50,000 signatures in two days!
A huge thank you to everyone who has signed and shared this petition.
I Googled how they calculate viewing figures, as the low numbers for Autumnwatch were one reason stated for cancelling it.
I found this: TV ratings are compiled daily by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. BARB recruits 12,000 people across 5,100 households representative of the overall UK viewing public. As well as demography and geography the panel is selected according to platform, whether the TV set or via desktop, laptop or tablet. The devices themselves log data about who in the household is viewing and what they are watching.
I don’t know how true that is, however, a BBC Spokesperson is quoted as saying that Springwatch and WInterwatch ‘are “most popular with audiences”.
If a poor percentage of 12,000 was not enough for the BBC to save Autumnwatch, what will 50,000 people saying they do watch it mean?
The spokesperson is also quoted as saying: ‘we need to make difficult decisions and focus our resources on content that has the highest impact.’
I think 50,000 people signing a petition to save a programme shows it has a pretty high impact.
Please keep encouraging people to sign.