BBC Proms issue manipulated results
OrchestrasIt has taken the Proms half a week longer than usual to publish attendance figures.
The headline ‘BBC Proms sees record-breaking figures on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, with 93% capacity audiences’ is heavily manipulated.
The ‘record-breaking season’ refers to online, with twice as many signed-in accounts accessing Proms on iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
The figure of 93% refers to main evening attendance at the Royal Albert Hall. It does not include early, late and regional events.
The 93% is being trumpeted as much higher than the 85% scored in 2019, the last-pre-Covid Proms, which were demonstrably poor. But it is way below the upper 90s capacities achieved in the Wagner-Verdi-Britten season of 2013, and several golden Proms years around that. It is not a record of any kind.
It would be so reassuring if the BBC would just tell the plain, unvarnished truth, without us having to fillet it for you. Do not trust the BBC ever when it reports on itself.
We reproduce the BBC press release below.
BBC Proms sees record-breaking figures on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, with 93% capacity audiences – and half of all concertgoers attending the Proms for the first time
A record-breaking season online, with more than double the number of signed-in accounts accessing BBC Proms content on iPlayer and BBC Sounds compared to last year
Nearly 1 million people watched the First Night of the Proms on BBC Two, its strongest overnight TV audience since 2009
Proms content reached 3.2 million on TV during the opening weekend
A peak audience of 3.5 million people watched the Last Night of the Proms on BBC One
Well over half the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall have been total sell-outs
Average main evening attendance at the Hall was 93%, building on 85% in 2019
The BBC Proms 2023 came to a close on Saturday, with the celebratory Last Night of the Proms rounding off a season that included Sir Simon Rattle’s final concerts as Music Director of the LSO; a full concert staging of Berlioz’s epic opera The Trojans – the first in the UK for more than ten years; the first ever weekend-long Proms festival at Sage Gateshead, in collaboration with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and opened by Self Esteem; orchestral celebrations of Northern Soul and Bollywood; and music from Rufus Wainwright, Jon Hopkins and the first ever Fado Prom with Portuguese star, Mariza.
The BBC Orchestras and Choirs performed in 32 Proms, more than one third of the total concerts performed. The BBC Singers performed in five Proms: the First Night and the Last Night, with Sir Simon Rattle and Jon Hopkins and in their own Late Night Prom showcasing their huge range of repertoire.
Audiences flocked to the Royal Albert Hall with well over half the main evening concerts selling out and an average audience attendance across the season at the Hall of 93%. This is up 7% on pre-pandemic levels in 2019. More than 70,000 Prommers, who stood in either the arena or gallery of the Royal Albert hall, were welcomed across the season.
Nearly half (47%) of audiences at the Royal Albert Hall were attending a Prom for the first time. The Proms also partnered with TikTok to relaunch their classical music hashtag, and Proms videos have been viewed more than 1 million times on the platform, which is primarily used by people aged 18 to 34. Across the BBC’s social media channels, Proms content has been viewed more than 5 million times.
Sam Jackson, Controller of Radio 3 said: ‘This has been a fantastic year for the Proms, and demonstrates the country’s appetite for classical music from the BBC. In multiple ways, audiences are higher than pre-pandemic figures, and I’m particularly pleased to see so many young people coming to classical music, often for the very first time. As ever, every BBC Prom has been broadcast live on Radio 3, and a wealth of Proms content is now available on BBC Sounds. Work now begins to deliver another brilliant season in 2024; we look forward to revealing more next April.’
Suzy Klein, Head of Arts and Classical Music TV said: ‘Television audiences across this year’s Proms are their strongest in years, and I’m delighted that major moments in the cultural calendar, such as the First Night and the Last Night, are reaching so many millions of people. I’d like to thank our TV teams for their superlative work in continuing to create ‘gold-standard’ concert coverage – watched globally, and the envy of the world. And a big thank you to all our presenters across the season, who have done an incredible job on TV and radio alike, sharing their musical passion, knowledge and enthusiasm. As the home of classical on TV, the BBC continues to showcase the very best in classical music throughout the year, ranging from BBC Young Musician and Cardiff Singer of the World to Inside Classical, operas, ballet and award-winning documentaries – and we hope audiences continue to enjoy the rich classical offerings still to come on BBC TV’.
So, the BBC might have distorted the truth a little bit in order to talk up its own book. Big deal! Isn’t this exactly what you do too with your clickbaity headlines and deliberate outrage stirring about Netrebko, Dudamel, DEI, etc etc. People living in glass houses really shouldn’t be throwing stones…
Oh please. At a time when we should be celebrating audiences attending orchestral concerts- a good few for the first time-this is an incredibly petty headline and article.
As Thatcher once said Rejoice!
It would be a bit silly for them not to include online audiences in this day and age.
Whatever the merits of your argument, please spare us ‘in this day and age’.
Are you absolutely kidding me? This is fantastic news for the classical music world, and the “#1 classical music news site” just wants to continue its vendetta against the BBC by acting like this isn’t good news. It’s really getting a bit old now.
I had to spend a good deal of time turning away or off because of constant advertising on R3, not least missing the beginning of a prom because of avoiding the ads. Also too much shallow chatter in intervals.
The PROMS are for everybody, so a higher intellect like yourself certainly is entitled to make liberal use of the volume dial when intelligences shining less brightly than yours are given fast food for thought as you see it, I’m glad that the purpose of such useful contraption remains clear to non technically inclined people.
Weird that Suzy Klein thanks “our TV teams” and fails to mention Livewire, the independent production company that actually produced the Proms TV coverage for the BBC. They probably read that statement and thought “Gee, thanks a bunch”.
You work for them? Thank you.
I never understand why organisations crow over a high percentage (here, 47%) of first time attenders. Surely this means that a dwindling number of people return for more?
If the total number of attendees is about the same (or smaller) then yes. But if more people attend, you can have an increasing number of new attendees while still having the usual crowd returning. Bigger pie…
The main thing is that the musical standard was very high this year – several memorable concerts (not least from BBC forces) and few duds. A powerful antidote, you hope, to the nonsense spread by the BBC managers earlier in the year.
Too much light music and pop.
What would be the percentage of such concerts acceptable to your Good Grace?
The comma makes the statement absolutely correct. Online record audiences, and 93% in the Hall. It is the plain, unvarnished truth.
So the BBC fudges a bit! What organization doesn’t? Only Norman is exempt from fudging! I know you really need the cash but lately there are too damned many intrusive ads on this site, Norm!
The “actual, unvarnished” numbers aren’t atrocious at all, either. Perhaps not “record-breaking”, but hardly embarrassing.
Their press release expressly states that the record was for online viewing and listening. It also says that the 93% figure was for main evening attendance at the Hall – and it doesn’t claim that this is a record. The only work you have had to do is to attempt to spin it negatively against the BBC by trawling for seasons past with higher figures (ignoring the fact that most major arts venues have struggled to sell tickets post-Covid), in an attempt to justify your ‘manipulated figures’ headline. It would nice to see you giving a bit of credit where it’s due occasionally, instead of snarking from the sidelines.
As it’s possible dwindling audience numbers (over the years) resulted in the poor decision to make an ill-fated attempt at disbanding the BBC Singers…these figures sound GREAT!!
The BBC Proms are now, sadly, simply an extension of the identity politics which infects the entire output of the BBC.
Programmes and artists chosen to meet “diversity” quotas.
The risible television coverage. Oh for Richard Baker or James Naughtie or Stephanie Hughes on the Last Night.
There are, of course, still outstanding concerts and musicians. Though no Vienna or Berlin Phil this year.
All culminating in yet another Last Night lecture by Marin Alsop.
By the way Marin.The UK is not a global leader in gender oppression. I could send you a list of those countries which are.
Spill the beans George, who do you think shouldn’t have been selected to perform or present works during the festival?
Don’t be shy, point the finger.
As for no big orchestras this year surely the cost of living, Brexit visa issues, relentless pressure to save money may all have some bearing, but those factors are beyond the BBC’s hands.
But you people keep finding every single little something that is wrong with the PROMS while shouting to defund the BBC (we know you people are one and the same), you will eventually reach either of your objectives of killing one of the best classical music festivals in the world or put it to tender so a rich dude can own it .
And when a single rich dude owns the Proms, you can kiss your culture enriching programming goodbye and say hello to “Eric Clapton with the BBC Symphony”
It was still the dullest programming ever with far too much wokery for auntie to tick boxes and not all of those from the wokery camp taking part up to scratch.
If the Kleins and Jacksons think playing to the gallery is going to magically produce and attract younger audiences, whilst insulting and disrespecting their musicians who they employ, they need to think and review blowing their trumpets and back slapping self congratulatory remarks more carefully in the future Prom seasons.
The explanation is exactly what I would expect from that headline, and the last time that I checked, 93% was indeed a fair increase on 85%.
Presumably your objection was actually that the headline *isn’t* misleading, meaning that it doesn’t fit with Slipped Disc policy…
If I was head of BBC Orchestras and Choirs and had shown my employers the depth of my misjudgement and capability as I did earlier this year with my plans of disbandment and redundancies, I’d certainly make sure that it looked like the Proms 2023 were the most successful on record. Any smoke screen will do.
To correct something misleading in the BBC’s press release, his two proms were not Simon Rattle’s last as LSO music director, those were in Bucharest:
https://www.colinscolumn.com/george-enescu-festival-2023-london-symphony-orchestra-simon-rattle-conducts-enescus-voix-de-la-nature-and-messiaens-turangalila-symphonie-peter-donohoe-cynthia-millar-live/
https://www.colinscolumn.com/george-enescu-festival-2023-london-symphony-orchestra-simon-rattle-conducts-mahlers-ninth-symphony-live-stream-on-the-enescu-festival-website-also-live-on-radio-romania-cultural/
It is very easy to trash the BBC’s figure-work. Others have more time, inclination and ability to do so. Maths has never been my strong point but we should always remember the phrase, “Lies, damned lies, and statistics”. Does the fact that lots of people attended/listened to/watched lots of concerts mean that it was a good season? Statistically, yes but, equally, that 22,000 people attend a football match doesn’t mean that the play was interesting and that there were lots of goals scored.
What I would say is that, along with many friends and acquaintances, I watched some Proms on iPlayer. I did this so that I see performers at work but also so that I could scroll through the inane flannel being spouted by a range of “pundits”. There were many folk that I felt demeaned themselves by being guests in the studio. However, that’s up to them.
Both in terms of TV and radio coverage of concerts, I used to be perfectly happy with being told what we were going to hear, some history behind the music, who the performers were and a bit of biographical information on them too. Then, at the end of the concert, the announcer would simply wind things up by re-iterating some of what was said at the beginning, thanking us for our “attendance” and the credits would roll. (To a large extent, this is still the case for concerts on the radio.)
Now, however, and with the greatest respect, we might as well have Alan Shearer in the studio saying things like, “well Jess, I loved the way that the cellos picked up the bass line from the bassoons at figure 34, following that timely lead from the conductor, and absolutely nailed the return of the big tune from the first movement.” Of course, in his usual role, Mr Shearer might say, “it was obvious that the squad was under-prepared. If this run of poor results continues, then surely their manager’s continuation in post is under threat.” Unfortunately (or perhaps that should be fortunately), our music “pundits” will always claim that what has just been performed was fantastic, thoughtful, moving, breath-taking, exciting, awesome etc, because they simply can’t say, “well Jess, that performance was probably the most boring I’ve ever heard, obviously showing that the conductor either has no feeling for the works of this composer, or failed to inspire the musicians in the hall to deliver of their best.”
There is a way to avoid this of course – don’t try in the first place. I know that this presentation style has probably being introduced in an attempt to gather new audiences. However, there is the potential for an inbuilt dishonesty to prevail and this does nobody any favours.
Understanding a commentator’s love for and excitement about a piece of music is absolutely fine, on a programme such as Radio 3’s Record Review. Engaging with a critical review of a performance is also fine (Record Review again). However, in a concert, we should surely not be subject to such commentary, particularly when it has to be so patently biased.
Commas exist in language for a reason.
Commas aren’t edible, eating them (or funnily enough, skipping them) leads to all kind of problems.
Be kind, don’t eat any commas.
I had another comment about percentages, but I think that would go over the head of most British people, they seem stuck dealing with absolute numbers, percentages to Brits is where there will be dragons, 100% of them.