The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a British public service broadcaster headquartered in London, plans to spend $44 million over the next three years to create original programs for children.
The broadcaster is looking to attract young audiences who currently are spending more time on Netflix, Facebook, Amazon, CNBC reported.
In addition, the British broadcaster is planning to boost its interactive content library to allow young viewers to “create, connect and share”.
According to CNBC, the investment plans and other proposals were included in the organization’s annual plan.
“In terms of our ambitions, the plan talks about reinventing the BBC for a new generation,” the BBC said.
“It makes clear that the BBC’s historic mission – to inform, educate and entertain – remains unchanged but that with the BBC facing competition from other U.K. broadcasters and global media giants like Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix, and young people, in particular, consuming media in different ways, the BBC will need to achieve it in different ways,” the broadcaster said, quoted by CNBC.
More and more teenagers are skipping live television and are moving toward Netflix and other streaming and video services including YouTube, which is a popular video site among teenagers.
YouTube reaches an estimated 70% of 6 to 12-year-olds, according to BBC, which also noted that it saw a significant fall in the time kids spend watching traditional linear children’s channels.
BBC plans to create a connected, multi-platform offer to supplement its traditional linear children’s channels.
“Our audience is rapidly changing and now more than ever we need to keep up,” the BBC’s Children’s Director Alice Webb was quoted as saying by CNBC.
“We’re home to the most popular kids’ TV channels in the U.K., but as our audience increasingly move(s) online it’s our job to stay relevant, inspiring and engaging them on whichever platform they choose,” Webb added.