BBC Research

Who are the BBC?

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), founded by  is a public service broadcaster funded primarily by annual licensing fees paid by all UK households and companies using BBC channels or equipment. They are the world's oldest national broadcaster and the world's largest by number of employees. It has played a prominent role in British life and culture since WW2. They provide ten national TV channels, regional TV programmes, an internet TV service (BBC Three), 10 national radio stations, 40 local radio stations and an extensive website. Subsidiaries include BBC News, BBC weather, BBC radio and many more. 

What is BBC3?

BBC three was a 'free to air' TV channel operated by the BBC which was launched in 2003 to replace BBC choice. The services purpose was to provide innovative viewing for a target audience aged between 16 and 34. As a part of the BBC's £100 million budget cut in 2014 BBC three was discontinued as an open television service and moved to online viewing, being moved to BBC iplayer in 2016. The programmes on BBC 3 iplayer continue to be original and tackle more controversial issues for the same TA as when it was launched on air in 2003. Some of their most famous dramas include: Killing Eve, This country, Bridgerton and many more. 

Audience considerations 

The BBC is the 271st most popular brand in the world, being the 19th most famous with 60% of people having a positive opinion on it. According to 'YouGov' it is most popular among women in Generation X/millennials. 

BBC three is the 26th most popular TV channel and the second most famous (99% of people have heard of) according to 'YouGov'. It is most popular with millennials which means that they are effective in appealing to their target audience. In addition, BBC three is more popular amongst women (with 48% of women having a positive opinion.)  

What is a television drama? 

It is one of the most popular and longest running television genres due to its ability to cover a wide range of topics which has led to the inception of many sub-categories such as hospital dramas, costume dramas etc. According to the BFI, television dramas are the fictional recreation of real life stories . They typically last between 45 and 60 minutes, with famous examples including Breaking bad, Doctor Who, Orange is the new black and many many more. 

Who are BBC3's biggest competitors?

BBC 3 channels are shown exclusively on BBC's 'Iplayer' app/website. In terms of online streaming, Iplayer's biggest competitors are platforms such as Netflix, Prime video, Disney+, ITV Hub and ALL4. With similar content being released on all of these platforms besides Disney+. These are also probably BBC3's biggest competitors worldwide. In the UK channels such as E4, Itv2 and Itv3 produce/exhibit similar (controversial) content so I would say they are BBC3's biggest competitors in the UK as they also tend to the younger demographic. 

Television drama typical structure/conventions 

Television dramas work in a serialised format meaning it works in an episode to episode way with the the plot in each episode following on from the previous episode. They typically run for between 45 and 60 minutes and have opening branding/ credits which symbolically introduce the show. They are based on a fictional narrative which typically relies on the audience believing that the events could happen in real life - this makes the plot and characters gripping as viewers are able to apply the information. They are heavily character driven, providing audiences with emotional relation and pleasure. TV dramas feature a plethora of character types including: The Villain, The Donor, The helper, The princess, The false hero, The dispatcher and The Hero (Propp's theory.) As stated by Levi Strauss' opposition theory all of these characters are opposed by different characters. TV dramas have an ongoing structure, where normality is disturbed and then this disturbance is overcome which leads to a new normal, only for the cycle to continue. Audiences tend to have different expectations based on genres for example different types of criminals caught every episode in a crime drama. The audience get pleasure by learning more about the characters as the programme progresses, seeing how they interact and gaining an insight into their personal life which may not be seen by characters in the plot.