This document discusses different UK television channels and their target audiences. Public service broadcasters like the BBC have a mandate to inform, educate and entertain across different genres. BBC One targets mainstream audiences while BBC Two focuses on more affluent, educated viewers. BBC Three targets 16-34 year olds with sensitive topics. ITV invests heavily in content and focuses on entertainment, reality, and soaps. Channel 4 commissions UK content and supports new talent while challenging views. It targets a range of audiences with documentaries after watershed. The document outlines the target audiences and programming of various other channels.

1. Research into
different channels
and target audience.

2. Public Service
Broadcasting
• A channel that has to provide a series of things to
the audience including:
• News
• Factual information
• Drama
• Film
• Popular mainstream entertainment
• PSB channels include all the BBC channels, ITV,
Channel 4 and Channel 5.

3. What is the BBC?
• Independent from government and commercial
factors and is funded by license fee rather than
advertising.
• Non commercial (profit making) treats the
audience as ‘citizen rather than consumers’.

4. BBC TWO is for the more
affluent, elite and educated
audience that has specialist
interests such as gardeners e.g.
‘To enrich people's lives with
programmes and services that
inform, educate and entertain.’
BBC ONE is for the mainstream
audience that appeals to
masses and also directly
competes with ITV.
The story of the Jews – BBC Two –
9pm Sunday - Religious with
personal interviews with emotion
about the Holocaust. More for
people interested in History

5. BBC FOUR is more for the older
generation as it shows
programmes with specific taste in
topics.
BBC Four – 50s Britannia – 9pm
Friday – Looking at the music in
the 1950s and following the stars
now in their 70s.
BBC THREE is more for the
younger audience range 16-34
year olds as it features
programmes with sensitive topics.
Sun, sex and suspicious parents –
BBC Three – 9pm – young
audience, with sensitive topics.
Secret voices of Hollywood – BBC
Four – Factual for the older
audience as includes many clips
from old movies such as the first
black and white movies made.

6. ITV 2 targets 16-34 year olds with
entertainment programmes. It also
offers support to ITV by repeating
programmes.
Largest commercial channel in
the country and invests £1 billion
into content for it’s broadcast
annually.
ITV is best for it’s
entertainment, reality shows, fly on
the wall documentaries and
especially it’s drama. Soaps are
important for this channel such as
Emmerdale and Coronation
Street.
Celebrity Juice – Thursday 10pm –
Involves comedy surrounded by
sensitive topics that the older
generation may find offensive.

7. ‘ITV4 is a sport-led, entertainment
channel for men.’
Storage Wars – Saturday – 6.00pm
‘ITV3 is the home of quality
drama and has grown to be
the second biggest digital
channel in the UK.’
Heartbeat – Weekdays –
5.55pm
Murder, She Wrote –
Weekdays - 7.00pm
Law and Order : UK –
Weekdays – 11.00pm
Also offers various action films
stereotypically aimed at men.

8. What is Channel 4?
• Required to commission from the UK only.
• Makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for
the licensed public service channels to include
programmes of an educational nature and other
programmes of educative value.- Remit
• Support the development of people with creative talent,
in particular people involved in the film industry and at
the start of their careers
• Support and stimulate well-informed debate on a wide
range of issues, including by providing access to
information and views from around the world and by
challenging established views;
Promote alternative views and new perspectives,

9. 4seven tends to follow the structure of
BBC 2 in that is for more minority
audiences with a specific taste.
Grand Designs and
Location, Location, Location.
Four seven also don’t have many
documentaries.
Channel 4 follows the Public
Service Broadcasting as has news.
Generally mainstream
programmes that will appeal to a
range of audiences.
Has a range of documentaries on
after the water shed such as ‘My
tattoo addiction’ and ‘porn on the
brain’.

10. This is similar to 4seven and tends to
mirror what that shows.
It offers repeats and also aims at
specialised audience with the
occasional film such as the time
travellers wife.
This is more for the younger
generation with comedy
playing a big part. They mainly
show series programmes such
as The Big Bang Theory, How I
met your mother and the
Simpsons.
They also show series
programmes that are aimed at
a younger audience such
90201, New girl, Hollyoaks.

11. News and current affairs;
Factual
entertainment, Features and
Entertainment;
Acquisitions, children’s
programming.
Documentaries include Fat for
cash, Countdown to murder
which are aimed at an older
generation.
‘5* is Channel 5's young, 16-34
general entertainment channel.
Fun, optimistic and
aspirational, 5* is enthusiastic
and relevant with its mix of
drama, comedy, films and
entertainment. 5* programming
mix includes both acquired and
original commissioned series.’
Home and Away
Born to kill?
Neighbours

12. MTV is very music and reality TV
based with shows such as Teen
Mom, Geordie Shore, The Valleys
and Catfish.
‘5USA is the UK's original and
best US only scripted content
channel. Bringing a scheduled
packed to the rafters with
America's biggest, glossiest and
most popular dramas including
CSI, NCIS, and some of its
highest critically acclaimed
pieces such as Justified, Sons of
Anarchy and Breaking Bad. It
truly is the best of the US.’

13. Mainly aimed at Woman but also
shared viewing with their
partners.
‘Main entertainment channel
for all ages designed to bring
joy in a tough world. Broad,
mainstream and modern
programming with a twist.’
Has programmes such as:
The Middle
Glee
An idiot abroad
NCIS
Four weddings
Nothing to declare

14. What channel have we
chosen?
• We have chosen to feature our documentary on
BBC Three as it is aimed at 16-34 year olds which we
want to aim our documentary at as Social
Networking is more relevant and relatable to that
age range.
• There is an existing documentary on Social Network
on BBC Three ‘The Anti-Social Network – BBC Three
9pm.’
• We think it will be best on this channel as all of the
BBC channels Provide the Public Broadcasting
Service.

15. What is our target
audience?
• Our target audience is the younger generation
about mid teens – late 30’s.
• We think they would be more interested in Social
Networking and the advantages / disadvantages
that it brings.
• We also discuss the advantages to businesses and
therefore the younger generation would find this
more appealing as they are more likely to be
starting their own business.