BBC kid's content

Following the BBC Trust's mostly positive review of children's services earlier this year, the BBC lays out plans for the additional $41.8 million it pledged for BBC kid's content across its services over the course of three years:

The funds will help support of existing big budget successful programs such as The Sarah Jane Adventures, Horrible Histories and My Almost Famous Family, as well as further seasons of 3rd & Bird and Kerwhizz for CBeebies. Additionally, funds will be earmarked for development of new original series, specifically comedy and dramas.

Funds will also go towards bolstering kid-targeted audio offerings such as streamed, downloadable audio content for kids. The CBeebies website is set to re-launch next month with every page featuring a link to a new version of the CBeebies Radio Player.

Plans also include growing the CBBC website, which had seen a decline, to achieve its weekly reach to 900,000 by April 2010. To achieve this goal, the site will see improved navigation. The site will be refreshed in early 2010, and feature newly created areas for kid shows like Horrible Histories, Tracy Beaker and Serious Explorers to keep visitors longer.

Money will go towards regaining audience lost when kid's programs were shifted earlier in BBC One's afternoon schedule, and development of a new weekday program to play during the CBBC block on BBC One at 5:30p, which would serve as a strong lead-in to the 6p news. If a new show is developed and is successful, over the next two years the BBC will consider reinstating Blue Peter and Newsround to their original time slots. In the meantime, however, the CBBC programming block on BBC One will stay put at 3:05-5:15p.

BBC will also continue to address digital programming for kids by looking to extend CBBC channel hours and providing its programs on-demand via the kid's iPlayer.