Industry contexts: the BBC and public service broadcasting

1) What is the BBC's mission statement?

The BBC's mission statement is to inform, educate and entertain.

2) How is the BBC funded?

The BBC is funded by the TV licence, which costs £159 a year, and is paid by the households that watches live broadcast TV or iPlayer. 

3) What must the BBC do to meet its public service broadcasting responsibilities? (Look at the five bullet points above)

• To provide information (that is supposed to be balanced)
• To support learning for people of all ages
• To produce creative output
• To have diverse content (such as with its representations)
• To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world

4) What is regulation and how is the BBC regulated? You can find details on this in the notes above. 

Regulation is a rule or directive made and maintained by an authority. The BBC is regulated by OfCOM which oversees all media channels.

5) How do Doctor Who and His Dark Materials help the BBC to meet the BBC's remit to inform, educate and entertain?

Both shows can be streamed on BBC iPlayer which entertains those who are interested in the shows.

Grade 8/9 extension questions

Read this Wired feature on how the BBC is adapting to take on Netflix. What does the article suggest the BBC needs to do to remain relevant in a streaming TV age?

How does His Dark Materials help the BBC to take on the big streaming rivals like Netflix and Amazon?