Diversity and equal opportunities in television
This is our third diversity in television broadcasting report (PDF, 2.4 MB).
The summary report presents our key findings across the main five television broadcasters that Ofcom regulates. Further information on the main five broadcasters and a further five major broadcasters can be found in the in-focus report (PDF, 1.5 MB), with an accompanying slide-pack (PDF, 2.2 MB) on the UK-based television industry. This year, broadcasters' activities that relate to on-screen work and the wider production sector will be reflected in a new freelancers report (PDF, 1.4 MB). All data is for the period of April 2018 to March 2019. We published a separate report on radio in July 2019.
Ofcom has a duty to promote equality of opportunity in relation to employment in the broadcasting sector. We can ask broadcasters to provide information about their equal opportunities policies and the make-up of their workforce.
Like last year, we required broadcasters to provide data on the three protected characteristics where we have powers to do so: gender, racial group and disability. We have also requested information on other protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010: age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment.
This year we also asked broadcasters to provide data on social mobility/social and economic diversity.
Diversity and equal opportunities in television: 2019 report
This summary report focuses on the diversity of the main five UK broadcasters: the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky and Viacom. We compare them, by characteristic, to UK labour workforce averages and the wider UK-based TV broadcasting industry and highlight some of their key initiatives.
Diversity and equal opportunities in television: 2019 report (PDF, 2.4 MB)
Amrywiaeth a chyfle cyfartal yn y diwydiant teledu 2019 (PDF, 831.3 KB)
Video
Two members of our Diversity Advisory Panel, the film/TV critic and columnist Ellen E Jones, and the actor, writer and producer David Proud, shared insights on diversity and equal opportunities, based on their experiences as professionals working in the television industry.
Ellen E Jones – film/TV critic and columnist
David Proud – actor, writer and producer
In-focus report
Our in-focus report provides detailed analysis across each of the main five and includes a more comprehensive write-up of the initiatives and strategies they have implemented to tackle under-representation. It also provides similar analysis for a further five major broadcasters.
In-focus report on ten major broadcasters (PDF, 1.5 MB)
UK broadcasting industry slide pack
This series of slides gives the profile of UK-based employees working for UK-licenced broadcasters in 2018/19.
UK broadcasting industry slide pack (PDF, 2.2 MB)
Ofcom's first report on the diversity of freelancers in the television industry
Our diversity of freelancers report draws together the available diversity data on freelancers working in UK television. It also includes reflections from freelancers on how initiatives aimed at improving diversity have impacted their careers.
Diversity in UK television: freelancers (PDF, 1.4 MB)
Methodology
This section outlines the methodology used in carrying out the data collection. All elements of the survey including questionnaire design, fieldwork and analysis were conducted in-house by Ofcom’s market research team.
This is our second diversity in television broadcasting report (PDF, 4.8 MB).
The summary report presents our key findings across the main five television broadcasters that Ofcom regulates. Further information on the main five broadcasters can be found in the in-focus report (PDF, 1.2 MB) and a third report sets out our findings from the total television industry (PDF, 1.9 MB). All data is for the period of April 2017 to March 2018. We published a separate report on radio in June 2018.
Ofcom has a duty to promote equality of opportunity in relation to employment in the broadcast sector. We can ask broadcasters to provide information about their equal opportunities policies and the make-up of their workforce.
Like last year, we required broadcasters to provide data on the three protected characteristics where we have powers to do so: gender; racial group; and disability. In addition, we have requested information on other protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010: age; sexual orientation; religion
or belief; pregnancy and maternity; and gender reassignment.
This year we also asked broadcasters to tell us about the work they have been doing around social mobility/social and economic diversity.
Diversity and equal opportunities in television 2018 report
This summary report focuses on the diversity of the main five UK broadcasters: the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky and Viacom. We compare them, by characteristic, to UK labour workforce averages and the wider UK-based TV broadcasting industry and highlight some of their key initiatives.
Diversity and equal opportunities in television 2018 report (PDF, 4.8 MB)
Amrywiaeth a chyfle cyfartal yn y diwydiant teledu 2018 (PDF, 1.4 MB)
Video
Ofcom asked the leaders of the five main broadcasters, and the people working there, for their reflections on diversity and equality in the UK television industry.
In-focus report and broadcaster interviews
Our in-focus report provides detailed analysis across each of the main five and includes a more comprehensive write-up of the initiatives and strategies they have implemented to tackle under-representation.
In-focus report on the main five broadcasters (PDF, 1.2 MB)
We asked senior leaders at the main five broadcasters why diversity is important across the TV industry.
Tony Hall, Director General, BBC
Alex Mahon, CEO, Channel 4
Carolyn McCall, CEO, ITV
Stephen van Rooyen, CEO, Sky UK and Ireland
James Currell, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Viacom UK
UK broadcasting industry report
This report looks at the profile of UK and international based employees working for UK licensed broadcasters in 2017/18.
UK broadcasting industry report (PDF, 1.9 MB)
Methodology
This section outlines the methodology used in carrying out the data collection. All elements of the survey including questionnaire design, fieldwork and analysis were conducted in-house by Ofcom’s market research team.
This is the first report from Ofcom’s new, annual Diversity in Broadcasting monitoring programme, which will reveal how well broadcasters are promoting equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion in employment.
This report presents our main findings across the UK-based television broadcasters that Ofcom regulates. It does not include radio, as we will begin a similar exercise across the radio industry later this year.
We have required broadcasters to provide data on the three characteristics where we have powers to do so: gender, racial group, and disability. In addition, we have requested data on other ‘protected characteristics’ in the Equality Act 20104: age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment.
Our report focuses on the main five UK broadcasters: the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky and Viacom. The report examines diversity across job roles, job levels, completion of training and development, promotions, joiners and leavers.
Report
Diversity and equal opportunities in television 2017 report (PDF, 2.2 MB)
Total industry report
This document looks at the profile of broadcasters across the total UK television industry in 2016. We required broadcasters to complete an information request by questionnaire.
Total television industry (PDF, 2.7 MB)
UK-based broadcasters report
This document provides more in-depth analysis across the UK-based television broadcasters who had 98% or more of their employees based in the UK in 2016. We required all television broadcasters with an Ofcom licence, the BBC and S4C to complete a questionnaire providing us with data on the make-up of their workforce across the three protected characteristics where we have powers to do so: gender, racial group, and disability. In addition, we requested data on other protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010: age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment.
UK-based television industry (PDF, 2.9 MB)
Y diwydiant teledu yn y DU (PDF, 1.2 MB)
Methodology
This section outlines the methodology used in carrying out the data collection. All elements of the survey including questionnaire design, fieldwork and analysis were conducted in-house by Ofcom’s market research team.
Steps taken by broadcasters to promote equal opportunities
This document summarises some of the key findings from the television broadcasters’ arrangements for promoting equal opportunities. It does not seek to cover all the information that broadcasters provided to us, and they may have more measures in place than they have shared with Ofcom, but instead focuses on the types of initiatives in place and examples of their use.
Steps taken by broadcasters to promote equal opportunities (PDF, 514.9 KB)