Taylor Swift is being given too much airtime by the BBC, exasperated viewers tell the corporation.
Somehow switched to superstellar since her latest release marked her 12th UK number one album in the 21st century alone.
But now the BBC has come under fire for its extensive news coverage of Taylor Swift‘s new work – with critics branding it a desperate attempt to attract a younger audience.
Over the past week, it has devoted significant airtime to the ubiquitous Ms Swift, 34, and she was even the subject of BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day on the Today Programme.
Numerous articles have been written about fans’ reaction to the apparent leaking of The Tortured Poets Department online, how a London pub was ‘overwhelmed’ after being named in the title of an album track, and the return of her songs to TikTok after a dispute with the app.
The broadcaster even published an analysis of how the Shake it Off singer fits into the tradition of the poets of Ancient Greece.
Taylor Swift during the first night of the The Eras Tour in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, February 16, 2024, ahead of the release of her album, The Tortured Poets Department
The Tortured Poets Department met mixed reviews following its release on April 19
The BBC defended the decision: ‘Taylor Swift is a significant figure in popular culture, and we know our audiences, younger audiences especially, are interested in her work…’
One BBC viewer, Sojnia Hains, said: ‘How is the fact that a pop singer has brought out two new albums national news when it really isn’t?
‘This is the sort of item you would expect to see on a magazine programme.’
READ MORE: Taylor Swift matches Madonna as having the most number one albums of any female artist in UK chart history
Another, Claire Maclannan, contacted BBC’s Newswatch, which gives viewers’ opinions on BBC News coverage, to say: ‘I’m not sure I’ve ever heard any other musician or artist talked about on so many channels.
‘It seemed a major item on the news coverage on BBC One TV, several times a day for several days and it was just, ‘Not again!’.
‘I couldn’t believe the level of coverage, really the BBC should be paid for marketing her.
‘Are they desperately trying to get young people to watch?’
But another person countered on X, formerly Twitter: ‘I sometimes wonder if Newswatch had existed in the 1960s what the complaints might have been about the Beatles on the news?’
The BBC hit back: ‘Taylor Swift is a significant figure in popular culture, and we know our audiences, younger audiences especially, are interested in her work…
‘As such we feel it is right to include reports about her new album and the reaction to it as part of our overall culture coverage.
‘We appreciate that not everyone will feel the same, and we do consider all our audiences when choosing which stories to cover.’