This document analyzes different UK television channels and their approaches to broadcasting documentaries. It discusses that public service broadcasters like the BBC have a mandate to provide educational programming nationwide without commercial objectives. The BBC offers documentaries on BBC One targeting ages 35-60 and BBC Three targeting 16-25 year olds. Channel 4 targets ages 18-35 but attracts this wide demographic with factual shows about history and current affairs. Channel 5 and ITV provide some documentaries alongside entertainment, with Channel 5 focusing on reality and drama and ITV being the largest commercial broadcaster in the UK. The document concludes that a new documentary about body confidence issues will air on Channel 4 due to its variety of channels and ability to reach younger audiences.

1. CHANNEL RESEARCH
AND EVALUATION
Finnlea Murphy

2. PSB- PUBLIC SERVICE
BROADCASTING
PSB is a public broadcasting service unlike many other
channels who broadcast for their own commercial
benefits. To qualify as a PSB a company should have
their channels viewed freely nationwide. An example of
a PSB would be the BBC.

3. BBC
 The BBC offer a range of channels that provide a range of
documentaries.
 BBC one is a channel that offers ‘storytelling’ documentaries. The
target audience seems to range from 35 all the way to 60 with
documentaries such as ‘great British railway journeys’.
 BBC three is another channel that provides documentaries from the
BBC. There is a major difference in target audience age between bbc one
and bbc three. BBC three documentaries seem to have a target audience
of 16-25 year olds with documentaries such as; ‘Snow, Sex and
Suspicious parents’.

4. CHANNEL 4
 Channel four have a range of target audience from 18-35 which
seems like a large difference. Although this is, channel four have
managed to successfully attract their audience with a range of
documentaries such as ‘How Britain worked’ and ‘Henry VIII’s Lost
Palaces: A Time Team Special’.
 They also make media content that are relevant to current affairs to
help inform the public. Channel 4 also has a more of a variety of channels
that again target different styles of audiences such as E4, More4 and
Film4, however most documentaries are shown on Channel 4, Film4 and
More4

5. CHANNEL 5
 Channel 5 like many of the other channels provide a
variety of programs. The channel mainly broadcasts
entertainment produce such as game shows and reality TV.
They supply documentaries such as ‘highland emergency’
which is very real and dramatic which is key to an
entertainment channel.

6. ITV
 ITV are the largest commercial channel in the UK,
consistently attracting the largest audiences of any UK
commercial broadcaster. They broadcast free-to-air on
Freeview, digital satellite (Sky/Freesat) and cable, and are
funded by advertising and sponsorship.
 ITV have more channels then just ITV 1; Digital channels
ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and CITV plus HD and time-shifted
channels are growing audience and revenue.

7. OUR DOCUMENTARY
 We have decided that our documentary will be
broadcasted on channel 4.
 We have made this decision as we feel Channel 4 is
widely known, has a variety of different separate channels
and is aimed partially t younger people with who we feel we
could attract easily. Saying this, I still feel our documentary
will be suitable for an older audience as body confidence
issues can occur on any ages.