Changing looks
We've made some changes and we'd like to know what you think. BBC World and BBC News 24 have a new on-screen appearance - the results of months of planning and thousands of hours of hard work by a brilliant team of designers, directors and programmers. BBC World has also made some changes to its bulletins, aiming to offer a clearer structure and more space for analysis and debate. The results are on air from today - and since it's all intended to improve the service to our viewers, we want to get your opinions on what we've done.
The on-screen graphics have been changed for a number of reasons. One is internal - we're introducing a new software system (known as VizRT) and it gives us the opportunity to introduce some new features. But the biggest reason was that we felt our existing appearance was beginning to look a bit tired and it was time for an update. The new look is slightly more subtle - it takes up a little less screen space and moves the channel name further down the screen to sit alongside the rolling "ticker" of news headlines. (By the way, the little box with the channel name on it is known as the DOG ...which I think stands for Digital On screen Graphic but I'm bound to be corrected by someone).
The captions, which we use for identifying interviewees and also for giving information about stories, have new colours and a slightly different font. And we've also moved the "locator" - ie the strap which tells you where a correspondent is - up to the top left of screen.
The overall effect is much crisper and cleaner, and I think gives the channel a more contemporary feel. We operate in a very competitive environment and it's important that we support the substance of our journalism with the style of our presentation and production. For that reason, we've also made a number of other changes. There are new titles sequences, with remixed music....and these will appear on all the BBC Television News programmes, so that means the One, Six and Ten O'Clock News on BBC One in the UK as well as News 24 and BBC World.
On World we've also changed the way in which we do headlines at the start of each hour - there will be more of them and the first thing you'll see will be the image from the story, rather than the presenter appearing in vision. Again, a very small change, but one which we think will give us a little more punch.
And lastly on BBC World, we've made some changes to what we call the "running orders" of our news bulletins. From now on, there'll be a clear structure which starts with a core news bulletin in the first one-third, has space for analysis and discussion in the second third, and finishes with Sport and Features in the final third. Partly this is the result of what you, the audience, have been telling us during extensive research over the past year.
Many viewers said they were confused by our structure and wanted us to label things more clearly. I also wanted to bring a bit more pace to our news bulletins and ensure we cover more stories from more parts of the world - taking full advantage of the BBC's global reach.
So from 0500 GMT this morning that's what we're doing. And we very much hope you like it.
© MMXI
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~38~RS~)
Comments
This post is a perfect example of why all companies should adopt blogging. It is an ideal way to rationalise the changes brought to a product (in this case, the BBC News program) and allow the audience to understand the benefits to them.
All looks very slick, my only gripe is the fact that the Live Location bug in the top left of my screen is cut off on my TV.
At the risk of sounding like a television anorak - very, very nice. Fantastic graphics, much more modern and new. Brighter, but the studios plasmas now stand out to be a grey colour.
Hurrah! No more HUGE headline and teeny tiny info strap.
Interesting. I'll go and have a look, I'm curious as to whether or not it'll now be further down the road News 24's been travelling in mimicking the style of The Day Today.
The last refresh, with its nice big Tellytubby-sized headlines and expanding/contracting colourful boxes just needed Chris Morris sat in the newsreader's chair (although you're doing away with them too ;-))
Loving the new look on N24. Very clean and effective and leaves a lot less clutter on the screen. One thing though, there is no urgency with the Breaking News. When I have N24 on at home and I'm doing the housework I'm not alerted by any music. Apart from that - fab!
I think that the new BBC News 24 graphics need tinkering with. The graphics at the bottom of the screen need to be moved up a little so that the bottom does not get cut off. Also, the 'LIVE' graphic that appears at the top of the screen needs to come down a bit. The clock would look better if it were moved inside the 4:3 safe area and to the right of the 'BBC News 24' name. I have 4:3 TVs in my house and, at present, feel that the old graphics looked far better than the new ones do.
I noticed that leading image immediately with BBC World - it is better. The graphics look better on the whole, although the clock is outside of 4:3 on News 24 and might confuse some people...
The text number is good, but within an hour of it being announced messages were being read about bringing back National Service.
"Dave from London asks whether..." whilst talking to a guest in Westminster might be more constructive?
The information on BBC World could do with jazzing up a bit - the new red titles that appear in the small window don't look great with the black and orange, in my opinion, although everything else about those bits is still great. :-)
I would like to add a comment on the new look, it does look modern and more prominent for a news channel; may be the ticker could be used to display "travel information, business and also give an outline of the weather"
... But however there does seem to be a glitch, with the live "location" bug; by the looks of it someone has forgotton the safe area rule, the location bug is only partially visible, someone may have forgotton the safe area rule or is some-other reason for this ??
The only negative thing is the ticker, logo and clock get cut off on my TV. Fantastic on 14:9, but it used to show up ok...
A very attractive revamp. Liking the music, and most of the stylistic changes. I think more needs to be made of breaking news - I'm not keen on the rather bland featureless red block that is used for breaking news headlines and information.
I also have the same issue that Andy Jones mentioned whereby the Live/Location bug is chopped off the top of my screen.
Apart from that, it's all looking pretty good.
News on BBC World really became a bit more structured and I have to get used to it.
My main concern is still the TXT and Web service of BBC World. Programmes are advertised on screen yet no information on them on TXT or on BBC World's (so much advertised by the end of each news bulletin) Website. The latter is completely useless, since it is barely corresponding with what is on screen. Only the well-known programmes (Fasttrack, Talking Movies, etc.) are mentioned, while nothing could be found of Special events. For example in 2006 Palestinians held Elections and Lyse Doucet presented a Have Your Say Special from Gaza city. No word on that (When, where - on World or on BBC WS, only?) was available on any of the BBC's Websites, yet the topic was very actual and could count on huge international interest.
Improve TV listings and information content of BBC World's Website, please.
It's not brilliant because it's outside the 14:9 safezone and therefore doesn't display properly.
The news scroller and clock are cut off halfway down whereas the weather graphics sit fine so - despite what your call centre tried to tell me - it's not my setup!
It all looks very slick, but (please don't hate me)... it looks almost identical to Sky News.
I'm sure a succession of people following this can point out hundreds of reasons why it's different, but from a purely graphical perspective... the DOG and the ticker are in the same place. The straps that come up during stories are similar to how Sky did their's when they relaunched... and even the location graphic is the same as Sky (although I believe the previous N24 relaunch started with this before changing to having the location below the "Live" bit?).
(Branding nerd, me?)
Based on a brief view, I like both what you have changed and also what you haven't; while I recognise nothing lasts forever, if you had changed the "counting down the seconds to the start of the hour" videos for the worse, this would have been a considerably grumpier comment.
I'd love to tell you what I think, but I've not got access to a TV for at least a week :) Any chance of a screenshot or two?
Looks shiny, but can we have the clock put back in 4:3 please? Even when I force my freeview box to letterbox widescreen the time looks like 3:50 at 13:50, as the clock is so far left.
The clock is a bit too far to the left for my pretty bad TV (switching to 4:3 shows that the top half of the Live bar is cut off as well), although it's nice to see someone actually using the the extra screen space you get with widescreen.
Otherwise it looks OK, and I like the new music and titles.
I like the new look a lot! I'm really quite impressed by it all, especially the titles and I really love the local time underneath the Live bug, that is an excellent move. But two things need improving/bringing up to date on BBC World - the breakfiller and the website! When was bbcworld.com last given an overhaul?! I don't see why bbcworld.com doesn't lead into something integrated with bbcnews.com so us viewers can see both channel information and the news in a one-stop-shop instead of having two seperate sites. To be frank, whilst everything else is near perfect, your website lets you down.
I haven't seen this yet, so am fearing the worst, however I will be disappointed if the big BREAKING NEWS messages which would rotate with the headline have gone, as I always found this useful - if it was a big BREAKING NEWS message and headline then I would know it was of more importance.
Otherwise, I hope there has been more effort gone into making News 24's graphics and clock fit in with those of the 1, 6 and 10 o'clock news graphics as one would often obscure the other. And different shades of red would often be used which was slightly annoying.
What a nerd I sound like now.
Both the LIVE/wherever and clock/BBC NEWS 24/ticker strip are half-cut off (vertically) on my TV. Looks very amateurish that no-one checked the actual safe areas that allowed for overscan...
Love it, but there's a problem with the live DOG, example: 'LIVE From Derbyshire'. what ever ratio I have my widescreen tv at it doesn't all appear.
I love the "local time" lable! Really nice!
The News 24 graphics are a big improvement, but because of the 4:3 aspect ratio on my TV, the ticker and locator are both slightly chopped off - it would be better if the ticker was moved up and the locator down slightly.
Apart from this, everything is better than before.
Brilliant on screen graphics, love the animations.
But the one thing i miss is the BBC News straps flying around in the titles.
They are slightly bland without them.
This is a great new look, really modern and slick, and less cluttered than the last.
I also love the new titles and headline bed.
My only problem is that the logo and ticker are slightly cut off by overscan on my TV set. If this can be fixed that would complete this nice refresh.
I was impressed with the new graphics and title sequence when i tuned into BBC News 24 today, its great! However, i did think that maybe the BBC should consider giving the news programmes on BBC News 24 and BBC World a slightly different sound at the end of the main title sequence so as not to sound almost exactly the same as those seen on BBC One's 1pm, 6pm, and 10pm programmes.
Other than that, they're great, keep up the good work!
Looks great! But please: don't go tweaking like you did last time! BBC World ended up the way it used to look until yesterday: without structure!
Quite a lot of us have plasma screens these days. Static images on the screen can cause 'burn in' (permanently damage the screen). Transparent images don't cause a problem, because the image changes constantly as the underlying image changes.
How about making the tracker and clock very slightly transparent (maybe 5% - 10%)? This would ensure that no damage will occur to our expensive hardware.
Even better: get rid of them altogether! Wherever you stick them, at some point or other they're likely to obscure someone's head, or the hole the golfer making the shot is aiming for. Just dump them, and you'll never have to spend thousands of hours repositioning them again.
By the way, since you asked for a correction, I'll be the pedant who rises to the occasion: DOG = "Digitally-Originated Graphic" (ie something spurious, added later, not part of the original picture). "Digital on-screen graphic" seems a bit of a nonsense to me: where else but on-screen is a graphic to go in a TV system? But I'd be very happy if you were to make your DOGs Digital Off-screen Graphics! Go on — you know you want to!
I love the new look. My Sky News loving friend used to always complain that N24;s graphics were 'floating' half way up the screen and that they were too big and too basic.
Not any more. Love all the new animations and the music.
The biggest improvement has got to be the titles.
All you need now is some plasma screens in the studio that you can actually see properly!
Please, please, please start using background music during the 'News In Brief' Segments on BBC World!
Great new graphics on News 24, much less intrusive than the previous set (although, I though they were pretty good anyway) and the subtle shading stops them looking so flat. However I have to echo some of the previous comments. I too loose part of the ticker off the bottom of the screen. Other than the need for some small adjustments, News 24 is looking really good.
Well... Similarities between the new changes of BBC World and CNN International are just coincidence? The new formats (news, discussion and sports/features)... well that reminds me what CNNI already does, and for a loooooong time. But congratulations! Good changes!
Congratulations on your revamp! Now if I want to see the clock or more than the top half of your "streaming news", I have to reset my Telewest display settings to 4:3 letterbox. Thankyou so much for this, I really love all the nasty little bits I get on the top and bottom of my picture!
Please don't listen to the comments about the graphics being too close to the edges. On all my friends' nice new TVs they are just right and maybe a little too far from the edges in some cases. BBC World already uses letterboxing to its international viewers, and the domestic viewers of BBC News 24 should turn on the same mild letterboxing.
CK.
Viz Content Pilot I have to say has done BBC News 24 justice, the graphics are very slick and detailed. With very smooth animation giving an even more professional look.
David Lowe's new News 24 Remix I have to say does sound like a rush job, sounds like BBC World meets BBC One News Summary.
But the new top of the hour ident is extreamly good, well done Red Bee Media!
On my CRT widescreen TV, on News 24 the ticker is on the screen perfectly (which is a shame, I hate irritating tickers - surely everyone has a red button they can press for news stories?!).
However, the clock is too far to the left of my TV (an LG 28-incher) so that it loses its first digit in all the two-digit hours, e.g. last night at 8pm it said '0:00' on my screen. I don't really understand this as there is a huge gap to the right of the clock before the 'BBC NEWS 24' logo, which surely the clock could move along into, a bit, so that none of us are losing the clock off the edge of the screen like this?
Also on my TV, the graphic at the top of the screen that tells you where reporters are etc. is half cut-off so I can only see the bottom half of the top line of it.
Perhaps what you should do is move the ticker down to the edge of the actual picture, so that then people can choose to get a TV that cuts off the edge of the picture in order to avoid having to see it ;)
Overall though I am delighted to see that News 24 is belatedly following Sky News' lead in downsizing all the ridiculous proliferation of on-screen graphics. Hopefully, unlike their rebrand, it won't lead to you simultaneously downsizing your audience as well!
Please put the clock back somewhere it can be seen on a 4:3 aspect ratio! Millions of us still use older 4:3 TVs.
If you're in the business of copying SKY, which it seems you are, then why not do exactly what they do and have it alternate with the channel logo?
P.S. I'm a bit surprised to see all these outraged people begging for the clock to be put back into the 4:3 area. Do these people not own watches or wall clocks? Can they not press Info (or equivalent) on their digital boxes to see the time? Why do they need the time on the TV? Why not other information such as the date, the weather, the current FTSE level, or whatever? What's so special about the time?
(And before I am accused of hypocrisy: I know I said it needed moving a bit, but that's because it's basically already on my screen so I'd rather I could actually see it properly rather than just seeing the last three digits!)
Where's the clock gone?! I don't need a small graphic telling me I'm watching BBC News 24 - I know I am, I chose the channel. What I would like is the clock back on my TV.
Otherwise, the new crisper look is really good.
I like the new text number - nice and snappy 61124
It'd be even better if it worked! I keep on getting message sending failed, try again? I try again, but it fails again.
Every other number I text works, including 81199 (the Radio 1 number shortened number).
Looks like news 24 graphocs are a little too south now, i cant see the on screen ticker on the bottom of the screen along with the clock.
I have tried changing the screen/tv dimensions/settings and also the sky box settings.
But the only way i get the full ticker is if the sky box is in 4:3L mode and tv in widescreen although you lose quite a bit of the picture size with black bars at the top and bottom. They are usually both set to widescreen 16:9 (philips 24" - still on crt and only will change when the set burns out!)
Looks like news 24 graphics are a little too south now, i cant see the on screen ticker on the bottom of the screen along with the clock.
I have tried changing the screen/tv dimensions/settings and also the sky box settings.
But the only way i get the full ticker is if the sky box is in 4:3L mode and tv in widescreen although you lose quite a bit of the picture size with black bars at the top and bottom. They are usually both set to widescreen 16:9 (philips 24" - still on crt and only will change when the set burns out!)
I have a Philips 4:3 TV and a Sony VTX-D800U Freeview box. I have the picture output set to 'letterbox', and BBC News 24 is displayed in 14:9, which means I cannot see the clock!! This is because the Sony Freeview box picks up the broadcasters AFD signal. In this case the BBC is flagging News 24 as 14:9 safe, when it now isn't!!
As News 24 is now not 14:9 safe, I hope to see the BBC flag it as 16:9, so my Sony Freeview box will diplay the picture in full letterbox. Otherwise, I will never be able to see the clock!! :(
Please sort it out.
The ticker on the bottom line is too close to the bottom of the screen and partially obscured especially at each side.
The clock should be in the 4:3 safe zone. The channel name could be usefully swapped with it.
Please bear in mind that many people still have 4:3 CRT televisions.
I like the new graphics but they only work for me in 16:9, due to the clock problems mentioned above.
On Freeview you are using an AFD which says it's 14:9 shoot and protect image. With 4:3 TV's many Freeview stb's don't let you select 16:9 letterbox when the broadcaster says 14:9.
Please either change the graphics so they are inside the 14:9 safe area, or change AFD to say it's a 16:9 image.
I like the new look; the graphics are slick and the remixed music gives the channel a fast-paced feel which it didnt have before. Plus, having the presenter introduce him/herself during the middle of headlines has been a good move. Overall, these positive changes make the channel more watchable.
The new look is fresh, but following other comments can the clock be returned?
Until every license payer has a widescreen TV, all graphics clutter should be within the 4:3 viewing area.
I'll admit to being biased. My digibox doesn't seem to handle widescreen on BBC channels very well, but has no problem with any other channel. The result is that the clock has almost completely vanished off the left of the screen - only the last digit is visible. Yes, I do own other clocks and wear a watch, but being able to read the time while watching tv is very useful!
Just one gripe i miss the clock on my tv! its too far to the left..amazing how much you miss something when its gone.
I think the smaller and less coverage of the screen of the news scroll at the bottom was a great choice and one that will be appreciated by everyone. The theme tune (remastering) is quite a nice change and fresh, however I think there are some little tweaks needs with the captions and opening titles. The three colurs black, red and grey/white are three bold colors that we connotate with BBC News. However, the new captions and opening titles I think need changing, they remind me too much of Sky News. Just a small tweaks to make it look sophisticated and unique would be just what it needs to suit the (newish) studio. Also I think the BBC News website needs to coresspond with the changes, it is much need of an upgrade, and I think the upgrade to Flash format would be wise and a good investment, like BBC Radio 1 would make it look smart, sleek and professional. Also how about chagning it so that all of the BBC webpages are centre alligned, I always think this looks much smarter.
I made up my mind to switch from the BBC to SKY or other when a big news story hits when you covered the village in Devon that had the flash flood. More than 1/3 of the screen was taken up by a banner telling me I was live the title of the peace of news the name of the reporter the time. Then at the bottom of the screen a ticker tape of all other news that is happening. Then there was a big box shape affair with News 24 set just a bit higher than all the rest . We had a news reader telling us what was happening presumably because they know we cant see a thing. They were asking if the banner /flash/ or what ever you call it could be removed but no it stayed there because telling us you’re the BBC is more important than what is happening. When even the news readers say lets see more of the picture you know something wrong .Just give us the news we know who you are.
Looks like I'm not alone in being disappointed to lose the clock on News24. We haven't all got 32 inch widescreen TVs! I did try changing my view to widescreen but the figures were so tiny it wasn't worth it. So now I have gone back to looking at the clock on my video.
I hope you decide to amend this. And I notice that the clock is still visible on Breakfast. Please don't tinker with that as I rely on that to tell me when I should be leaving for work!
I also have to comment that it does look at a lot better but once again, even by changing all the viewing settings on my widescreen tv, i still lose the left hand side of the clock, so when its 11:05am, it makes it look like 1:05am which is very annoying
Is part of this new look the weather report I've just seen on News 24 where the actual map screen was a tiny part of the overall screen and you'd need a magnifying glass to actually see what the weather person was talking about?
But don't worry - the rather old fashioned skinny graphic along the btoom is still there.
Good to see the clock visible again for those of us without widescreen TVs.
Thanks for listening to the feedback.
Now it's been almost 40 days with new BBC World look.
Why main ident, which is shown before programmes like Hardtalk, and breakfiller were left unchanged?
The ticker band at the bottom of the screen had damaged my tv with screen burn. It is now unreadable and on all channels we just get a fliekering bright band, edged with black, in the bottom of the screen. This is on a 2 year odl flat screen but tube, not LCD or plaama tv.
The new graphics simply are amazing. I love the spinning globe graphics after the introduction of the headlines but the whole package looks very very good.
Personally I can't wait until you start to broadcast in widescreen, that will kick it up even one more notch, Swedish TV4 switched to widescreen (along with a new graphical style) for news broadcasts about a week ago and it looks great. (Although the graphical layout are not quite as nice as the BBC:s).
Greetings from Sweden.