NEWS5 June 2020

Ofcom might suspend public service broadcaster tracker for 2020

UK – Ofcom has opened a consultation on its plans to suspend its public service broadcasting (PSB) tracker survey for the rest of the year due to Covid-19.

The media regulator said the current survey had a 50/50 split in face-to-face and online fieldwork, and was unable to carry out face-to-face during the pandemic.

The survey measures public opinion of all the BBC channels and the main channels of ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, STV and S4C, as well as viewing habits and use of PSB websites and catch-up services.

Ofcom will aim to bring the survey back in 2021 in a revised form, and added that the impact of Covid-19 on viewing habits would likely mean 2020’s data would be an anomaly in evaluating long-term trends.

A project to explore the public’s relation ship with PSBs will instead take place this year, as part of the regulator’s Small Screen: Big Debate programme.

Queries are to be directed via email to market.research@ofcom.org.uk by 25th June 2020.