Campaign History

Save Kids’ TV has been busy persuading people in power that the quality and range of children’s screen-based media matter, that funding needs to be found to replace the commercial revenue which has been lost, and a mechanism needs to be put in place as a matter of urgency for the efficient distribution of the funds and the content.

We also support the positions of partner organisations such as PACT AND UK Animation, lobbying for tax incentives for British animation production and a level playing-field with competitor territories in the incentivisation of production of children’s content in the UK.

September 2006 – Save Kids’ TV was created, out of concerns expressed by academics and media industry figures at the Showcomotion Children’s Media Conference as ITV closed its kids’ production arm and decreased output on ITV1. At this time new regulations on advertising foods high in salt, sugar and fat significantly further decreased advertising revenues around children’s content for the UK’s commercial broadcasters.
2006-07 – Save Kids’ TV campaigned successfully for the crisis to be recognised. As a result Ofcom reviewedf children’s broadcasting earlier than planned, which resulted in the October 2007 Ofcom report. Their research identified huge problems facing the UK children’ production industry and revealed that the British public are concerned about the decline in viewing choice for their kids. Ofcom reported that as little as 1% of the newly made children’s programmes seen by British kids are made in the UK. The rest are imports or repeats.
December 2007 – In response, Save Kids’ TV drew up the frist draft of a comprehensive plan to ensure children’s media continues to be funded into the future – an alternative to the BBC, guaranteeing plurality and choice.
April 2008 – Ofcom’s Second Public Service Broadcasting Review recognised that children’s is the “canary in the coalmine” for all the other PSB genres. They pointed out that Digital switch-over will bring a completely new regulatory environment in which it would be very difficult to force any commercial broadcaster to stick with their public service commitments. In response, SKTV re-submited the previous proposal for a funded online delivery service with commissioning powers, but also social, interactive and participatory elements to engage UK kids.

January 2009 – Ofcom issued its final report on the future of public service content including recommendations to Government. There were references to the SKTV proposal and to the need to ensure continued provision for children, but the language used around the children’s issue was not definitive.
Early 2009 – The Digital Britain review at the DCMS explored every aspect of the future of media and telecoms. The interim report stressed the need for plurality in children’s content provision. Save Kids’ TV was encouraged by the DCMS to submit a more defined version of our original service proposition.
April 2009 – SKTV submitted a fuller proposal for an alternative public-funded children’s service to the DCMS, while also supporting the concept that Channel 4 should take on services for children aged 10+. SKTV lobbied for the children’s service to be included in the Digital Economy Bill, but the Government focused on Channel 4 and using parts of the BBC Licence fee (the so called “digital dividend”) to fund regional news services instead.
January 2010 – The issue was revived in the House of Lords Select Committee on Communications Report “The British Film and Television Industries – Decline or Opportunity?” which re-identified the 51% decrease in originated children’s programming being produced in the UK. The report also quoted Colette Bowe, Chair of Ofcom: “we are sleepwalking into a situation where we do not have UK-generated content of a high quality for our kids. I believe that would be a very bad outcome.”
March 2010 – An industry round-table with experts from various sectors of children’s media and officials and politicians with an interest in the campaign, took place in March 2010 and once again figures as diverse as Anne Wood, Tony Robinson, Floella Benjamin and key producers reiterated the crisis-situation faced by the children’s content industry.
March 2010 – In the run-up to the General Election SKTV met key politicians from all three main parties to persuade them to back additional provision for children’s media. The Digital Economy Bill was in the process of dismemberment by the “washup” – a process which moves legislation through Parliament on agreement between the Parties in the last weeks of any government. The Conservatives had rejected the proposal for the use of the “digital dividend” to produce regional news. At a meeting between SKTV and Ben Bradshaw, the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Minister committed to including children’s content as one of the recipients of “digital dividend” funding when the future Labour Government would revive the Digital Economy Bill. The rest, as they say, is history…
October 2010 – SKTV attended all three Party Conferences and lobbied extensively in support of an all-party Parliamentary group and built general awareness. Meetings with the Lib-dem Culture spokesperson and Broadcasting Minister Ed Vaizey were the result.
Jan-June 2011 SKTV created the first All Party Parliamentary Group on Children’s Media and the Arts, chaired by Baroness Benjamin, Vice-chairs, Lisa Nandy MP and Tom Watson MP. The inaugural meeting took place in the House of Lords in June 2011.
April 2011 SKTV met Broadcasting Minister Ed Vaizey and presented a report, commissioned by SKTV, on the advantages given to children’s programme-makers in competitor territories. The report, researched by Oxford academic researcher, Jack Blumenau, is available for download. While Viazey was clear that public funding was not available for the SKTV “alternative commissioner” proposal – he showed interest in other routes to funding , and saw the need for support for UK kids culture.