BBC urged to streamline its red button services
The BBC Trust has called for a reduction in use of the BBC’s “red button” interactive service in a bid to save money.
Drama and comedy programmes will be targeted in the drive which aims to allow the service to focus solely on live events.
Launched in 1999 the remote feature allows viewers to access additional content when the synonymous red button pops up on their screens.
This has received a variable reception from the public with some features such as digital text services associated with news, weather and sport proving popular.
Live events such as Glastonbury, the Olympics and the Eurovision Song Contest and interactive quizzes have also been successful in eliciting red button presses.
However the same service didn’t push any buttons for viewers of pre-recorded material where telly addicts tended to leave their remotes lying under the cushion.
The BBC spends more than half of the red button’s annual £39.3m budget on formatting the service for the various technical standards of providers such as Freeview or Sky offer. It is suggested that a more consistent approach would cut these costs.
A BBC spokesman said: “There’s huge creative potential for the future of BBC Red Button as it could prove to be an important gateway into Internet-connected TV experiences.”