Television: towards a diverse and inclusive profession?

 

Television: towards a diverse and inclusive profession?

On World Television Day, we ask how socio-economically diverse is this influential medium?

The United Nations identifies television as the single largest source of video consumption. Diversity is key to such an influential medium. Content should reflect the communities who view it – and in that respect, Strictly Come Dancing provides an example of progress. But those leading the industry, those commissioning content and the teams behind the camera also matter. Developing a creative, skilled workforce is facilitated by recruiting talent from all backgrounds with a variety of experiences in life. Retaining this talent is facilitated by creating an inclusive working environment where everyone can thrive.

Ofcoms’s recent report Equity, diversity and inclusion in television and radio: 2021-22 indicates that there is room for improvement. The figure below shows that people working in UK television broadcasting organisations are predominantly from professional backgrounds. On average, the proportion from those backgrounds is about twice that of the UK benchmark. 

Within television and broadcasting, there is a commitment to change. The Bridge Group has supported the BBC and Channel 4 in developing their strategies for socio-economic diversity and inclusion. These relate to both access to the workforce and progression within it. Both organisations pro-actively survey their workforce to monitor socio-economic background and other diversity characteristics; they have for example set targets for an increase in diversity and shared insights on how to achieve them. 

Smaller organisations are also active, for example the Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN) prioritises diversity and inclusion in its support for the television, film and games industries in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Bridge Group has also advised OfCom as it has shaped its approaches to socio-economic diversity and inclusion in the sector. And across the wider broadcasting industry, the Diamond data collection system has been monitoring and reporting on diversity in broadcasting for the past five years. Diamond states that it collects diversity data on UK original productions commissioned by BBC, ITV, Channel 4, ViacomCBS, Sky and UKTV, to answer two questions:

  • Does the workforce on UK productions, both on and off-screen, reflect the diversity of the UK population? 

  • Are audiences seeing themselves reflected on screen? 

Sadly, the aggregate answer is no. The fifth Diamond report concludes that there is “a lack of real progress in terms of increasing representation by previously (and currently) under-represented groups” both on and off-screen. 

Diamond produces a rich dataset that will help to inform the scale and focus of remedial actions. However, it currently collects data only on protected characteristics, not on socio-economic background. We urge the Creative Diversity Network to expand its monitoring to include socio-economic background. Data is essential to change.

To access the Bridge Group’s research on socio-economic diversity in the workplace, see www.thebridgegroup.org.uk/research  

 
 

By Dr Penelope Griffin Director of Higher Education and Impact, The Bridge Group

21/11/22

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