Committee publication · Correspondence · 19 May 2026
Letter from the BBC regarding Children’s tv oral evidence follow-up, 28 April 2026
From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Inquiry: Children's tv and video content
Summary
The BBC's Children's division provides supplementary evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee following oral testimony on children's TV (28 April 2026). It addresses co-production rates (20% with international public service broadcasters), comparative tax incentives for children's content across jurisdictions, the rebrand and growth of Tiny Happy People into CBeebies Parenting (14 million users, 73% awareness), Bluey's commercial contribution without brand-specific disclosure, and BBC initiatives on online safety education for young people.
Key findings
- BBC Children's commissioned 54 programme series in 2024/25, with 11 (20%) involving co-production with international public service broadcasters.
- UK children's TV tax relief stands at 29.25% net value; France, Spain, and Canada offer higher rates (30–50%), though no other nation dedicates tax incentives solely to children's content.
- Tiny Happy People reached 14 million users from July 2020 to rebrand (June 2025); rebranded as CBeebies Parenting, it achieved 71K weekly website visits and 15 million video views in 2025 (120% increase), with 73% awareness.
- Bluey contributes meaningfully to BBC Studios' record revenues (£363m in Content & Format Sales, £86m in Consumer Products) but specific revenue attribution to the title and reinvestment in BBC Children's is not disclosed.
- BBC resources on online safety include dedicated teacher spaces, Bitesize Parenting articles, podcasts on toxic masculinity, and coverage of harmful phenomena such as 'red v blue school wars' via BBC Verify investigations.
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
BBC Children's division, BBC Studios, BBC News, BBC Verify, Marianna Spring, Vicky Foxcroft MP, University of Sheffield, UK Council for Internet Safety
Notable line
“France has developed a strong children's animation sector as a result – two examples being Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and Grizzy and the Lemmings , both of these being global hits.”
Key Quotes
“In the financial year 24/25 BBC Children's commissioned 54 different programme series, with public service broadcasters from other countries being involved as co - producers in 11 of them. This equates to 20% of all titles.”
“Unlike the UK, none of the other nations featured have tax incentives dedicated to children's content – they are instead aimed at general TV production which can include children's programmes.”
“From launch in July 2020 to the rebrand into CBeebies Parenting in June 202 5, THP reached over 14 million users across BBC websites and dedicated social media accounts which provide specially …”
“BBC Studios delivered record revenues in the last financial year despite challenging trading conditions, and the continued success of our consumer products business has been an important contributor to this performance.”
“However, it is not possible to identify or attribute a specific portion of that revenue to Bluey or as being invested directly into BBC Children's TV or education content.”
“BBC News covered this in detail, both at local and national level, with BBC Verify running several investigations into how the phenomenon spread.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗