Should the BBC be privatised?

[Psamathe]

With a lot of stuff eg apps, podcasts, etc. if you watch/use/listen for free you get ads but if you pay a subscription you get rid of the ads. BBC seems an exception where you pay AND still get the ads!

Ian

[axel_knutt]

On ITV the average length of a programme occupying a half-hour TV slot seems to be around 23/4 minutes.

It can get a lot worse than that, a lot of the programme material contains thinly veiled adverts as well, in addition to the formal breaks. On one Julia Bradbury walking program she was stopping at businesses en route every verse end, and spending several minutes being a platform for the owner to promote his business. IIRC there was about 12 minutes of walking in the 30min slot.

[Mike Sales]

With a lot of stuff eg apps, podcasts, etc. if you watch/use/listen for free you get ads but if you pay a subscription you get rid of the ads. BBC seems an exception where you pay AND still get the ads!

Ian

“When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.”

as Humpty Dumpty said.
What I was objecting to are those advertisements which tell you lies to extract your money. I detest those conmen.
Trailers which alert you to a programme you might like to watch for no extra charge are a different kettle of fish to me. They are usually short and useful. They seldom mislead.
I am thinking chiefly of Radio 4 trailers, which are most of those I hear.

[Psamathe]

With a lot of stuff eg apps, podcasts, etc. if you watch/use/listen for free you get ads but if you pay a subscription you get rid of the ads. BBC seems an exception where you pay AND still get the ads!

Ian

“When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.”

...
Trailers which alert you to a programme you might like to watch for no extra charge are a different kettle of fish to me. They are usually short and useful. ...

(My bold & colour)
What prompted me to post was 2 mins such ads at the start of a BBC podcast and I don't regard 2 mins of ads as short. And even less justified when pushing content completely unrelated to the podcast you are listening to. BBC are starting to over advertise and for me this highlights the "no ads" others have raised as no longer the case.

Ian

[Mike Sales]

What prompted me to post was 2 mins such ads at the start of a BBC podcast and I don't regard 2 mins of ads as short. And even less justified when pushing content completely unrelated to the podcast you are listening to. BBC are starting to over advertise and for me this highlights the "no ads" others have raised as no longer the case.

Ian

Podcast?
Two minutes?

How many minutes of commercials in a 1 hour show?
Typically there is an allowance of 13 to fourteen minutes of advertising, promotional messages and the like in each broadcast hour and in fact the content makers create content that is 23 minutes per half hour and 46 minutes per hour to accommodate this.4 Oct 2023

[Psamathe]

What prompted me to post was 2 mins such ads at the start of a BBC podcast and I don't regard 2 mins of ads as short. And even less justified when pushing content completely unrelated to the podcast you are listening to. BBC are starting to over advertise and for me this highlights the "no ads" others have raised as no longer the case.

Ian

Podcast?
Two minutes?

How many minutes of commercials in a 1 hour show?
Typically there is an allowance of 13 to fourteen minutes of advertising, promotional messages and the like in each broadcast hour and in fact the content makers create content that is 23 minutes per half hour and 46 minutes per hour to accommodate this.4 Oct 2023

Yes. It's BBC. I pay ie it's not advertising funded. Independent podcasts sometimes ask for donations to cover costs. Some podcasts I listen to have an ad free subscription version as well as a free version with/funded by advertising again to cover costs. BBC is license fee funded so they have no need to be pushing stuff through ads.

Comparing to TV commercials is not a sensible comparison as TV program making is expensive and commercial stations depend on ad revenue. BBC mostly license fee funded and we are discussing audio content already created anyway for radio.

Ian

[Mike Sales]

What prompted me to post was 2 mins such ads at the start of a BBC podcast and I don't regard 2 mins of ads as short. And even less justified when pushing content completely unrelated to the podcast you are listening to. BBC are starting to over advertise and for me this highlights the "no ads" others have raised as no longer the case.

Ian

Podcast?
Two minutes?

How many minutes of commercials in a 1 hour show?
Typically there is an allowance of 13 to fourteen minutes of advertising, promotional messages and the like in each broadcast hour and in fact the content makers create content that is 23 minutes per half hour and 46 minutes per hour to accommodate this.4 Oct 2023

Yes. It's BBC. I pay ie it's not advertising funded. Independent podcasts sometimes ask for donations to cover costs. Some podcasts I listen to have an ad free subscription version as well as a free version with/funded by advertising again to cover costs. BBC is license fee funded so they have no need to be pushing stuff through ads.

Comparing to TV commercials is not a sensible comparison as TV program making is expensive and commercial stations depend on ad revenue. BBC mostly license fee funded and we are discussing audio content already created anyway for radio.

Ian

I make a distinction between a trailer and an advertisement which you refuse to recognise.
Of course a commercial broadcasting channel has to depend on large chunks of commercials. As I made clear, I find this touting to sell rubbish, these slickly produced lies, something I would rather not have to sit through when enjoying a programme. This is exactly why I prefer channels uninterrupted by such advertising.
Trailers on the Beeb are not constantly wedged into the flow of a narrative or argument. On channels paid for by the moneymakers commerce pushes its lies in at frequent intervals. This must detract from the message broadcast.
I've just listened to Archive on Four about Brendan Behan. His Borstal Boy was the first book I ever bought with my own money. The show was unspoilt by ads for soap powder or insurance, or even trailers for other programmes

[toontra]

I'm not sure you can consider BBC radio in isolation. Without BBC TV the BBC radio stations wouldn't exist.

Personally I don't begrudge the license fee. I'm in the fortunate position of being able to afford it, and I can't ABIDE commercials. I find them insulting to the intelligence to the point I won't watch live commercial TV. I "record" anything I want to watch so I can FF through the ads.

I've enjoyed and learnt so much from BBC radio over the years that I suffer the promos without too much bother. They are in a totally different league to the utter dross you're subjected to on commercial radio.

[Mike Sales]

I'm not sure you can consider BBC radio in isolation. Without BBC TV the BBC radio stations wouldn't exist.

Personally I don't begrudge the license fee. I'm in the fortunate position of being able to afford it, and I can't ABIDE commercials. I find them insulting to the intelligence to the point I won't watch live commercial TV. I "record" anything I want to watch so I can FF through the ads.

I've enjoyed and learnt so much from BBC radio over the years that I suffer the promos without too much bother. They are in a totally different league to the utter dross you're subjected to on commercial radio.

If the barbarians destroy Radio 4 as well as the NHS I will know that I have outlived my time.
These are British values which need protecting from the current extremist Government.

[Psamathe]

Podcast?
Two minutes?

Yes. It's BBC. I pay ie it's not advertising funded. Independent podcasts sometimes ask for donations to cover costs. Some podcasts I listen to have an ad free subscription version as well as a free version with/funded by advertising again to cover costs. BBC is license fee funded so they have no need to be pushing stuff through ads.

Comparing to TV commercials is not a sensible comparison as TV program making is expensive and commercial stations depend on ad revenue. BBC mostly license fee funded and we are discussing audio content already created anyway for radio.

Ian

I make a distinction between a trailer and an advertisement which you refuse to recognise.
...

I don't refuse to recognise it. It may be a relevant distinction for you but to me it's all unwanted irrelevant pushing something I don't want (and something most listening to the podcast wont be interested in based on subject genre). I'm sure some others see it the same way as you and I'm sure some others see it the same way as me.

My comment is it's excessive irrelevant and they ate not dependent on it as s funding source. If it were shorter (and not multiple ads) and/or for something even slightly related then not do bad but long and unrelated makes it something I object to.

Ian

[the snail]

...BBC seems an exception where you pay AND still get the ads!

Ian

Netflix do that too.

[toontra]

...BBC seems an exception where you pay AND still get the ads!

Ian

Netflix do that too.

Ian's talking about "commercial" ads. BBC don't do that.

Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sky etc are all revising their no-ad service and either forcing ads on you or charging extra on top of the monthly fee for ad-free.

Let's face it, the future is advertising, ever-increasing amounts and increasingly targeted. That's what tech runs on. The BBC is a relative haven of sanity and I am happy to pay for it.

[francovendee]

Looking at some of the free to air TV it seems that many of the channels show endless repeats of shows first seen elsewhere. Every 10 minutes another onslaught of advertising cuts into the programme.
The BBC does advertise its own content but between programmes and is far less annoying.

I wonder when we complain about the model of funding for the BBC it should be compared with the hidden cost in things we buy that have huge amounts spent on advertising. This must be part of what we pay as a customer.
With the ads on TV, radio, internet, papers, sports, etc. the amount spent must be enormous.

With ever more ways to advertise are companies spending more or is the cost of an ad coming down?

[Psamathe]

Looking at some of the free to air TV it seems that many of the channels show endless repeats of shows first seen elsewhere. ...

Have you looked at the TV BBC 4 schedule recently? Used to be a good channel but these days ...

Ian

[francovendee]

I have and whilst it's not as good with many repeats at least you don't get adverts every 10 minutes.
I tried to watch 'The Real Serpent' on Channel 4 but gave up due to the number of intrusive adverts. This is from a channel who were one of the better commercial channels.

These days I find more entertainment on YouTube. It has adverts but the content choice is huge, Apiary to ZZ Top. Something for all tastes.
I find a lot of the YouTube channels are done by people quite passionate about their subject and can be very entertaining presenters.

Not like terrestrial where they decide to send a celeb on a visit just because they are a celeb. The number of times you hear amazing or awesome uttered makes me want to throw a brick at the screen.