Kids panel assessing CBBC shows

From Katherine Rushton for Broadcast (free registration required):

CBBC is using weekly feedback from a panel of 1,000 children to help it measure its shows' success based on value, instead of ratings or share.

The panel, which began piloting in February, uses questions such as "Would you recommend this to your best friend?" to find out which programmes its audience feels most passionate about.

The initiative anticipates the shift away from timetabled broadcasts on linear channels to on-demand platforms such as BBC iPlayer.

Children's controller Richard Deverell predicted that audiences will be more discerning. "As you shift from a linear model to an on-demand model, you will depend more and more on viewers actively seeking content out, instead of just bumping into it.

"Increasingly share doesn't tell you that much. We need to shift the emphasis to value as a key measure of success. [Early feedback shows] only a modest relationship between the size of the audience and the number of people who really, really love those programmes."