Not a one, nada, zip…
The BBC have issued a statement explaining the reasons why a recent episode of children’s TV show Blue Peter attracted no viewers.
A report in the Daily Mail revealed that, according to figures by BARB (Broadcasters Audience Research Board), a repeat episode that aired at 2.30pm on Tuesday, 13 June, got a zero rating.
The original episode, which aired on 8 June, attracted 53,100 viewers on the BBC’s digital channel, CBBC, now the host broadcaster for a show which has long been a staple with children in the UK.
At its peak, Blue Peter is believed to have pulled in just under eight million viewers per episode.
According to the Independent, the BBC have defended the viewing figures for Blue Peter in a statement which provides some context for why the viewing figures might have been so low in the first place.
“It is very important to put the comments made about viewing figures for Blue Peter in context,” said CBBC Controller Cheryl Taylor.
“The episode in question is our repeated “signed” version which needs to air on CBBC in order to appear on BBC iPlayer – an important service for viewers who use BSL (British Sign Language).
“An additional repeat of this episode in a different time slot had an average audience of 46,000 and a 10.3% share of children aged 6-12 which is above the slot average. It has also been viewed 39,000 times on BBC iPlayer so far.”
“I challenge any naysayers to check out last week’s enthralling episode on iPlayer if they have any doubts at all about its value and enduring appeal to the curious and clued-up CBBC audience,” Taylor added.
This week, the BBC announced their intention to spend an extra £34 million (approximately €38.7 million) on children’s content over the next three years, described by BBC Director General Tony Hall as “the biggest investment in children’s services in a generation”.
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