BBC Unveils New Multiplatform Commissioning Strategy

LONDON,
September 27: Simon Nelson, the controller of portfolio and multimedia at the
BBC, today announced a new strategy for commissioning, content creation and
delivery across BBC Vision, to “liberate” the broadcaster from “the limitations
of the live linear schedule,” with plans to double the investment in
multiplatform content.

Nelson
unveiled the new strategy at an in-house Multiplatform Day for program-makers
from the BBC and the independent sector. In his speech, he emphasized the role
of the web, interactive “red button” functions and mobile platforms in
delivering the pubcaster’s content in the digital age.

"It's
too easy to dismiss the multiplatform opportunity as simply getting our
programs onto new devices or creating websites alongside programs,” Nelson
said. "The lack of a commercial imperative and the privilege of licence
fee funding oblige [the BBC] to drive innovation and break new ground in
attempting to serve all audiences in the U.K. … We will be able to liberate
our content from the limitations of the live linear schedule.”

Nelson
continued, "We can use the two-way nature of new media platforms to
transform our relationship with licence fee payer … collaborat[ing] with
audiences in the creation of content and participative experiences."

The
BBC plans to double its investment in multiplatform content, with an additional
£30 million in funding over the next three years. Furthermore, 
every
television program will have its own website with web support provided at three
prioritized levels: Basic (created automatically), Enhanced (for 50-plus
programs a year) and 360 (rich-media content for 15-plus programs a year).
There will also be a new suite of tools for rating and sharing content online,
and improved search and navigation functions.

The
BBC is also putting in place a new “simpler” commissioning process for
multiplatform initiatives with a single point of commission—one genre
commissioner for both TV and multiplatform elements—and one commissioning
route via a standard e-commissioning system.


Jana
Bennett, the director of BBC Vision, commented: "BBC Vision was created in
part to place the BBC at the heart of the multimedia landscape. We have a real
advantage that's born out of our scale and the range of our talent and skills
here. I believe that together we can define this new creative space in terms of
public service content and populate it with ideas that are distinctive and
innovative."

BBC
Vision is the biggest integrated multimedia broadcast and production group of
its kind in the world. It comprises Vision Studios, Vision Operations,
multiplatform commissioning, and the channels and services BBC One, BBC Two,
BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC Switch, CBBC, CBeebies and BBC Learning.