BBC distribution policy reviewed
June 18, 2018
The BBC has published its new distribution policy following the conclusion of a four month consultation process on a draft policy.
The BBC is required by its Royal Charter and Framework Agreement to develop a strategy and policy for distributing its output and services, and to consult the public and Ofcom on the Policy before publishing it.
As part of the consultation the BBC received 26 stakeholder submissions to the consultation. The BBC also met a number of stakeholders from industry and audience groups, as well as Ofcom. Taking the consultation into account the BBC Board has now approved the BBC Distribution Policy which is effective from today.
The policy
In the policy, the BBC sets out seven conditions that form the basis under which the BBC will distribute its UK public services:
(a) Prominence – the placement of BBC content and services relative to those of other providers should be in line with audience needs and expectations
(b) Editorial Control – the BBC retains editorial control of its content and its placement
(c) Branding and Attribution – users should be able to easily identify which content on a platform is provided by the BBC
(d) Quality – users should be able to enjoy a high quality experience of BBC content and services
(e) Data – the BBC should have access to data about the usage of its services
(f) Free Access – users should incur no incremental cost to access BBC content and services
(g) Value for Money – arrangements should maximise cost-effectiveness of distribution to the licence fee payer
Overall there was broad support for the draft policy from a wide range of respondents but a minority of respondents questioned the extent and clarity of the draft policy and the BBC’s processes for implementing it. The BBC has set out a summary of the points raised during the consultation process and the BBC’s response to those issues. Many respondents raised valuable points about the drafting and application of the Policy. In response, the BBC is making a number of refinements to the policy and the publication of guidance on the BBC’s processes for dealing with requests for carriage of its services.