The BBC's children's programming chief, Patricia Hidalgo, has slammed rival broadcasters for an alarming decline in shows aimed at younger audiences. The sector is under strain due to a 40% drop in investment from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, falling below £80 million over 14 years to 2024. This has led to a halving of original content to less than 400 hours during the same period. British children's content is at risk, Hidalgo warns. Domestic commissioning has declined, global players are not investing in UK stories for UK kids, and production companies face growing pressure. Without action, the next generation may grow up without culturally rich, educationally valuable, and imaginative content they deserve. Shows like Newsround also tackle misinformation and fake news. Patricia Hidalgo Reina is the BBC's director of children's and education. The BBC is the UK's most significant commissioner of original children's content, with shows like Hey Duggee, Horrible Histories, and The Famous Five generating over 2 billion iPlayer streams last year. However, rivals are accused of neglecting younger audiences. Channel 4 hasn't commissioned a children's show in decades, ITV has closed its children's channel and stopped commissioning, and Channel 5's output is smaller than the BBC's, serving only the preschool segment. With other UK broadcasters like Sky cutting commissions, there's an alarming decline in UK-made children's TV. While video-sharing platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+ dominate younger audiences, they're criticized for lacking British stories. The US giants produce only 12 hours of children's TV content in the UK annually, according to Ofcom. Streamers prioritize retention over acquisition, Hidalgo explains, potentially neglecting investment in children's content. She calls for enhanced tax credits and shared responsibility from businesses targeting children's audiences. Producers and experts agree that children's programming has suffered disproportionate cuts while the BBC grapples with inflation and declining license fee income. The BBC once spent more on children's content and could do so again, it's a choice, says one producer. He advocates for a 5.45% allocation of the BBC's total first-run UK-originated spend to children's programming, which accounts for 19% of the population. A £40 million contestable children's programming fund, funded by the government or a levy, is also proposed. Social media giants are urged to prioritize the BBC's children's content, as their algorithms favor attention-grabbing, fast-paced content over educationally valuable programming.
