The Changing Production Ecology of Pre-school Television in Britain
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Westminster
Department Name: Faculty of Media Arts and Design
Abstract
This project investigates the changing production ecology of UK preschool TV in the light of developments since the mid-1990s, a period that coincides with the international success of programmes like Teletubbies and Bob the Builder. Drawing on interviews with producers, commissioners and buyers combined with observations in a range of production environments, the research seeks to articulate and establish the complex internal and external factors that determine preschool production. It will show how key players manage/creatively negotiate these wider commercial, regulatory, cultural and technological forces and the implications for content.
This research is timely in view of the UK's recent international successes in preschool and the emergence of domestic (CBeebies) and internationally branded preschool channels (Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney). Government and industry reports regularly identify preschool TV as an important contributor to exports, and international success has foregrounded the growth of key players (Chorion, Entertainment Rights, HIT Entertainment) who generate substantial revenues from programme-related products. Yet the project's timing also coincides with a perceived crisis in children's TV following a ban on advertising for HFSS (high fat sugar salt) foods around programming targeted at children, and the reduced commitment of ITV to commissioning content and transmitting children's shows on its terrestrial service ITV 1. This contrast between international success and domestic crisis provides a compelling rationale for further investigation.
However, although preschool TV has been identified as a fruitful source of inquiry, there has been no recent analysis of UK preschool TV and the practices and forces that shape its development, in contrast to work on children's TV generally and substantial effects literature. Within the broader setting of cultural production this research asks the following:
- How, why and to what extent has the production ecology of preschool TV changed since the mid-1990s?
- What range of forces shape and affect the organisation and production of preschool TV?
- How do programme-makers and those involved in the commissioning/acquisition of preschool content manage/creatively negotiate the wider commercial, cultural, regulatory and technological forces that affect production?
- How does this combination of external forces and internal strategies impact the nature of what is produced?
To meet the project's aims the research will satisfy the following objectives:
- A contextualisation of preschool tv with reference to its history, structure, institutional relationships, working operations, professional practices and place within a changing international market
- The identification of trends in respect of policy, content, commissioning, scheduling, channel provision, and organisational change.
- An overview, identification and assessment of key players and their strategies including broadcasters, satellite channels, production companies and international partners.
- An overview of export and ancillary markets (DVD, consumer products) and their impact on production strategies.
- An analysis of programme samples produced and broadcast since 1995 to understand how changes in ecology are reflected in programme content
- An assessment of the future of preschool in view of technological change and the emergence of new media platforms.
By placing the changing relationships and dependencies that constitute the changing production ecology at the heart of the analysis, the research contributes to a more rounded picture of preschool TV. The publication of the monograph Little Kids TV: The Changing Production Ecology of preschool TV for Palgrave Macmillan will benefit those within academia and the production community who wish to better understand how preschool concepts are generated, adapted, produced and exploited to meet a complex set of market and cultural priorities.
This research is timely in view of the UK's recent international successes in preschool and the emergence of domestic (CBeebies) and internationally branded preschool channels (Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney). Government and industry reports regularly identify preschool TV as an important contributor to exports, and international success has foregrounded the growth of key players (Chorion, Entertainment Rights, HIT Entertainment) who generate substantial revenues from programme-related products. Yet the project's timing also coincides with a perceived crisis in children's TV following a ban on advertising for HFSS (high fat sugar salt) foods around programming targeted at children, and the reduced commitment of ITV to commissioning content and transmitting children's shows on its terrestrial service ITV 1. This contrast between international success and domestic crisis provides a compelling rationale for further investigation.
However, although preschool TV has been identified as a fruitful source of inquiry, there has been no recent analysis of UK preschool TV and the practices and forces that shape its development, in contrast to work on children's TV generally and substantial effects literature. Within the broader setting of cultural production this research asks the following:
- How, why and to what extent has the production ecology of preschool TV changed since the mid-1990s?
- What range of forces shape and affect the organisation and production of preschool TV?
- How do programme-makers and those involved in the commissioning/acquisition of preschool content manage/creatively negotiate the wider commercial, cultural, regulatory and technological forces that affect production?
- How does this combination of external forces and internal strategies impact the nature of what is produced?
To meet the project's aims the research will satisfy the following objectives:
- A contextualisation of preschool tv with reference to its history, structure, institutional relationships, working operations, professional practices and place within a changing international market
- The identification of trends in respect of policy, content, commissioning, scheduling, channel provision, and organisational change.
- An overview, identification and assessment of key players and their strategies including broadcasters, satellite channels, production companies and international partners.
- An overview of export and ancillary markets (DVD, consumer products) and their impact on production strategies.
- An analysis of programme samples produced and broadcast since 1995 to understand how changes in ecology are reflected in programme content
- An assessment of the future of preschool in view of technological change and the emergence of new media platforms.
By placing the changing relationships and dependencies that constitute the changing production ecology at the heart of the analysis, the research contributes to a more rounded picture of preschool TV. The publication of the monograph Little Kids TV: The Changing Production Ecology of preschool TV for Palgrave Macmillan will benefit those within academia and the production community who wish to better understand how preschool concepts are generated, adapted, produced and exploited to meet a complex set of market and cultural priorities.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Jeanette Steemers (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Alessandro D'Arma And Jeanette Steemers
(2010)
The Public in Public Service Media
D'Arma A
(2010)
Reinventing Public Service Communication
D'Arma A
(2009)
Review of Ofcom policy investigation: "The future of children's television programming"
in Cultural Trends
D'Arma A
(2012)
Localisation Strategies of US-owned Children's Television Networks in Five European Markets
in Journal of Children and Media
J.Steemers
(2013)
The Children's Media Yearbook 2013
J.Steemers
(2013)
Children's TV and the Rise and Fall of Preschool Producers'
in Critical Studies in Television
Jeanette Steemers (Author)
(2009)
The thin line between market and quality: Balancing quality and commerce in preschool television
in Televizion
Steemers J
(2010)
The "Canary in the Coalmine": The Recession and the Crisis in the Production of British Children's Television Programming
in Popular Communication
Steemers J
(2009)
The BBC's Role in the Changing Production Ecology of Preschool Television in Britain
in Television & New Media
Steemers J
(2012)
Evaluating and regulating the role of public broadcasters in the children's media ecology: The case of home-grown television content
in International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics
| Description | This project investigated the changing production ecology of UK preschool TV in the light of developments since the mid- 1990s, a period that coincided with the international success of programmes like Teletubbies and Bob the Builder and the expansion of preschool provision by both UK and US suppliers. Drawing on interviews with producers, commissioners, buyers, licensing executives and other funders combined with observations in a range of production environments, the research articulates and establishes the complex internal and external factors that determine preschool production. It shows how key players manage and creatively negotiate these wider commercial, regulatory, cultural and technological forces and the implications for content. The main outcome of the research is a book "Creating Preschool Television: A Story of Commerce, Creativity and Curriculum" for Palgrave Macmillan which provides a comprehensive overview of how preschool concepts are generated, adapted, produced and exploited to meet a complex set of domestic, international and cultural priorities. The book is timely in view of Britain's international successes in preschool and the emergence of domestic (CBeebies) and internationally branded preschool blocks and channels (Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney). It is also important for placing British achievements in preschool production against US practices, where there is much greater focus on integrating educational content, but traditionally less emphasis on regulatory interventions to secure the public interest in children's programming. Although preschool TV has been identified as a fruitful source of inquiry, there has been no recent analysis of British AH/G003572/1 Page 2 of 18 Date printed: 17/07/2009 10:36:12 Date saved: 17/07/2009 10:35:17 ? preschool TV and the practices and forces that shape its development, in contrast to work on children's TV generally and a substantial literature on effects. Within the broader setting of cultural production this research and the resulting book has tackled the following questions: - How, why and to what extent has the production ecology of preschool TV changed since the mid-1990s? - What range of forces shape and affect the organisation and production of preschool TV? - How do programme-makers and those involved in the commissioning/acquisition of preschool content manage and creatively negotiate the wider commercial, cultural, regulatory and technological forces that affect production? - How does this combination of external forces and internal strategies impact the nature of what is produced? To meet the project's aims the research satisfied the following objectives: - A contextualisation of preschool television with reference to its history, structure, institutional relationships, working operations, professional practices and place within a changing international market. Particular emphasis was placed on comparing production cultures in Britain and the US, two key sources of preschool programming. - The identification of trends in respect of policy, content, commissioning, scheduling, channel provision, and organisational change. Particular emphasis was placed on the perceived crisis in children's television funding. - An overview, identification and assessment of key players and their strategies including broadcasters (e.g Nick Jr, CBeebies, Five) and production companies (e.g. HIT Entertainment, Chorion). - An overview of export and ancillary markets (DVD, consumer products) and their impact on production strategies. - An analysis of programme samples produced and broadcast since 1995 to understand how changes in ecology are reflected in programme content - An assessment of the future of preschool in view of technological change and the emergence of new media platforms. By placing the changing relationships and dependencies that constitute the changing production ecology at the heart of the analysis, the resulting book contributes to a more rounded picture of preschool TV in both its domestic and international contexts. AIMS 1.To complete the main outcome of the AHRC-funded research project,'The Production Ecology of Preschool Television in Britain'(ID 119149). This is a book 'Creating Preschool Television'(Previously 'Little Kids TV')for Palgrave Macmillan. This was delivered in July 2009. 2.Dissemination of Findings Alongside the book, targets have been exceeded with 3 book chapters, 3 articles, blog contributions and conference presentations. Major highlights included my inaugural lecture in December 2008 and a conference presentation at RIPE 2008 in November 2008 in Germany, which provided an opportunity to present the research to industry practitioners as well as academic colleagues. OBJECTIVES 1.To provide a contextualization of UK preschool TV with reference to its history, structure, working operations, AH/G003572/1 Page 4 of 18 Date printed: 17/07/2009 10:36:12 Date saved: 17/07/2009 10:35:17 ? professional practices and place within a changing global marketplace. The history of preschool TV was mapped out from secondary sources including the trade press, academic and practitioner accounts. With very little written about the working operations, professional practices and international performance of British preschool TV, the project relied largely on 88 interviews and observation evidence combined with theoretical analysis of production cultures and global markets. In the book these findings have been outlined in: Ch. 1 Understanding Preschool Television as a Production ecology Ch. 2 Safe at Home: The Origins of Preschool Television as a Public Service Project. Ch. 3 Growing Up: The Rise of the Global Market in Preschool Programming Ch. 4 Broadcaster Perspectives on Preschool Production 2.The identification of significant trends in respect of policy, content, scheduling, channel provision and organisational change. Policy trends were identified through policy analysis, through observation of industry debates as well as interviews with Ofcom and advocacy group ((Save Kids TV) representatives. Channel provision and scheduling practices were pinpointed with schedule analysis, together with observations of channel branding practices as well as interviews. Selected programmes were analysed with regard to aesthetic value, assumptions about the audience, and the extent to which programming aligned with commercial/educational considerations. In the book these findings have been outlined in: Ch.4 Broadcaster Perspectives on Preschool Production Ch6 Production Preliminaries - Development and Research Ch 7 Production Checklists, Rules and Assumptions Ch 8 In Production Ch 10 Policy Interventions and the Crisis in Children's Television 3.An overview and identification of key players in the marketplace. Profiles of broadcasters, distributors and producers based on interviews, company reports and trade press sources were compiled for Ch.4 (Broadcaster Perspectives on Preschool Production) and Ch.5 (Players in Rights Management and Production). 4.An overview of key export and ancillary markets (home entertainment, consumer products) and their impact on production strategies. In the book these findings have been outlined in: Ch.9 Spinning off Profits: Ancillary Exploitation and the Power of Retail Ch.3 Growing Up: The Rise of the Global Market in Preschool Programming. 5.An analysis of selected programmes produced and broadcast since 1995. This was achieved through textual analysis and interviews.Findings are outlined in chapters dealing specifically with production practices (Chs.6,7 & 8 - see above) as well as Ch.11 (The Bigger Picture: Preschool Children's TV in its Critical and Aesthetic contexts). 6.An assessment of the future of preschool TV in view of technological change. This is reflected throughout the book based on documentary and interview evidence and also in Ch.12 (Future Outlook). The impact of multiplatform developments in the preschool market is also addressed in a chapter for the edited volume 'Television and Digital Media'(eds. J. Bennett & N. Strange). An additional achievement was the further investigation of policy developments on children's television in general, which went beyond the focus on preschool television. This research has been inspired by ongoing developments in British children's television which have provoked a crisis in provision and funding. This opened up further investigations into how this 'crisis' was dealt with in other countries. The fruits of this work are reflected in two book chapters. 'Public Service Media and Children: Serving the Digital Citizens of the Future' (Authored by J. Steemers and A. D'Arma) for the edited collection 'Reinventing Public Service Communication: European Broadcasting and Beyond' (editor Petros Iosifides) for Palgrave Macmillan. 'Serving Children in Public Service Media' (Authored by A. D'Arma, G. Enli and J. Steemers) for the edited collection 'The Public in Public Service media' (editors Greg Lowe and Gregor Daschmann) for Nordicom. The project is important in advancing knowledge and understanding in the subject area, because it provides a comprehensive overview of British preschool TV, something which has never been done before. While there is a long- standing and rich seam of research devoted to the impact of tv on young children, especially in terms of cognitive development and educational achievement, we know rather less about the professionals behind these productions or how the institutional and economic context of children's tv affects the nature of what is made. We do know a great deal about the production of some preschool programmes. For example the history and development of 'Sesame Street' in the US has been widely documented since the late 1960s, because when it began it was almost unique in integrating educational content and research into production in ways that could be tested. Similarly more recent productions like 'Blue's Clues' have attracted attention because they incorporate new ways of addressing children and enhancing learning. Yet we know much less about the production circumstances, and motivations behind many other preschool shows, which are not so educationally-driven. We also know little about the assumptions that those who produce, broadcast and market preschool TV make about their audiences and the marketplace in which they operate. This is particularly the case for British shows, which unlike 'Sesame Street', have been driven less by pedagogical goals as by a desire to entertain children or simply to generate revenues for a series' investors. This research adds to the small number of UK preschool TV case studies in edited volumes. In terms of advancing knowledge and understanding the project findings are significant for the following reasons: 1. Through the concept of production ecology it provides an analytical framework to examine preschool tv production, and explain how different actors co-exist, cooperate and compete within the production community. 2. Through the mapping of the different relationships between broadcasters, co-funders, different types of producers, product licensees, retailers and co-producers, it lays bare the extent of co-dependency, competition and collaboration, and the ways and extent to which the diverging or converging motivations of different players impact the range and diversity of preschool originations through a process of negotiation. 3. Building on previous historical and production research it charts the transition of British and US preschool tv into a more commercially-oriented enterprise, which is increasingly dependent on international and ancillary exploitation. 4. Based on extensive interviews and observations, it reveals how production is influenced by a range of internal pressures and external forces - including pressures to align productions with licensed merchandise and international markets, the impact of policy decisions (advertising bans, regulation), and the emergence of new media platforms. This research therefore fills a gap, because it enhances our understanding of preschool tv, by revealing how it is originated, created and marketed by a diverse production community motivated by different goals and priorities. Beyond preschool tv however, the research opens up some interesting questions about the broader institutional settings of production and the tensions that exist between creativity and commerce, between artistry and industry, between organisational constraints and an individual's creative autonomy. By placing the relationships and dependencies that constitute the production ecology at the heart of the analysis, the research contributes to a more rounded picture of Britain's place within the global preschool media market. In particular, the research will be useful to those who wish to understand better how preschool concepts are generated, adapted, produced and exploited to meet a a complex set of market demands and priorities. |
| Exploitation Route | The findings can be used by others in the policy sector and in industry to provide greater understanding of the children's production sector |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | Findings have been used in a variety of policy contexts with stakeholders interested in children's television - Children's Media Foundation, PACT, Ofcom, The Voice of the Listener and Viewer, the BBC |
| First Year Of Impact | 2006 |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | VLV Submission to BBC Trust Review of Children's Services 2013 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | http://www.vlv.org.uk/broadcasting-files/VLV-Response-to-BBC-Trust-Review-of-Children's-Services-and... |
| Description | Witness at House of Lords Select Committee on Communications Inquiry on "BBC Charter Renewal: Public Purposes and License Fee' 27 October 2015. Speaking about Children's television. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201516/ldselect/ldcomuni/96/96.pdf |
| Description | World Summit on Media for Children, Kuala Lumpur, 9-10 September 2014 Pre-conference workshop, 8 September Children's Media at the Core of Public Service Media in a Multiplatform Era |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| URL | http://www.wsmc2014.org/index.php/programme |
| Description | AHRC Digital Transformations REsearch Development Grant |
| Amount | £29,835 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/J01303X/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2012 |
| End | 06/2012 |
| Description | AHRC Research Grant |
| Amount | £424,927 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/1000674/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2013 |
| End | 01/2016 |
| Description | Wallenbergs Foundation |
| Amount | 9,668 kr (SEK) |
| Organisation | Wallenberg Foundations |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | Sweden |
| Start | 01/2013 |
| End | 01/2016 |
| Description | Blog Post Kidsscreen 21 January 2009 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Josh Selig - President of Little Airplane Productions invited me to contribute two posts to his 'Planet Preschool Blog' on the Kidscreen website on January 21 2009 (http://kidscreen.com/2009/01/21/the-steemers-lecture-part-one/) and January 27 2009 (http://kidscreen.com/2009/01/27/). These were based on my inaugural lecture (10 December)'Toyetic and Fun: Are pre-school television shows just "giant toy ads?" The posts advertised my work and some comments were made about them. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| URL | http://kidscreen.com/2009/01/21/the-steemers-lecture-part-one/ |
| Description | Charter Renewal: The Great British Sell Off? Panel at Childrens' Media Conference, Sheffield 3-4th July 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 100 people attended this conference panel about the Licence Fee and the BBC Charter and whether the BBC has the appetite to commit to the children's audience and guarantee increased budgets for their content and services Generated questions and discussion |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.thechildrensmediaconference.com/sessions/charter-renewal-great-british-sell/ |
| Description | Organiser of Industry-Academia Panel Arab Awakenings: New Production Partnerships and Market Opportunities in the Middle East, Children's Media Conference, Sheffield 6-8 July 2011. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We ran the following panel at the Children's Media Conference in Sheffield to find out more about the situation of Children's media production in the Arab world Arab Awakenings: New Production Partnerships and Market Opportunities in the Middle East . 9:30-10:30am Friday 8th July with • Dr. Naif A. Al-Mutawa, CEO, Teshkeel Media Group, Creator of THE 99 (Video Clip Contribution) • Nia Ceidiog, Managing Director of Ceidiog and Producer of Baaas • Teresa Reed, 3Line Media, Executive Producer, Driver Dan's Story Train • Firdaus Kharas, Chairman of Chocolate Moose Media, Executive Producer and Director of Nan and Lili • Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha, Managing Director/Creative Director, Dana Production Company, Jordan, Producer of ALWAN • Howard Myers, Joint Managing Director, Rival Media, Executive Producer, Power Struggle The number of pan-Arab children's TV channels has expanded rapidly since the mid-1990s, serving countries where the proportion of under-18s is almost 50 percent of the total population. With this market growth some broadcasters like Al-Jazeera Children's Channel (JCC) and its preschool outlet Baraem, are actively supporting homegrown production as well as production partnerships with non-Arab programme-makers such as 3Line Media Ceidiog Creations, Chocolate Moose Media, Rival Media and Zodiak. This panel discussed how producers can successfully collaborate with Arab partners to produce quality children's content in the region. It provided insight into the type of content made for the region by Arab, British and non-British programme-makers right now. It explored the cultural and business factors that affect the process of production and content, and examined the type of programming that works for this market including reality, entertainment, information and preschool shows. How do you secure collaboration? What is the best way of working with local programme makers and writers, and how do you go about this? What is to be gained from these initiatives? And what is the best route for building lasting relationships where all parties benefit in a region that is undergoing immense political upheaval and change? The panel gave us more contacts and insight to submit a successful bid to the AHRC for a research project on Children's Television in the Arab World AH/1000674/1 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | Westminster Media Forum - The future of children's media - multi-platform delivery, public service broadcasting and economics 1st May 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Circa 100 industry practitioners attended this event organised by the Westminster Media Forum, which sparked questions and discussion afterwards See above. I presented an invited paper on - The Future of Children's Media - multi-platform delivery, public service broadcasting and economics |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Workshop on Children's Media at the Core of Public Service Media in a Multiplatform Era at the World Summit on Media for Children, Kuala Lumpur, 9-10 September 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 80 industry practitioners attended a workshop organised by Professor Naomi Sakr and Professor Jeanette Steemers on Children's Media at the Core of Public Service Media in a Multiplatform Era in Kuala Lumpur as part of the World Summit on Media for Children, 8 September The Event (Workshop 4) was sponsored by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Alliance / Now Public Media Alliance. We were asked to write a report on the event which has been submitted to the CBA for dissemination among members, and hopefully this will inform CBA/PMA policy on public service media for children |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.wsmc2014.org/index.php/programme |