News Broadcasting
BBC to cap premium rate for programe phone-ins
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC will introduce a new policy this week to bring greater clarity to audiences in the way programmes which use premium rate phone calls are priced.
From this week, calls to BBC programmes using premium rate telephony are to be capped at 15 pence. The only exception to this will be in programmes directly related to a charity appeal, such as Comic Relief, Children in Need or Restoration.
In these cases, as now, the audience will be given a clear indication that this is happening. The new policy of having just two premium call categories – one capped at 15p for all BBC programmes and the other for any charity appeals – will make it even clearer to audiences what to expect when they interact with BBC programmes in competitions or votes.
At the moment a number of BBC programmes not directly related to a charitable appeal, such as Strictly Come Dancing, take the opportunity to raise a small additional sum for the charities by increasing the call price, usually by 10 pence. This will no longer happen under the new policy.
BBC DG Mark Thompson said, “BBC programmes do not make money from premium rate calls and we’ve always told viewers and listeners the costs of calling to enter competitions or to vote. But I want this to be even clearer.
“In future, audiences can be clear that these calls will be capped at 15 pence unless they are directly related to a charity appeal. I do understand that this will mean that slightly less money will go to the charities as a result of the new policy, but we’re already talking to them about other ways of supporting their work.”
The new policy is part of a range of measures the Corporation, with the approval of the BBC Trust, is to take prior to the return of competitions on the BBC.
A new Code of Conduct (bbc.co.uk/competitionspolicy) was announced last month.
The code is the BBC’s undertaking to its audiences on the running of competitions and voting, and will be widely publicised to the general public.
45 per cent (7,200) of applicable BBC staff have already attended the mandatory training course Safeguarding Trust which was launched in November following concerns over competitions and editorial breaches.
A limited number of competitions will return to the BBC in a phased manner from January 2008, beginning with Goal Of The Month on Match Of The Day on BBC One and Pop Master on the Ken Bruce show on BBC Radio 2.
A range of measures have been put in place prior to the return of competitions.
These include:
All staff involved in the running of a competition must have attended the BBC’s Safeguarding Trust training and the additional training this programme offers in running competitions and voting
A reduction in the number of competitions to be held on BBC programmes
Any proposed competition must have very senior level prior approval
The competition must be supervised by an appropriate editorial figure, and this arrangement must be approved in advance
A senior executive in each BBC Division will advise on any potential issues that may arise from competitions and how approval processes are being bedded down in their division
All use of premium rate phone lines must have the prior approval of the BBC’s Editorial Policy Department
BBC programmes are to make audiences aware of the new Code of Conduct on air.
Thompson adds, “The public pay for the BBC, indeed they own the BBC, and quite rightly they have higher expectations of us than of any other broadcaster. Trust in our integrity, our determination to deal fairly and honestly with our audiences, is the most precious thing the BBC possesses.
“The BBC has followed a policy of confronting problems, disclosing everything and giving the public a clear explanation of what we are doing to get things right. Early indications are that our audiences approve of what we’ve done. After an understandable dip, our ratings for trust are recovering.”
News Broadcasting
News TV viewership jumps 33 per cent as West Asia war draws audiences
BARC Week 8 data shows news share rising to 8 per cent despite T20 World Cup
NEW DELHI:Â Even as individual television news channel ratings remain under a temporary pause, the genre itself is seeing a clear surge in audience attention.
According to the latest data from Broadcast Audience Research Council India, television news recorded a 33 per cent jump in genre share in Week 8 of 2026, covering February 28 to March 6.
The news genre accounted for 8 per cent of total television viewership during the week, up from 6 per cent the previous week. The spike in attention coincided with escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have kept global headlines firmly fixed on West Asia.
The rise is notable because it came at a time when cricket was dominating television screens. The high-stakes stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, including the Super 8 fixtures and semi-finals, were being broadcast during the same period.
Despite the cricket frenzy, viewers appeared to be toggling between sport and global affairs, boosting the overall share of news programming.
The surge in genre share comes even as the government has enforced a one-month pause on publishing ratings for individual news channels. The move followed regulatory scrutiny of the television ratings ecosystem.
While channel-level rankings remain temporarily out of sight, the genre-level data suggests that when global tensions escalate, audiences continue to turn to television news for real-time updates.
