CBBC’s Digital Evolution: How BBC’s Children’s Channel Is Adapting to Changing Viewer Habits in 2025

A Channel at the Crossroads

CBBC, the British free-to-air public broadcast children’s television channel owned by the BBC, continues to serve as the primary brand for all BBC content aimed at children aged 6 to 12. The channel is currently navigating significant changes in the broadcasting landscape.

Recent Developments and Changes

For the 2024/2025 period, CBBC will deliver approximately 245 hours of first-run content as part of its 5,500 total programming hours, split between 3,600 hours on TV and 1,900 hours on BBC iPlayer. This shift comes as part of the BBC’s annual plan, which indicates a decline in first-run commissions for children’s channels.

The channel is currently undergoing a significant restructuring, with changes affecting its production approach. A recent consultation at Salford’s Media City has resulted in 11 roles being set for closure, with plans to outsource the presentation links between shows on the popular kids channel.

Digital Future and Survival

While the BBC had initially announced plans in 2022 to cut CBBC from traditional linear TV platforms within three years, these plans have since been reconsidered. The closure plans were notably absent from the BBC’s annual plan for 2024-25, and the channel has received a reprieve. Patricia Hildago, head of children’s programmes, emphasized that “it’s really important… that if children still need us on a linear network, we’re going to be there for them”.

Programming Innovation

Looking ahead, BBC Children’s and Education is investing in new programming with three newly greenlit kids series for CBBC and BBC iPlayer. These include ‘Gifted’, a 10-episode series based on middle-grade novels, and ‘Gladiators: Epic Pranks’, a 15-episode family-friendly spinoff featuring behind-the-scenes gags of the popular game show.

Looking to the Future

While CBBC continues its traditional broadcasting, the BBC is gradually shifting its focus, putting greater emphasis on iPlayer content for children over the age of seven. This transition presents a significant challenge, as the BBC must consider that poorer households and homes in areas with lacking internet infrastructure would lose access to CBBC programmes if the channel were removed from traditional broadcast platforms.