The outgoing BBC children’s director has said YouTube and Netflix could not provide the same distinctive British children’s programmes as those funded by the licence fee, as the corporation responds to the coronavirus outbreak by bringing forward the launch of a child-friendly version of iPlayer. In an interview with the Guardian, Alice Webb defended the quality of the corporation’s children’s output in the face of threats to its funding package, suggesting British parents would miss high-quality children’s shows if the broadcaster’s budget was cut. On Friday, the BBC launched a new version of its iPlayer catchup service on smart TVs. This makes it easier for parents to find child-friendly content, by clicking on a monster shaped “children” button, which kids can then safely browse. The BBC has struggled to secure other forms of television, such as big-budget dramas, which have been snapped up by Netflix.

Source: The Guardian March 22, 2020 15:05 UTC