TV Ownership

 The 7 Sectors

• Television
• Film
• Radio
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Video Games
• Advertising & Marketing

Comand Verbs (Marks)

• Identify (1)
• Explain (2)
• Analyse (12-16)
• Discuss (12-20)

TV Licence fee - £169.50 per year

• By paying the BBC licence fee the public has a right to demand and expect particular programmes and quality programs.

What differences exist between ITV and the BBC? 

• BBC is owned by the public whereas ITV is a private company. ITV - advertising

What kind of programming would you expect to find on each of the channels?

BBC programmes and genres

• News
• Educational programmes
• Documentaries- Panorama
• Soap operas, drama and comedies
• BBC films
• Lifestyle and entertainment genres
• Quiz shows/ game shows
• Sports coverage

ITV programmes and genres

• Action drama
• Entertainment/ Reality TV
• Sports coverage
• Soap operas- Coronation Street
• (ITV X - streaming service)
• News

Are the great differences between the output of each?

Similarities:

Differences: 

• No adverts on the BBC
• BBC has more variety of genres and a strong focus on educational programmes and documentaries

The BBC are not allowed to name any brands

PSB - Public Service Broadcasting

Funding

• 75% of the BBC's funding comes from the licence fee (currently costs £169.50 for a colour and £57 for a black and white TV licence.)
• The remaining income comes from commercial activities such as:
• World wide sales of its programmes
• Publications such as Radio Times, Good Food
• (BBC also includes BBC radio- which we study later)

ITV

Remit of ITV

• Launched 1955, it is the oldest commercial network in the UK
• It was established in order to provide competition to BBC Television (established 1932).

Commercial Television

This is the opposite of a PSB broadcaster.

The aim of commercial stations (ITV, 5 and SKY) is to provide popular shows that attract an audience -therefore leading to higher prices when advertising is sold.​

All commercial terrestrial stations (ITV, 5) are funded by advertising, sponsors and product placement.​

Think about any TV programme on ITV​

- Is it sponsored? ​ 

- Are there advertisement breaks​ 

- Is there any product placement?

Practice question

Explain how a public service company operates differently to a commercial company.

Use an example to support your answer.

BBC - Public service company

• No ads
• Funded by TV licence
• BBC remit and values

ITV - Commercial company

• Has ads / sponsorships
• Funded by adds and other activities
• ITV does not have a remit

A public service company for example BBC has no adds whereas ITV, a commercial company has ads / sponsorships.

Also BBC is 

Structure of the BBC

The BBC is a cross-media organisation - one of the largest in Europe.

This means it is vertically and horizontally integrated

Conglomerate - a large media company which has smaller companies beneath it.

Vertical and Horizontal Integration

​

Vertical Integration​ In which a media company has the ability to control the production (pre, prod, post), distribution and exchange (consumption/exhibition) of a product.​ ​ 

Horizontal Integration​ In which a media conglomerate company has a number of subsidiary companies (whereby it has bought shares in another company or actually buys them out entirely) that are used to support the marketing of its products.​

Disney  bought 21st Century FOX

Vertical integration

Advantages

• Keep profits
• Use skills
• Creative Control
• Resources

Disadvantages

• Relying on success
• Too much control

Horizontal integration

Advantages

• More structure
• Reliable source of income
• Being able to expand

VERTICAL INTEGRATION	ADVANTAGES  Freedom on product development  Competitive advantage over other companies- unique  Reduces costs (no outsourcing of personnel/ resources)   Increased profits- no outsourcing  And increased profits because all profits stay in the company	DISADVANTAGES    High initial costs  Difficulty of no outside ideas- stifle creativity   Lack of expertise in certain areas- struggle in some areas/ no outsourcing   Too much to focus on or juggle
HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION	Access to an increased market share/ wider audience  Expanding customer / audience base  Market dominance- work with competitors (and tailor to audience)	Legal issues – e.g Intellectual Property/ rights issues  Higher costs  Increased financial risks   Creative challenges

BBC Earth

BBC earth is a documentary television channel featuring premium factual programming. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios

BBC Earth consists of:

Documentaries: Planet Earth, Planet Earth II, The Blue Planet, Frozen Planet…just to name a few!​ 

Podcasts: BBC Earth Podcast​  

A dedicated YouTube channel​  

A dedicated website​  

A BBC Earth Experience (new as of 2023!)​  

BBC Earth Kids

BBC Earth - Brand - Identity

Synergy

When a company/producer makes a connection/works with another company/producer or a different part of the same company to make a product that benefits all involved.

Companies that are both vertically and horizontally integrated can create synergy across their output.

Examples:

A film company having a synergic relationship with McDonalds = Happy meal toy! This promotes the film, but also the happy meal for McDonalds

• The bbc works with other companies to promote its product
• it therefore works in synergy
• Through youtube, bbc earth is working in synergy

  BBC IPlayer's  national geographic section have a dedicated section just for David Attenborough

Accessing bbc earth via the bbc website

• Instead of viewing the documentary, audiences can listen to a BBC earth podcast on apple or spotfy
• this captures another audience
• this is a very good examples of the bbc working in synergy with apple or spotify

Horizontal Integration

Along the horizontal axis, there are there will be a number of companies owned or controlled by others

Vertical Integration

Along the vertical axis, are the conglomerate companies 

Synergy - 

Sustainable merchandising and synergy

As well as a partnership! BBC earth and teemill have joined forces to disrupt the 

fashion

Teemill work in synergy with Jhon Lewis selling bags

Jan 2021 Q4

Explain one way that horizontal integration can contribute to the process of synergy.

Use an example from media institutions or products to support your answer.

• Horizontal integration is the process in which a large media company has several different/ subsidiary media companies beneath it. An example of a company that is horizontally integrated is the BBC. when producing and promoting BBC earth, the television side of the BBC has worked in synergy with BBC publishing. this demonstrates the process of making synergy because... BBC EARTH GETS LOTS OF ADVERTISING AND MARKETING IN THE MAGAZINE, AND BBC PUBLISHING BENEFIT FROM SELLING COPIES.

The 6 companies that own almost all media

1. National Amusements
2. Disney
3. Time Warner
4. News Corp
5. Sony
6. Comcast