BBC One+1 ‘rejected’ by BBC Trust

EastEnders cast 2014, 874x339

Viewers hoping that BBC One would soon be on a level footing with rival channels such as ITV and Channel 4, who offer one hour catch up channels, will be disappointed that the corporation’s governing body has rejected the proposal for BBC One +1.

Currently ITV programmes such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale have a ratings advantage over BBC shows such as EastEnders (pictured) due to ITV+1 giving viewers a chance to catch up with their favourite show on the +1 channel – should they have missed the original broadcast an hour earlier. While the ITV shows and EastEnders get repeats on ITV2 and BBC Three respectively, along with omnibus repeats for the commercial channel soap operas (EastEnders even lost its omnibus in April this year), the corporation’s saga has no +1 outlet.

However the BBC Trust has found the plans to bring their main channel in line with the commercial rivals has “failed” in their “public value test” and have advised that the plans to bring viewers BBC One+1 should be rejected.

Television regulator Ofcom has concluded that the launch of a +1 channel would have the ‘greatest adverse market impact’ capturing viewing share for the BBC at the expense of commercial channels and reducing the profitability, in particular, of ITV and Channel 5 Ofcom noted. The one-hour-behind service would have aired on the television slot occupied by BBC Three.

“The proposal would have limited public value given the need for 24 per cent of UK television households to upgrade their equipment in order to receive +1; the inability to offer ‘opt-out’ programmes for the nations and regions; the lack of distinctiveness of the proposal; and the limited impact on reach to 16 to 34-year-olds, which means it would be unlikely to mitigate the impact of changes to BBC Three.” – BBC Trust

In other findings the governing body of the BBC concluded that the BBC iPlayer should continue to be developed, clearly not something that would have an impact on its ITV rival, while BBC Three should cease to broadcast as a TV channel and instead move online only.