Best Factual Channel


Award sponsored by


Shortlisted


BBC Four The broadcaster’s unique selection of factual content, including Afterlife: The Strange Science Of Decay, The Golden Age Of Canals and The Story Of Musicals, tapped into the interests of the channel’s core audience by delivering content not available anywhere else. Themed nights, particularly around music, helped viewers find the content.


History A focused investment in original commissions aimed specifically at the UK audience has resulted in premieres of some of the highest- rated series and specials in the channel’s life. A refreshed schedule and innovative marketing helped to increase audiences. While changing its approach, History has managed to stay true to its identity of bringing history to life in an engaging way, and on many levels.


Discovery Channel D


iscovery Channel has made a huge effort to overhaul its image after ordering extensive research


looking at the shape of the channel, which resulted in an increase in UK commissions and a range of new faces including Freddie Flintoff, Ed Stafford and Joe Pasquale. Programmes such as Alone in the


Wild, The James Cracknell Trilogy (pic- tured) and Gold Rush capitalised on the channel’s strengths, resulting in Dis- covery’s best audience for the past five years. Across the year, it recorded double- digit audience growth, with weekly reach growing by 8% and monthly reach increasing by 4% to 6.3 million. One judge described it as “still the


best in the sector, despite a strong rising challenge from History”, while another said it is “always surprising, offering quality content with depth and scale”. Scheduling multi-part series with


familiar faces was always likely to get results, but the channel also managed to tap into some of the most topical events of last year. One-off


www.broadcastnow.co.uk


programmes such as Killing Bin Laden, Steve Jobs: iGenius and Norway Massacre: The Killer’s Mind attracted strong audiences, but still showed an appetite to take risks. As well as continuing to offer core content, Discovery explored new areas.


‘It is always surprising, offering quality content


with depth and scale’ Awards judges


Original and risky offerings included its first 3D commission, Nick Baker’s Beautiful Freaks, and the launch of an HD simulcast. With research showing that 40% of


the audience used dual-screen at least once a week, Discovery harnessed that knowledge through targeted social media that resonated with audiences. Despite attempting new things, the channel has remained true to its iden- tity, with audiences confident it “tells the truth about the world around us”.


22 June 2012 | Broadcast Digital Awards | 21


RTDoc This channel, which was launched in 2011, focuses on documentary programmes that highlight untouched areas of Russia and its culture, providing an alternative to the rest of the RT group of channels. It is received by 120 million households across Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa, and also provides an online service.


Yesterday Thanks to a series of clever acquisitions and original commissions, Yesterday has capital- ised on its Freeview slot and regularly beat both More 4 and BBC Four during the course of 2011. The channel’s audience grew by 32% year on year. Successes included Find My Past and the Spirit Of The Sixties season, which focused on the beauty of the era.


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