 Logo used since 2021 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Headquarters | Broadcasting House, London MediaCityUK, Salford |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Services | Television broadcasting |
| Parent | BBC |
| Website | bbc |
 |
|---|
Commercial subsidiaries |
Key properties in London |
Birmingham |
BBC Television is a service of theBBC. The corporation has operated apublic broadcast television service in theUnited Kingdom, under the terms of aroyal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 1932, although the start of its regular service of television broadcasts is dated to 2 November 1936.[2]
The BBC's domestic television channels have no commercial advertising and collectively they accounted for more than 30% of all UK viewing in 2013.[3] The services are funded by atelevision licence.
As a result of the 2016 Licence Fee settlement, the BBC Television division was split, with in-house television production being separated into a new division calledBBC Studios and the remaining parts of television (channels and genre commissioning, BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer) being renamedBBC Content.[4]
The BBC operates several television networks, television stations (although there is generally very little distinction between the two terms in the UK), and related programming services in the United Kingdom. As well as being a broadcaster, the corporation also produces a large number of its ownoutsourcing programmes and thereby ranks as one of the world's largest television production companies.
John Logie Baird set up the Baird Television Development Company in 1926; on 30 September 1929, he made the first experimental television broadcast for the BBC from its studio inLong Acre in the Covent Garden area ofLondon via the BBC's London radiotransmitter propagating ananalog signal. Baird used hiselectromechanical system with a vertically scanned image of 30 lines, which is just enough resolution for a close-up of one person, and abandwidth low enough to use existing radio transmitters. The simultaneous transmission of sound and pictures was achieved on 30 March 1930, by using the BBC's new twin transmitter atBrookmans Park. By late 1930, thirty minutes of morning programmes were broadcast from Monday to Friday, and thirty minutes at midnight on Tuesdays and Fridays after BBC radio went off the air. Baird's broadcasts via the BBC continued until June 1932.
The BBC began its own regular television programming from the basement ofBroadcasting House, London, on 22 August 1932. The studio moved to larger quarters in 16Portland Place, London, in February 1934, and continued broadcasting the 30-line images, carried by telephone line to themedium wave transmitter atBrookmans Park, until 11 September 1935, by which time advances in the all-electronic405-line television system made electromechanical broadcasts and systems obsolete.[5]
Following a series of test transmissions and special broadcasts that began in August 1936, theBBC Television Service officially launched at 3.00pm on 2 November 1936 from a converted wing ofAlexandra Palace in London.[6][7] The opening day's programming started using the Baird System at 3.00 pm with "Opening of the B.B.C. television service byMajor G. C. Tryon", thePostmaster General of the United Kingdom, followed by the latestBritish Movietone News newsreel at 3.15. This was then followed up with a 10-minute variety show withAdele Dixon and the African-American duo ofBuck and Bubbles, and the B.B.C. Television Orchestra. These programmes were then shown at 4.00pm using the Marconi-E.M.I. System.[8] "Ally Pally" housed two studios; Studio A for the 405-line Marconi E.M.I. system, and Studio B for Baird's 240-lineintermediate film system. It also housed several scenery stores, make-up areas, dressing rooms, offices, and the transmitter itself, which then broadcast on theVHF band. BBC television initially used both the Baird and Marconi-E.M.I systems on alternate weeks. The use of both formats made the BBC's service the world's first regular high-definition television service; it broadcast from Monday to Saturday between 15:00 and 16:00, and 21:00 and 22:00.[9] The first programme broadcast – and thus the first ever, on a dedicated TV channel – was "Opening of the BBC Television Service" at 15:00.[10] The first major outside broadcast was thecoronation of George VI and Elizabeth in May 1937.
The two systems were to run on a trial basis for six months; early television sets supported both resolutions. However, the Baird system, which used a mechanical camera for filmed programming andFarnsworthimage dissector cameras for live programming, proved too cumbersome and visually inferior, and ended with closedown (at 22:00) on Saturday 30 January 1937. It was advertised inRadio Times for two weeks later but the decision to end the Baird system was made too late for it be changed in the printedRadio Times.[11]
Initially, the station's range was officially a 40 kilometres radius of the Alexandra Palace transmitter—in practice, however, transmissions could be picked up a good deal further away,[12] and on one occasion in 1938 were picked up by engineers atRCA in New York, who were experimenting with a British television set.[note 1] The service was reaching an estimated 25,000–40,000 homes before the outbreak ofWorld War II which caused the BBC Television service to be suspended on 1 September 1939 with little warning.
On 1 September 1939, the station went off the air;[13] the government was concerned that theVHF transmissions would act as a beacon to enemy aircraft homing in on London. Also, many of the television service's technical staff and engineers would be needed for the war effort, in particular on theradar programme. The last programme transmitted was aMickey Mouse cartoon,Mickey's Gala Premier (1933), which was followed by test transmissions; this account refuted the popular memory according to which broadcasting was suspended before the end of the cartoon.[13]
According to figures from Britain's Radio Manufacturers Association, 18,999 television sets had been manufactured from 1936 to September 1939, when production was halted by the war.
BBC Television returned on 7 June 1946 at 15:00.Jasmine Bligh, one of the original announcers, made the first announcement, saying, 'Good afternoon, everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh? Well, here we are after a lapse of nearly seven years ready to start again and of course we are all terribly excited and thrilled...'[14] The Mickey Mouse cartoon of 1939 was repeated twenty minutes later.[13] On 31 December the BBC broadcastFirst-year Flashbacks, a compilation of the year's highlights.[14] An edited copy is now the oldest programme on the BBC's iPlayer streaming service.
Alexandra Palace was the home base of the channel until the early 1950s, when the majority of production moved into the newly acquiredLime Grove Studios. Postwar broadcast coverage was extended toBirmingham in 1949, with the opening of theSutton Coldfield transmitting station on 17 December, and by the mid-1950s most of the country was covered, transmitting a 405-lineinterlaced video image on VHF.
BBC TV was split intoBBC1 andBBC2 in 1964, with BBC2 having a remit to provide more niche programming. The channel was due to launch on 20 April 1964, but this was postponed after a fire atBattersea Power Station resulted in most of west London, includingTelevision Centre, losing power. A videotape made on the opening night was rediscovered in 2003 by a BBC technician.[citation needed] The launch went ahead the following night, beginning with hostDenis Tuohy sarcastically blowing out a candle. BBC2 was the first British channel to useUHF and625-line pictures, giving higher definition than the existing VHF 405-line television system.
On 1 July 1967, BBC Two became the first television channel in Europe to broadcast regularly in colour, using the West GermanPAL system that was used for decades until it was gradually superseded by digital systems.[15] (BBC One andITV began 625-line colour broadcasts simultaneously on 15 November 1969). Unlike other terrestrial channels, BBC Two does not have soap opera or standard news programming, but a range of programmes intended to be eclectic and diverse (although if a programme has high audience ratings it is often eventually repositioned to BBC One). The different remit of BBC2 allowed its first controller,David Attenborough to commission the first heavyweight documentaries and documentary series such asCivilisation,The Ascent of Man andHorizon.
Attenborough was later grantedsabbatical leave from his job as Controller to work with theBBC Studios Natural History Unit which had existed since the 1950s. This unit is now famed throughout the world for producing high quality programmes with Attenborough such asLife on Earth,The Private Life of Plants,The Blue Planet,The Life of Mammals,Planet Earth andFrozen Planet.
National andregional variations also occur within the BBC One and BBC Two schedules. England's BBC One output is split up into fifteen regions (such as South West and East), which exist mainly to produce local news programming, but also occasionally opt out of the network to show programmes of local importance (such as major local events). The other nations of the United Kingdom (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) have been granted more autonomy from the English network; for example, programmes are mostly introduced by local announcers, rather than by those in London. BBC One and BBC Two schedules in the other UK nations can vary immensely from BBC One and BBC Two in England.
Programmes, such as the politically fuelledGive My Head Peace (produced by BBC Northern Ireland) and the soap operaRiver City (produced by BBC Scotland), have been created specifically to cater for some viewers in their respective nations. BBC Scotland produces daily programmes for itsGaelic-speaking viewers, including current affairs, political and children's programming such as the popularEòrpa andDè a-nis?. BBC Wales also produces a large amount ofWelsh language programming forS4C, particularly news, sport and other programmes, especially the soap operaPobol y Cwm ('People of the Valley') briefly shown on BBC2 across the UK with subtitles in the 1990s.[16] The UK nations also produce a number of programmes that are shown across the UK, such as BBC Scotland's comedy seriesChewin' the Fat, and BBC Northern Ireland's talk showPatrick Kielty Almost Live.
During the 1980s, the BBC came under pressure to commission more programmes from independent British production companies, and following theBroadcasting Act 1990 it was legally required to source 25% of its output from such companies by the terms of the Act. This eventually led to the creation of the "WoCC" (Window of Creative Competition) for independent production companies to pitch programmes to the BBC.[17]
Programmes have also been imported mainly from English-speaking countries: notable—though no longer shown—examples includeThe Simpsons from the United States andNeighbours from Australia. Programming from countries outside the English-speaking world consisted of feature films, shown in the original language withsubtitles instead of beingdubbed, with dubbing only used for cartoons and children's programmes.[18] These included programmes fromEastern Europe, includingThe Singing Ringing Tree fromEast Germany, althoughvoice-over translation was used instead of dubbing for budgetary reasons.[19]
Ceefax, the firstteletext service, launched on 23 September 1974. This service allowed BBC viewers to view textual information such as the latest news on their television. CEEFAX did not make a full transition to digital television, instead being gradually replaced, from late onwards, by the new interactive BBCi service before being fully closed down on 22 October 2012.[citation needed]
In March 2003 the BBC announced that from the end of May 2003 (subsequently deferred to 14 July) it intended to transmit all eight of its domestic television channels (including the 15 regional variations of BBC1) unencrypted from theAstra 2D satellite. This move was estimated to save the BBC £85 million over the next five years.[20]
While the "footprint" of the Astra 2D satellite was smaller than that ofAstra 2A, from which it was previously broadcast encrypted, it meant that viewers with appropriate equipment were able to receive BBC channels "free-to-air" over much of Western Europe. Consequently, some rights concerns have needed to be resolved with programme providers such asHollywood studios and sporting organisations, which have expressed concern about the unencrypted signal leaking out. This led to some broadcasts being made unavailable on theSky Digital platform, such asScottish Premier League andScottish Cupfootball, while on other platforms such broadcasts were not disrupted. Later, when rights contracts were renewed, this problem was resolved.[citation needed]
The BBC Television department headed byJana Bennett was absorbed into a new, much larger group; BBC Vision, in late 2006.[21] The new group was part of larger restructuring within the BBC with the onset of new media outlets and technology.[citation needed]
In 2008, the BBC began experimenting with live streaming of certain channels in the UK, and in November 2008, all standard BBC television channels were made available to watch online viaBBC iPlayer.[22]
WhenTony Hall became Director General in April 2013, he reverted the division to its original name of BBC Television. As Television it was responsible for the commissioning, scheduling and broadcasting of all programming on the BBC's television channels and online, as well as producing content for broadcast.[23]
Following the 2016 Licence Fee settlement, BBC Television was split into two divisions, with in-house television production being separated into a new division calledBBC Studios controlled by Mark Linsey and the remaining parts of television (channels and genre commissioning, BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer) being renamed as BBC Content, controlled byCharlotte Moore.[4][24] As a result, the BBC Television division is now known internally as BBC Content and "BBC Television" as an entity has ceased to exist.[4][25][26]
On 8 December 2020, Moore announced a new leadership structure for BBC Content taking effect in April 2021, which will prioritise iPlayer in order to compete with commercial streaming services. The role of Controller for BBC One, Two, and Four will be scrapped, in favour of giving the BBC's genre heads autonomy in commissioning programmes without the requirement for a channel controller to provide secondary approval. A team of "portfolio editors" will select from these commissions for carriage on BBC television channels and iPlayer, with iPlayer Controller Dan McGolpin will becoming Portfolio Director for iPlayer and channels. McGolpin and the genre heads will report to Moore.[27][28]
In July 2022, the BBC announced plans to merge BBC News (for UK audiences) and BBC World News (for international audiences) as one international news network, under the name BBC News, covering news from both the UK and around the world. The merger took effect in April 2023.[29][30]
In November 2024, six BBC FAST channels were added to Australia's9Now platform.[31]
The BBC domestic television channels do not broadcast advertisements; they are instead funded by atelevision licence fee which TV viewers are required to pay annually. This includes viewers who watch real-time streams or catch up services of the BBC's channels online or via their mobile phone. The BBC's international television channels are funded by advertisements and subscription.
These channels are also available outside the UK in neighbouring countries e.g. Belgium, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland. For BBC News, CBBC and Cbeebies see national & international channels
On 3 April 2023, the BBC merged the BBC News and BBC World News channels into a single networked news channel, but there are opt-outs for both the domestic and international versions.[34][35]
The BBC's wholly owned commercial subsidiary,BBC Studios, also operates several international television channels under BBC branding:
The BBC also owns the following:
BBC Japan was a general entertainment channel, which operated between December 2004 and April 2006. It ceased operations after its Japanese distributor folded.
BBC portal% viewer-ship of all TV viewing: BBC1 (20.2), BBC2 (5.8), BBC3 (1.4), BBC4 (1.0), CBBC (0.6), Cbeebies (1.2), BBC News (1.0) = 31.2% of total viewer minutes relative to all other channels
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