BBC Releases Report of Digital Switchover Plans

LONDON, November 13: How
the BBC will meet its obligations in the transition from analog to digital is
outlined in a report released today called The BBC's Preparedness for
Digital Switchover.

The BBC Trust commissioned
this independent review from the National Audit Office (NAO).

“The Trust accepts the
report's conclusions and has discussed the NAO's findings and recommendations
with the BBC Executive,” said Jeremy Peat, a BBC Trustee. “The Trust is content
that the BBC management team's proposed actions are an appropriate response and
endorses them. Furthermore, the Trust will continue to scrutinize the BBC's
preparations for digital switchover and will commission a review of the Digital
Switchover Help Scheme around 2009 to monitor the operational value for money
of the scheme.”

Sir John Bourn, the
comptroller and auditor general, added, “The BBC will play a central role in
the switchover from analogue to digital television. At this early stage, it is
important that they get sensible governance arrangements established. This is a
major project and things will move quickly. The BBC and NAO have identified a
number of issues, and the BBC must be on top of its game to get value from the
£800 million they have to spend on providing the help scheme and communicating
with viewers.”

The U.K.'s digital
switchover program involves several public and private sector organizations,
including government departments, Ofcom, other public service broadcasters and
Digital UK.

The NAO notes that the BBC
will play a leading role in delivering the U.K.'s switchover to digital
television by 2012, and the Trust commissioned the report to ensure that the
BBC is well placed to fulfill its commitment to license fee payers to deliver a
U.K.-wide network of digital television.

The NAO has identified
three areas where the BBC should act to protect its position:

The NAO recommends that
the BBC could further strengthen its oversight of switchover work with
independent representation on the project governance board.

The Trust endorses the BBC
Executive's decision to involve a non-executive director with appropriate
expertise in the overall governance of the switchover program.

The NAO also recommends
measures are put in place for measuring the value for money of the BBC's
£200-million funding of Digital UK.

The BBC Executive has
undertaken to bolster its existing program of evaluation following the end of
the switchover in the Copeland region and the Trust will monitor progress.

The NAO's final
recommendation is that lessons from the Copeland scheme are incorporated in the
procurement of the National Digital Switchover Help Scheme.

The BBC Executive notes
that there is a weekly updating of information from the Copeland scheme to the national
scheme but adds that there is a balance to be struck in terms of waiting for
all the data to be available and allowing the successful bidder maximum
implementation time before the start of the national scheme. The Trust will
also put in place performance indicators for the Help Scheme and ensure that
where possible the Copeland experiences feature in the contract.

Additionally the Trust
will commission a review to monitor the operational value for money of the
Digital Switchover Help Scheme around 2009.

—By Anna Carugati