Record numbers have tuned in to Lockdown Learning, the BBC’s biggest ever educatinal offering.
In response to the third national lockdown, the BBC has brought together BBC Two, CBBC, BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and online in a bid to ensure all children can access curriculum-based learning, even if they don’t have access to the internet.
On Monday, CBBC saw a 436% increase in viewers for its 9am-noon slot, while BBC Two – which is carrying at least two hours of educational content every weekday – saw an increase of 29% for its 1-3pm slot.
And Bitesize Daily episodes on BBC iPlayer were requested 275,000 times, 12% more than on the day it launched during the first lockdown in April 2020, while 1.6million unique visitors viewed Bitesize online.
Patricia Hidalgo, Director of BBC Children’s and Education, said: “These extraordinary numbers prove that people continue to turn to the BBC in times of need. We’re thrilled to be supporting so many families and teachers across the UK with our curriculum-based and edutainment content, on air and online.”
CBBC’s educational offer includes the likes of Horrible Histories, Art Ninja, Our School, Operation Ouch and Celebrity Supply Teacher.
On BBC Two, the channel is supporting secondary school curriculums with episodes of Bitesize Daily Secondary complemented by Shakespeare and classic drama adaptations alongside science, history and factual titles from the BBC’s award-winning factual programming units.
