BBC Sets Out 2019/2020 Plan

The BBC has released its annual plan for 2019/2020, stressing a commitment to “creative content which is unique and distinctive,” expanding the iPlayer and further developing the news offering, among other priorities.

“It seems only a few short years ago that the BBC and ITV were thought of as the titans of British media,” BBC Director-General Tony Hall said in the annual plan. “But all of us in the U.K.’s traditional media solar system are getting smaller and smaller in the Apple, Amazon and Netflix universe. Today, it is these companies with whom the BBC must compete with directly in the global media marketplace, and the competition is getting fiercer every day. We need to find new ways to adapt to the changing needs of our audiences, and we need to be able to do it in real time to keep pace with our global competitors.”

Hall added, “Today, the BBC enhances the lives of almost everyone in the U.K. Around 44 million British people use us every day—more than 90 percent of the adult population every week. All broadcasters face the challenges of a fast-changing media landscape. The BBC can meet those challenges and succeed in the future, just as we have succeeded in the past. We will achieve success by continuing to place British creativity at the heart of our program making. Our ambition is to deliver the very best, most distinctive, British content of any broadcaster. The string of hits and award-winning programmes of the past twelve months shows that we can deliver. We will build on that in the months ahead to meet the rising expectations of the public. Our journalism must continue to ask the difficult questions and hold those in power to account. The role of our journalism at home and abroad has never been more important in a fast-changing and uncertain world. And where we have big decisions to make that will impact the shape and future of the BBC, we will make them carefully and responsibly. We will always put the public and our audiences first.”

On its commitment to British creativity, Hall said, “It is our duty to make programs and services about British people and British culture. This is a role that has become critical in a global media environment that is more and more dominated by a small number of U.S.-based global giants. U.K. audiences enjoy the quality and breadth of choice these huge global players bring. But they also love and value the local content that speaks to them directly about their day-to-day lives. Yet this is at risk of being squeezed out in today’s global marketplace. We must not underestimate the importance of distinctively British content. At a time when the country feels divided and fragmented, our responsibility to reflect and represent every part of the UK and make sure all voices are heard has never been more crucial. Audiences rely on the BBC to be the place that brings the country together and helps it understand itself; that keeps reminding us of everything we have in common as well as celebrating what makes our diverse communities different.”

On growing BBC iPlayer, Hall noted, “Where once it was a catch-up service, it needs to become a destination in its own right—one that brings together our very best creativity and tailors it uniquely to each and every user. iPlayer needs to be at the beating heart of the BBC, increasingly the primary way that some people will experience our video content and receive value for their license fee.”

The BBC says it’s planning to make shows available on iPlayer for at least 12 months after initial telecast, “offering more complete series box sets and making more content available from our extraordinary archive,” Hall said. BBC and ITV are bringing BritBox to the U.K., with the SVOD service set to deliver “an unrivaled collection of British boxsets and original series, all in one place. BritBox will offer viewers the chance to enjoy many of the best BBC programs even after they are no longer on iPlayer. It represents a new model of public service and commercial partnership in the U.K., and one that supports the whole PSB ecology.”