impoverishing themselves, only to drive war-machine profit
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Comment number 11.
At 28th Jun 2012, venerablebede wrote:"Globally, there remains a dire need for journalism that isn't slanted towards any one country, political or commercial viewpoint."
I know what you mean, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ really has it in for Israel. Why can't Licence Fee Payers have access to the Balen Report?
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Comment number 12.
At 28th Jun 2012, This is a colleague announcement wrote:16:29 28th Jun 2012, venerablebede:
"...the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ really has it in for Israel..."
===
I'm inclined to agree, in that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ does seem to follow tacit apparent Government policy of appeasement, of "those in the UK population who are vehemently anti-Israel".
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Comment number 13.
At 28th Jun 2012, paulmerhaba wrote:Looks like the beeb have dumped the red button in favour of facebook.
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Comment number 14.
At 29th Jun 2012, Michelle Summers wrote:I think the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ has done well despite the funding cuts and the World Service job cuts last year - hopefully the increased growth can help restore some of the lost services.
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Comment number 15.
At 29th Jun 2012, JunkkMale wrote:'14. At 08:03 29th Jun 2012, Michelle Summers' Interesting comments on that link, about claimed 'cuts' vs. where money is actually going in preference. Then there are all the referrals out before closing. Figures.
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Comment number 16.
At 29th Jun 2012, Sizwe M wrote:@JunkkMale, Michelle Summers - I somehow doubt any increased revenues from growth would be applied to restoring the lost services, despite Peter's last comment about the 'global need' for independent journalism... don't hold your breath!
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Comment number 17.
At 29th Jun 2012, JunkkMale wrote:@Sizwe M - ....and.... exhale. Saved me there, tx.
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