FOCUS ON THE BBC
Author: David
Brown, Director, ems - european media strategies
Published by: Informa
Media Group
the report in brief…
The BBC is one of the world's leading broadcasters
and programme makers as well as one of the most powerful global brands. This
paradoxically, since the BBC is first and foremost a national broadcaster
funded by the British people through a compulsory licence fee for every
television household. Two factors contribute to the strength of the BBC brand
globally - the quality of British broadcasting, of which the BBC is the leading
exponent, and the respect for the impartiality and accurate reporting of the BBC's
World Service.
The BBC is still Britain’s biggest broadcaster and
is the only British media business that is able to generate the kind of
revenues that can rival those of the leading media players such as Disney, Time
Warner and News Corporation. But increased
competition and declining ratings pose a serious threat in the digital age to
public broadcasting generally and the BBC in particular. The BBC now faces a fundamental question: can it reconcile its status as a global
brand and growing commercial concern with its public service programming remit?
The
report pinpoints this major dilemma facing the BBC – how to exploit its brand
and develop its business, yet at the same time remain a public broadcaster
dependent on the licence fee for its funding.
Already, new technology is undermining the basis on which the licence
fee is established. The fee is growing at a minimal rate compared with revenues
from commercial television (in particular pay-TV), while the cost of content is
rising far faster than the retail inflation rate on which increases in the
licence fee are based. Witness the
BBC’s loss of major sports rights to pay-TV.
However, in the past ten years, the BBC has undergone radical reform designed
to meet these challenges of the digital era. Compared to many other public
service broadcasters it continues to thrive and it has begun to take cautious
steps towards commercialisation on the world stage through BBC Worldwide.
Of interest to public and commercial broadcasters, both in the UK and overseas,
Focus on the BBC examines the BBC’s structure, strategies and performance and
looks at the challenges and opportunities faced by the BBC in an era of
digitalisation and commercialisation.
contents include…
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Executive Summary |
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Introduction History &
background BBC funding UK broadcasting
environment Regulation |
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Modernisation The need for change The Birt reforms Issues raised by
modernisation The Birt legacy |
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The BBC Today Organisation and
finances The BBC Corporate
Centre BBC Broadcast BBC Production BBC Resources BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide channels |
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Strategic Analysis The BBC’s current
strategy External analysis Internal analysis The BBC’s performance |
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The Future Key strategic issues BBC strategy and
government policy The strategic options
for the future |
charts & tables…
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UK
TV statistics BBC
Worldwide joint venture channels The
BBC’s strategic position Terms
of trade – deal with independent producers European
public broadcasters’ funding Future
commercial funding options for the BBC A
bouquet of BBC channels |
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Reach of BBC television
and radio in the UK 1995-99 BBC revenues in 1998/99 UK television viewing
shares, 1998 UK pay-TV distribution UK cable distribution BBC’s recent efficiency
savings BBC Worldwide’s
contribution to the BBC How the licence fee is
spent Cost of BBC radio
services Percentage share of BBC
Radio Costs of digital
services BBC Worldwide sales
history BBC Worldwide sales by
business … by region UK channel viewing
shares Public perception of
the BBC The temporary digital
supplement |
Published in October 1999 by Informa Media – price £495; US$792; €713
contact Information
Contact:
David Brown, Director, ems - european media strategies
E-mail address
Web address
Telephone
44 (0) 20 8995 5020
Informa Media
Newlands
House, 40 Berners Street, London W1T 3NA, UK
Telephone: 44 20 7543 2331
Fax: 44 20 7543 2347
Web
address: http://bookshop.informamedia.com/