BBC Wales Commissioning Round Spring 2009 Some Key Audience Insights

45 – 64 age group is key target BBC Wales needs to target slightly younger audience Mainly those in 40’s & 50’s Some series aim younger High appeal to 45 – 64s leads to higher audience overall Series that attract mainly over 65s Do not have higher audience overall Add little to overall BBC Wales TV reach Older people watch most television Twice as much as children

Each episode needs a narrative Need clear narrative within each episode to engage viewer Audiences can leave a programme very quickly Give them compelling reasons to stay Don’t assume viewers have seen previous episode Even in drama only half of viewers have done so Audience retention is a real challenge for other genres Very few will see all six episodes of an average series

Audiences rely on signposting We need to tell audience what is coming up Within a programme And across the schedule Is there something newsworthy within the programme Programmes might get additional news coverage To maximise benefit we need plenty of notice

Aim for high impact series BBC1 series will have greatest impact on reach Most effective place to reach new viewers Coal House / Coal House at War Success amongst 25 – 44s Focus on a 3 week period / 3 nights a week Had a notable impact on reach Hospital 24/7 4 nights in a row Engaged the audience A strong narrative within each episode