Melvyn Bragg: Arts are more popular than football and must not be marginalised Speaking in the opening event of the Broadcast Future of Television conference, he said: "I do think the BBC could do more but I've always thought the BBC could do more - I think there should be more arts programmes full stop. I'm not very proportionate in my views. The evidence is so obvious, I can't understand what's holding them back. It's amazing that Sky is the only place that has two dedicated arts channels. The BBC is doing very well...but why don't they do more? He added: "51 per cent of people in this country take part in an arts activity. That's more people engaged in the arts than people who go to premier league football matches. There are two million people employed in the arts; the creative industry is catching up on the City of London as one of the industries that define this country. We're spreading our energy around the world like never before and yet people haven't quite cottoned onto it. It's still considered at the BBC as rather marginal. Lord Bragg praised new director-general Lord Hall for his enthusiasm for bringing more arts in the BBC, saying he was willing to "wait and see" what difference his policies made. "I think it needs doing and needs doing more," he said. We've just got to settle ourselves to the idea the world wants arts programmes now. It's there for the taking. Earlier this year, Lord Hall announced the BBC would be making the "biggest commitment to arts in a generation," with a host of new commissions and an extra £2.7 million invested into coverage across television, radio, online and the iPlayer. Speaking at the announcement in March, he said: " We're the biggest arts broadcaster anywhere in the world - but our ambition is to be even better. The arts are for everyone - and, from now on, BBC Arts will be at the very heart of what we do. We'll be joining up arts on the BBC like never before - across television, radio and digital. And, we'll be working more closely with our country's great artists, performers and cultural institutions. He has also previously argued that arts coverage should be more mainstream, to avoid it becoming marginalised for future generations.