Advanced Television

Tim Davie

BBC DG: ‘Not strapped to one funding mechanic’

Tim Davie, the BBC’s Director-General, has acknowledged that the Licence Fee is the ‘least bad’ option for funding the Corporation, an observation made by current BBC Chairman Richard Sharp before taking up his post and repeated by former Broadcast Minister John Whittingdale earlier in 2022. “If you believe in universal broadcasting, the pressure is on […]

September 27, 2022Colin Mann @ RTS London Convention 2022

MPs to question BBC chiefs

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the UK House of Commons is to question senior BBC figures on the licence fee, impartiality, and earnings. The Committee will quiz Tim Davie CBE, Director General, BBC, Richard Sharp, Chair, and Leigh Tavaziva, Chief Operating Officer, BBC on how the broadcaster plans to remain relevant and […]

September 5, 2022By Colin Mann

PSBs call for sports rights protection

The heads of UK public service broadcasters (PSBs) BBC and ITV have written an open letter warning that so-called ‘Crown Jewel’ sporting events such as the Olympics and the football World Cup risk going behind a paywall unless the Government proceeds with new legislation, amid fears that proposed media legislation could be dropped by Prime […]

August 22, 2022By Colin Mann

BBC iPlayer streams up 8% YoY

The BBC’s Annual Report reveals the broadcaster reaches 90 per cent of UK adults on average each week, rising to 97 per cent over a month. The BBC says it is the nation’s number one media brand having “increased value for money and become leaner”, while at the same time BBC Studios has broken all […]

July 12, 2022

‘Digital-first’ BBC plan

The BBC has set out the blueprint to build a digital-first public service media organisation, which includes plans to stop broadcasting smaller linear channels, such as CBBC and BBC Four and Radio 4 Extra, within the next few years. In a speech to Corporation staff, Director-General Tim Davie said the BBC must reform to stay […]

May 26, 2022

BBC to support “levelling up” across the UK

The BBC has set out a plan that it says will ensure “its social, cultural and economic benefits are felt in every community across the UK”. The broadcaster has been working with The Purpose Coalition chaired by Justine Greening and, in a new report, the BBC sets out how it will reach all corners of […]

April 26, 2022

BBC: “Annual Plan delivers greater value”

The BBC says its new Annual Plan reveals creative highlights for the year ahead, and explains how the broadcaster will continue reforming to deliver maximum value to all audiences. The plan is published at a time when record numbers globally are tuning into the BBC for impartial news coverage of the war in Ukraine. During […]

March 30, 2022

BBC unveils new-look Commercial Board

The BBC has announced a series of appointments to the Board overseeing BBC Studios as part of its continuing plan to build its commercial business, one of the BBC’s four strategic priorities under Director-General Tim Davie. A re-named BBC Commercial Board (formerly BBC Commercial Holdings Board) will, for the first time, feature a majority of […]

March 30, 2022

BBC receives extra funding for Russia, Ukraine news

The BBC has received £4.1 million (€4.9m) emergency government funding to support independent and impartial journalism in Russia and Ukraine. BBC Director-General, Tim Davie, commented: “I am hugely proud of our coverage and the bravery and resilience of our colleagues reporting this difficult and complex story, day in, day out. This additional funding from the […]

March 24, 2022

Millions of Russians turn to BBC News

Figures from the BBC show that people in Russia are turning to BBC News in their millions for information about the war in Ukraine. The audience for the BBC’s Russian language news website more than tripled its year-to-date weekly average, with a record reach of 10.7 million people in the last week (compared to 3.1 […]

March 3, 2022