ITV

Tag: UK pubcaster

  • BBC enters North African FM market with two relays

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has become a radio player on the North African FM scene with the launch of two 24-hour FM relays in Mauritania.

    BBC 106.9 FM in the capital, Nouakchott, and BBC 102.4 FM in the second largest city, Nouadhibou, now bring 24 hours a day of BBC Arabic programming to Mauritanian audiences.

    As part of the agreement, the BBC has also provided Radio Mauritania staff with a training programme in broadcast journalism. Reports by the journalists who took part in the training programme will feature in a special edition of BBC Arabic service’s daily magazine programme, BBC Xtra, which will be broadcast from Nouakchott tomorrow (13 April).

    BBC World Service Business Development, Africa and Middle East Region head Simon Kendall said, “Mauritania is an important market for the BBC and it is the home of some of the BBC Arabic service’s most loyal listeners. We are delighted to be able to provide our listeners in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou with the opportunity to receive their favourite BBC Arabic programmes in crystal-clear FM quality.”

  • Thomas Geitner joins BBC Worldwide board

    MUMBAI: Thomas Geitner has joined the board of UK pubcaster the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Worldwide as a non-executive director. Geitner joined Vodafone in 2000 as an executive director with responsibility for global business integration. He left the company at the end of last year.

    As a non-executive member of the BBC Worldwide board, Thomas Geitner will be particularly advising on new media developments, investments and international growth as BBC Worldwide gears up for some major digital business launches over the coming months.

    He said, “I am delighted to join the board of BBC Worldwide at this point where the business is setting out to expand its global brand and the range of its products into new media opportunities.”

    BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith said, “Thomas’s appointment means we now have our full complement of non-executive directors. His vast experience in telecommunications, particularly mobile services, will be highly valuable as we look to launch more direct to consumer businesses.”

    Geitner had held his most recent post at Vodafone from April 2006 and had been a Board director there since May 2000. He was responsible for establishing Vodafone as a global brand, for the creation and successful launch of Vodafone live! in 2002 and the establishment of a global supply chain organisation.

  • BBC announces new ad agency roster

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has appointed RKCR/Y&R and re-appointed Fallon onto its advertising agency roster. this marks the completion of a formal review begun in May.

    Alongside Red Bee Media, the new roster will provide strategic advice and creative content for its brands, services and priority marketing campaigns.

    BBC director marketing, communications and audiences Tim Davie says, “The four agencies who pitched were all outstanding and it was a very tough decision. However, I am delighted to continue our relationship with Fallon and to welcome RKCR – they will make excellent partners in our on-demand, multimedia environment, and I very much look forward to working with them.”

    From 1 January 2007, the agencies will work across the BBC’s public service portfolio which includes BBC One, BBC Two, its digital channels, radio networks and other new media services.

    Fallon and RKCR will work closely alongside the BBC’s Marketing Department to deliver communications plans and creative content for specific marketing campaigns. Campaigns will predominantly use the BBC’s own media, including TV, radio and online, as well as external media platforms.

  • Andrew Baxter joins BBC Worldwide as head of commercial policy

    Andrew Baxter joins BBC Worldwide as head of commercial policy

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Worldwide has appointed Andrew Baxter as head of commercial policy. Baxter will be responsible for the full range of commercial policy matters relating to all of BBC Worldwide’s seven businesses. In particular, he will work to ensure that all of BBC Worldwide’s commercial activities serve the BBC’s wider goal by competing fairly in the marketplace, operating efficiently and through protecting the BBC’s reputation and promoting the BBC’s brand.

    He has management responsibility for BBC Worldwide’s compliance with the BBC’s fair trading commitment, Editorial Policy guidelines and the requirements of the new Charter. He will also take the lead in working with the BBC in developing new policy.

    BBC Worldwide director of business affairs Sarah Cooper said, “I am delighted to welcome Andrew to the company at a time of exciting new developments. Now that the BBC Charter has been agreed and the remit for BBC Worldwide’s activities has been clarified and endorsed, we are moving ahead with our plans to further increase profits for the BBC whilst ensuring we protect its brand, both at home and abroad. Our strategy includes building some important commercial digital opportunities for our parent and for the UK licence fee payer in what is a fast-changing media landscape.

    “A rigorous commercial policy is essential for any global brand with a reputation as strong as ours, and it is core to our business to ensure we always operate according to the four criteria laid down in the Government White Paper published earlier this year. Andrew’s extensive commercial and legal experience across the television industry and his breadth of understanding of regulatory, rights and competition issues will be invaluable as we take BBC Worldwide on to the next stage of growth.”

    Baxter said, “It is great to be joining BBC Worldwide at such an exciting time. The cornerstones of Commercial Policy – efficiency, respect for the brand, and fair and transparent trading – are policies which make sense for any responsible business and should help drive profitability and growth. I am very much looking forward to what I see as a really positive and enabling role.”

  • BBC Worldwide’s profits rise 62 per cent

    BBC Worldwide’s profits rise 62 per cent

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide, UK pubcaster BBC’s commercial arm, has published its annual review for 2005/2006 and announced record profits of £89.4 million for 2005/2006, a year on year increase of 62 per cent, with sales up by 11 per cent to £784.4 million.

    The increase in overall profits was achieved by a combination of trading and efficiency improvements across the business and by selling, closing or turning around loss-making operations.

    In 2003/2004, the company produced a profit of £37 million. In 2004/2005, this rose 50 per cent to £55 million. This year, it exceeds £89 million – a 144 per cent increase from two years ago and 62 per cent up on last year. Across the business, the return on sales was 10 per cent in the year and the EBITDA margin was 22 per cent. For the first time, over 50 per cent of revenue came from overseas sales.

    The underlying profit, excluding one-offs, disposals, restructuring and legal costs, is £92.1 milion, up from £53.3 million in 2004/05, and an increase of 73 per cent in the year. This figure has also doubled over two years.

    Following a strategic review and reorganisation, the company is now focused on profit and growth. It operates seven businesses: global channels, global TV sales, magazines, home entertainment, children’s and digital media, plus the recently created content and production business.

    Both through its own operations and via partnerships and joint ventures, BBC Worldwide seeks to drive commercial benefit from rights and content on behalf of the BBC and other UK rights holders. In the UK, its products and services help to extend audiences’ appreciation of BBC programmes. Internationally the company promotes the best of British talent and culture across a range of media.

    BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith said, “It has been an outstanding year. Our turnaround and repositioning strategy has enabled us to exceed our targets, streamline the business and prepare for significant growth both in the UK and abroad. 2006/2007 will see us deepen our commitment to digital media with the proposed development of the commercial iPlayer and bbc.com, the digitising of the archive and more VoD deals. We will continue to invest in acquiring rights and maximising returns across all media. We will also be rolling out new channels and content and production strategies later this year.”

    BBC DG Mark Thompson says, “We set BBC Worldwide an ambitious target to double profits over two years, and I’m delighted they’ve managed to exceed it. The ongoing work in focussing the business and increasing efficiency is drawing direct investment back into programmes and services for UK licence payers.”

    Highlights of the year include:

    Global Channels
    Sales £165.4m – up 18% from £140.6m. 
    Profit £6.9m – up 73% from £4.0m.

    UK’s No 1 TV Channel operator with 18 channels including ten in the UK held in joint venture with Flextech (UKTV) Channels will be an important growth area in the future.
     
    Channels reach 288 million homes globally – up from 245 million last year; BBC America reached target of 45 million US homes and is now in half cable homes in USA. Ratings rising 20 per cent in primetime 
    UKTV delivered £4 million dividend to BBC Worldwide, over 90% up on 2004/2005.
     
    Darren Childs who was earlier previously Sony Pictures Television International MD was recruited to head up business. 

    BBC Japan ceased broadcasting, but BBC Prime launched in South Korea. 
    2005/2006 was an intense period of assessment and review. 

    Global TV Sales

    Sales £173.1m – up 9% from £158.8m.

    Profit £31.7m – up 3% from £30.9m.

    No 1 Exporter of television programmes.

    30th Year of BBC Showcase where 500 broadcast buyers attend to browse and buy from a catalogue of some 40,000 TV hours. Second year of BBC Showcase in Latin America.

    It re-focussed strategy into ’emerging’ and ‘developed’ markets. Growth expected in certain territories – India, China, Latin America, Russia and Poland.

    New contemporary drama re-ignites market for British shows.

    Seven pitches for Indian FM radio licences were won with partner Mid Day Multimedia.

    It also distributes Indie-produced programmes commissioned by ITV, C4 and Five.

    Content and Production

    Sales £36.1m – up 173% from £13.2m.

    Profit £3.2m – up 220% from £1.0m.

    New division, headed up by director Wayne Garvie (joined from BBC Entertainment), comprising the Independent Unit, Investment Unit, format sales and local production.

    Voted No 1 Distributor of Choice by UK Independent Producers (Broadcast, Sept 2005).

    Production office opened in Los Angeles in 2005.

    Dancing with the Stars – the international format for Strictly Come Dancing – has now been sold in 27 countries and won several awards including the Broadcast award for Best International Programme Sales. It is ABC’s top rating entertainment show (US) and on Series 5 in Australia. Following success of Deep Blue, the film Earth is now in development with BBC Production.

    Magazines

    Sales £163.7m – down 3% from £169.4m.

    Profit £19.3m – down 12% from £22.0m.

    UK’s third largest consumer magazine publisher, sold over 90 million magazines in 2005/06 UK’s third largest consumer magazine publisher, selling over 90m magazines in 2005/06 – ie- 170 every minute.

    One in four adults reads a BBC title every month.

    Profit shows an apparent reduction on 2004/05, but that year included a number of one-off items such as the sale of Eve magazine, which if excluded, leaves a year-on-year improvement of 2.5%.

    Post year-end, 61% of specialist publishing company Origin (and the non-BBC titles it publishes) was sold to a management buy-out team. BBC Worldwide will retain a minority stake for a period of time as part of a staged exit.

    CBeebies Weekly and BBC Sky at Night launched (and Doctor Who Adventures and Amy just after year end).

    Radio Times is the UK’s biggest-selling premium-priced listings magazine and No 1 magazine brand.

    Subscriptions are approaching 600,000 and a key area of growth. Dovetail joint venture formed to grow fulfilment business.

    International activity grew: Top Gear now published in 30 countries and international licensing contracts increased to nearly 30.

    Joint venture with The Times of India, Worldwide Media, now one of India’s largest magazine companies; Top Gear magazine launched there in 2005/2006.

    Home Entertainment

    Sales £175.3m – up 9% from £160.8m.

    Profit £25.8m – up 197% from £8.7m.

    First full trading year for 2 entertain – a joint venture with Woolworths plc. Sales of £115m delivering £25.8m profit, largely on DVD sales (also from music and film production). No 1 UK-owned DVD/Video distributor.

          

  • BBC Worldwide signs IP VOD deal in Korea

    BBC Worldwide signs IP VOD deal in Korea

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide, which is UK pubcaster the BBC’s commercial consumer arm, has signed an agreement with South Korea’s largest telephone landline and broadband service providers, Hanarotelecom to supply Internet Protocol Video on Demand (IP Vod) content for its new TV portal platform, Hanaromedia.

    Launching next month, the new service will allow Hanarotelecom’s pre-existing 3.6 million broadband subscribers to purchase over 120 hours of BBC children’s, drama, natural history and lifestyle programming, including titles such as Fimbles, Pride and Prejudice and Tom Jones.

    For between $1-2 per month, subscribers can view their chosen BBC programme as often as they like within a 72-hour rental period. In order for video on demand and Internet traffic to be carried to a living room TV, all that’s needed is a DSL modem, a Hanarotelecom tariff and an Internet Protocol Set Top Box.

    BBC Worldwide senior TV sales manager, Asia, Linfield Ng said, “New media technology is one of our most exciting and important business areas right now. The strength of the BBC’s brand and the depth of its programme portfolio put BBC Worldwide in a really strong position when it comes to leveraging this new technology and sharing our catalogue innovatively with global audiences. I’m delighted that our agreement with Hanarotelecom serves to underline that further.”

    Hanarotelecom chief strategy officer Chonghoon Park says, “I am very pleased that Hanarotelecom is bringing BBC programmes to Korean audiences, allowing them to view these popular and high-quality titles at a time and in a fashion most convenient for them. We look forward to continuing to work with BBC Worldwide to deliver the best service and the best programming for our customers.”

    The announcement with Hanarotelecom follows a number of other agreements which BBC Worldwide has secured to provide content for video on demand services to such international VoD providers as T-Online in Germany, Versatel in Holland, Hot Vision in Israel, Ebismedia in Italy and Telefonica in Spain.

  • Teri Hatcher recalls tough times before landing ‘Desperate Housewives’ role

    Teri Hatcher recalls tough times before landing ‘Desperate Housewives’ role

    MUMBAI: On UK pubcaster BBC One’s show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross which aired a few days ago Golden Globe-winning Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher admitted that she is full of insecurities. Hatcher – who revealed that she wasn’t wearing underwear all evening – recountted how she’d fallen on hard times before she won the role of Susan Mayer.

    She also spoke on the dificulties women have to face in Hollywood. “I was practically begging for a job, I really needed it,” she says of a failed sitcom audition. “I didn’t get it, I cried for 18 hours … I was desperate.”

    She also lashed out at the fake world of LA. “There’s this illusion that we feel so great. I wanted to admit [in her new book, Burnt Toast] that we women in Hollywood put on extra hair, shove our feet into shoes that don’t fit . There are a lot of women where there are parts that aren’t satisfied. As you gain confidence you are less sensitive about what other people think. That’s played itself out in my life.”

  • BBC kicks off Big Screen World Cup Tour in the UK

    BBC kicks off Big Screen World Cup Tour in the UK

    MUMBAI: To mark the start of the World Cup on Friday UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that its Big Screen World Cup Tour in the UK is heading to the David Beckham Academy in Greenwich, East London for a special children’s ‘Welcome to the World Cup’ party.

    Around 500 local young players and their families will be invited to the academy to watch the opening ceremony and the first game from Munich on the big screen hosted by BBC Radio Five Live as Germany take on Costa Rica on Friday 9 June.

    The big screen will be in the car park and open from 3.30 pm with an Opening Ceremony of children from the academy parading flags from all countries taking part.

    There will also be a range of on-site entertainment including giant table football, football street theatre, an interactive virtual penalty shoot-out, the BBC Sport Academy ‘Keepy Uppy’ competition as well as face painters and cheerleaders.

    BBC Live Events project director Bill Morris said, “This promises to be an exciting start to the BBC Big Screen World Cup Tour which is part of the BBC’s offering for the World Cup.

    “The screens will appear in towns and cities across the country every single day of the World Cup providing live coverage of the top match that day.”

    BBC Big Screen World Cup Tour sees two giant screens touring a range of sites from Guernsey to Glasgow and Preston to Peterborough and will set up in town squares, festival grounds and even a service station.

    Radio Five Live’s man Mark Clemmit will be in place to host screen one. Mark will link into Five Live as well as local radio stations giving fans an opportunity to voice their thoughts on the forthcoming match. BBC Sport will relay scenes from the big screens to fans watching at home

    As well as catching all the action on a huge screen, there’ll be family friendly entertainment including interactive games, crowd cams and the chance to text in comments and even give player ratings.

  • BBC chairman Grade emphasises delivery of quality services at lowest price

    BBC chairman Grade emphasises delivery of quality services at lowest price

    MUMBAI: A few days ago a seminar on the subject of UK pubcaster The BBC’s licence fee took place. On the occasion BBC chairman Michael Grade pointed out that a proper balance needs to be struck between the public appetite for range and quality on the one hand, and on the other their efficient delivery at the lowest possible price.

    “The new BBC Charter establishes new governance arrangements for the BBC, at the core of which lies a clear separation of the new Trust from the BBC executive. It places on the new Trust a clear responsibility to ensure that the licence fee is properly, effectively and efficiently used, and requires it to be fully accountable to those who pay it. We are already proceeding on that basis,” says Grade.

    He adds that in its continuing focus on value for money, the BBC’s board of Governors continues to exert pressure on costs. “Any ways which are identified to decrease the cost of the licence fee or to improve what the BBC can offer, will be welcomed by the Board. The licence fee represents a deliberate intervention in the market. The value and benefits of that intervention are well understood, but the wider effects must always remain under scrutiny.”

    He went on to state that what the BBC does affects other businesses. “All those with legitimate concerns about the market impact of the BBC should be reassured by the White Paper’s imposition of real and detailed duties on the new Trust. This is not the land of paper promises: the service licences, PVTs and other tools are there to do a job, and to do it transparently. I should also emphasise that our duty to represent the interests of the licence fee payers is not narrowly focussed on what the BBC provides. Our remit extends to safeguarding their interest in sustaining choice in the wider market.”

    Grade says that the decision on the level of the licence fee is for the Government alone and it is a complex equation to consider, involving broadcasting aspirations, public appetites, public policy objectives, commercial impact and value for money.

  • BBC publishes Statements of Programme Policy

    BBC publishes Statements of Programme Policy

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has published its Statements of Programme Policy (SoPPs). The statements detail, service by service, how the BBC will deliver its public service remit across its portfolio over the year ahead. The priorities outlined for 2006/2007 reflect what audiences have said they want from the BBC.

    BBC DG Mark Thompson says, “The style of SoPPs has changed this year to reflect the BBC’s transition to new governance arrangements. However, we have yet again demonstrated our ongoing commitment to meeting audience needs and to delivering excellence and value across all our services.

    “We will offer diverse television, radio and new media content, as well as non-broadcast services such as the orchestras. Our efforts to provide the best in information, education, and entertainment are enhanced this year with innovative services like the Creative Archive and pilots such as BBC iPlayer [subject to approval by the Board of Governors, which will include a public value test]. For the first time this year we have a new public purpose: to help build digital Britain.

    “Without exception every BBC service now provides some digital interactivity – whether podcasts or a website – designed to encourage and include everyone, and to expose us all to the benefits of the future. It is fitting, therefore, that this year’s SoPPs are only available online. Regional, national and international network news bulletins, as well as rolling news on BBC News 2, remain integral to our programme offering and will continue to deliver precise and up-to-the-minute news and information.

    “Across our channels, programmes like Robin Hood, New Street Law and an adaptation of the novel The Line of Beauty will demonstrate our commitment to new and original drama, and several comedies from new and established UK writers will launch over the year. Successful factual output like Springwatch will return to BBC Two, while Restoration Village will expand the concept of restoration from single buildings to villages around the UK.

    “We also plan to pilot, on BBC One, a new weekday evening magazine show compiled from the nations and regions of the UK – a 21st-century version of Nationwide to complement our existing core news output.”