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Appendix B: Definitions, public service television broadcasting consultation

Consultation published: 21|04|2004
Consultation closes: 15|06|2004

This appendix lists definitions that we asked the broadcasters to adhere to when providing data for this review, whilst recognising that it is sometimes difficult to slot programmes into specific genre, as they may fit in more than one place.

Definitions of genres and sub-genres

The genre and sub-genre definitions listed below are based on the ITC guidance note on programme genre definitions, with some modifications to provide a better match with BARB definitions.

Definitions of main network and regional programming genres

Main genre	Definition
Network programming
NEWS	A Newscast or News bulletin providing network News coverage. News magazines are also included which may contain a range of items related to News stories, with comment and elements of general interest. Separate weather reports and forecasts are also included.
CURRENT AFFAIRS	A programme which contains explanation and analysis of current events and issues, including material dealing with political or industrial controversy or with public policy.Consumer programmes and special events are included under 'General Factual'. Party Political and Election Broadcasts are excluded completely.
ARTS AND CLASSICAL MUSIC	Programmes displaying or presenting a cultural or artistic performance or event, and programmes providing information, comment or critical appraisal of the Arts. The subject matter of Arts programmes cover theatre, classical music, opera, dance, cinema, visual Arts, photography and literature.Performances of popular contemporary music are included with light Entertainment.
CHILDREN'S	Programmes designed for a children's audience - Drama, Entertainment (including children's animation and cartoons), Factual and pre-schools.Schools programmes are included within the education genre.
RELIGIOUS	All forms of religious programming, including coverage of acts of worship, programmes intended to provide religious or spiritual inspiration to viewers through words and/or music, and informational programmes examining topics or issues related to religion, or looking at topics or issues from a religious point of view.
FACTUAL	Includes any form of Factual or documentary programming, including features and coverage of special events, for example parliamentary proceedings, party conferences or coverage of royal events. Hobbies/leisure programmes, consumer programmes and reality shows are also included.Drama documentaries are included in the Drama genre. Documentaries on the Arts, or covering religious topics are included in the Arts or religion genre. Coverage of Sports events areincluded in Sport.
EDUCATION	Programmes with a clear educational purpose, usually backed by specially prepared literature publicised on screen and in other appropriate ways. Also includes social action programmes reflecting social needs and promoting individual or community action; schools programmes and Open University programmes.
DRAMA	Drama productions including Drama series and serials, Soaps, mini-series and single plays, Drama documentaries and TV movies.
FILMS	All feature films that have had a prior theatrical release.TV movies are included in 'Drama: Mini-series and single plays'.
LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC	All Entertainment, including situation comedy, other comedy, chat shows, variety, popular contemporary music, cartoons and animation (except children's cartoons and animation), quiz shows, game shows and family shows.
SPORT	All forms of Sports programming including coverage of a Sporting event; Sports magazines and highlights; and separate Sports News or results programmes covering items or reports about current Sporting events.Sports items within News programmes are shown as News.
REGIONAL PROGRAMMING
REGIONAL NEWS	A Newscast or News bulletin providing News or coverage of regional or local matters for audiences in specific regions of the UK(i.e. not broadcast on the network). News magazines which may contain a range of items related to News stories, with comment and elements of general interest, are also included. Separate regional weather reports and forecasts are included.
REGIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS	A programme which contains explanation and analysis of current events and issues from a regional perspective, including material dealing with political or industrial controversy or with public policy.Consumer programmes and special events are excluded.
OTHER REGIONAL PROGRAMMES	All other programming produced for broadcast in specific regions of the UK, including documentaries, features, other Factual, Entertainment, Arts, social action, religion, Sport and children's programmes.

Programme sub-genres

Main genre	Sub-genre	Definition
FACTUAL	Consumer Affairs	Programmes providing consumer advice (on consumer, health, education, financial or other matters) or warnings on trading standards for consumers.
	Factual Entertainment	Including reality shows, human interest stories and other similar Factual material.
	Hobbies and Leisure	Including gardening, homes, DIY, travel, cookery and other leisure pursuits.
	Serious Factual	Documentaries covering, for example, science and medical issues, nature and wildlife, history and other topics.
	Special Events	All special events (excluding Sports events), such as coverage of parliamentary proceedings, party conferences, royal events.
DRAMA	Series and serials	Other Drama serials and series, including comedy Drama (over 25 minutes slot time), to include programmes such as Casualty and The Bill
	Soaps	Long-running Drama serials.
	Mini-series and single plays	Including single plays, anthologies, two or three-part Dramas, TV movies and Drama documentaries.
LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC	Comedy and sitcoms	All forms of comedy and satire, including sitcoms (usually of 25-30 minutes duration) and broken comedy.Comedy Drama are excluded, and classified as ‘Drama series and serials'.
LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC	Other	All other forms of light Entertainment and contemporary music programmes, including quiz and game shows, family shows, chat shows, variety, cartoons and animation.
CHILDREN'S	Animation	Including cartoons and animation.
	Drama	All forms of Drama programmes for a children's audience.
	Entertainment	Light Entertainment and quizzes.
	Factual	Excluding schools programmes.
	Pre-school	Programmes for the under-5's which have structured educational intentions. Pre-school programmes
EDUCATION	Schools	Programmes for schools.
EDUCATION	Other	All other educational programmes, including BBC Learning Zone and Open University.

Other definitions

First Run programmes

First run programming comprises programmes that have not been transmitted previously on any UK terrestrial television channel. It excludes cross-channel repeats (programmes previously shown on another of the main terrestrial channels) except for simultaneous transmissions, which are included as first run for both channels. Time-shifted simulcasts are excluded for the second and subsequent transmissions.

Repeats

Repeats are programmes that have previously been shown in the same or substantially the same form. Narrative repeats and Omnibus editions of Soaps are counted as repeats. Cross-channel repeats are counted as repeats (except simulcasts which follow the definition above).

Original productions and commissions

Data is based upon the latest draft from DCMS of the Broadcasting (Original Productions) Order 2003, see http://www.communicationsbill.gov.uk/pdf/ media_broadcasting_order.pdf

Original productions or commissions are only counted for the channel on which they are first shown, with the exception of simulcast original productions or commissions, which count as original for both channels.

The definition of 'original production' in this draft includes European works within the meaning of Article 6 of the Television Without Frontiers Directive, and a further category is intended to refer to co-productions to which European producers had made a substantial contribution. For the purposes of the original productions quota, this might rule out from consideration a significant number of co-productions where editorial control was shared amongst a number of co-producers, and where European funding amounted to less than 50%.

Acquisitions

These are all programmes that do not qualify as original productions or commissions. In general, these programmes were originally produced for transmission by a different broadcaster, either in the UK or overseas.

Programme durations and allocations to times of day

Programme durations are based on slot times (and so include relevant advertising and sponsorship breaks, promos and interstitials). So Coronation Street and EastEnders each have a 30-minute duration, for example.

Allocation of programmes to times of day (peak or day-time) - programmes is allocated to the slot in which the majority of the duration falls.

Regional production and regional programmes

Regional production

As a guide to what is classified as regional productions, programmes should generally meet the criteria currently being developed by Ofcom for the regional production quota. This (as currently drafted) stipulates that programmes should meet at least two out of the following three criteria:

(a) the production company must have a substantive business and production base outside the M25. A base will be taken to be substantive if it is the operating base of executives managing the business, of senior personnel involved in the production in question, and of senior personnel involved in seeking programme commissions;

(b) at least 70% of the production budget (excluding the cost of on-screen talent, archive material and copyright costs) must be spent outside the M25; and

(c) at least 50% of the production talent (i.e. not on-screen talent) by cost must be based for business purposes outside the M25. We shall consider as part of the 2004 review whether this percentage should rise over time.

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