The BBC has become ‘part of the headwinds’ threatening commercial local news, watchdog Ofcom has said. For the first time the communications regulator has said the national broadcaster is contributing to threats faced by local websites such as BristolLive.
The BBC’s move to cut back on local radio and invest heavily in creating online local news in direct competition to existing publishers ‘may be displacing commercial page views to some degree’, Ofcom said. In its Review of Local News in the UK, published last week, it said: “We recognise that increased BBC online local news forms part of the headwinds facing local publishers.”
Ofcom added that the BBC wasn’t solely blame for an overall decline in local news. Instead it pointed to longer-term trends such as news avoidance and changes to referrers such as Google and Facebook.
Evidence to date showed ‘weak’ links between BBC expansion and local news challenges, Ofcom said, adding that this was because it was hard to separate BBC activity from other factors, such as ‘changing attitudes to news, social media and search engine algorithms and policies towards local news’.
“It appears the decline in commercial page views is part of a longer-term trend predating the BBC’s changes, although we recognise that these changes may be contributing to some degree,” Ofcom added. But the report found BBC England local news page views have risen 40 per cent since March 2023, while in that time, commercial local news page views in England have fallen 20 per cent.
Overall, BBC local news page views have risen from 200m in March 2023 to just under 300m in June 2024, while commercial local publications have fallen from around 750m to 600m over the same period.
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The report also shows clear evidence that in the areas where the BBC has concentrated its efforts it has gained significant market share at the expense of local publishers. Ofcom’s research also found that only two per cent of the BBC’s local coverage was unique.
That’s in contrast to titles such as BristolLive and our print sister title the Bristol Post, which is campaigning to feed 1,000 disadvantaged children this Christmas and is leading a community taskforce on knife crime aimed at creating lasting change in our city and beyond following several tragedies over the last year.
That’s alongside BristolLive’s day-in, day-out reporting covering crime, traffic and travel updates and sport, alongside shopping, nightlife and showbiz. But Ofcom says local and regional titles across England could come under increased pressure if the BBC continues to provide more localised content.
“It is possible that future BBC changes will have a different impact on commercial publishers,” the report says. “For example, our qualitative research noted that if the BBC provided more localised online content, people might choose it over alternative online sources, suggesting greater potential for substitution. Therefore, some future BBC changes may require further consideration by the BBC and Ofcom.”
David Higgerson, chief digital publisher at BristolLive’s parent company, Reach PLC, said: “We are pleased Ofcom has recognised that the BBC is part of the headwind local news publishers now face. The data presented by the BBC speaks for itself, as does its research.
“Ofcom’s research shows just 2pc of local BBC news articles are unique, and not covered elsewhere. Ofcom’s research also concludes that articles from commercial publishers tend to be longer, which to us demonstrates the BBC’s expansion into local news is now crowding out deeper, local journalism from established providers, which ultimately will leader to a less media plurality and a local media space dominated by a publisher who is not able to campaign on behalf of local people.
“We hope that the BBC finally comes good on the requests of MPs, the DCMS, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee and Ofcom and recognise its broad role in creating a healthy, pluralistic local news world in the UK, which has to go far beyond its continued, and welcome, support for the Local Democracy Reporters Service, a scheme which came about as a result of inspired leadership from within the BBC by people who were committed to the BBC doing the right thing.”