Getting a grip on the scope of the BBC global activities took a back seat this week as the media frenzy following a report about a BBC presenter in The Sun provided a significant distraction.
The release of the BBC Annual Report offers a glimpse inside one of the biggest media organisations in the world. The global publicly funded broadcaster has over 21,000 full-time staff around the world. The funds generated by the UK licence fee are supplemented funds generated by BBC commercial operations.
On a day when the success of Bluey and how it generates revenues for the BBC should have been celebrated, the media only had one thing on its mind when BBC director general Tim Davie presented the report. They wanted details of how the organisation was responding to allegations published in The Sun about the behaviour of a senior presenter.
BBC presenter allegations published in The Sun
On the same day as the organisation published its Annual Report, the BBC press office released a detailed timeline explaining events leading up to The Sun’s story last week and what has happened since.
That timeline started with:
The BBC’s Corporate Investigations Team had a meeting with the Metropolitan Police in relation to information provided to the BBC by The Sun newspaper on Thursday 6 July.
As a result of this meeting, the BBC has been asked to pause its investigations into the allegations while the Police scope future work.
The BBC has subsequently restarted its internal investigation after London police reported mid-week:
“Detectives from the Met’s specialist crime command have now concluded their assessment and have determined there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed.”
Show me the money: BBC Annual Report
Getting to grips with the annual BBC data dump that is the report is daunting. It runs to 242 pages which are heavy with detail. The most-thumbed pages are the annual details of salaries paid to senior executives and on-air talent.
BBC News has reported on the salary highlights, noting five presenters earn more than £400,000 – Gary Lineker, Zoe Ball, Alan Shearer, Huw Edwards and Stephen Nolan.
Critics of the need for public broadcasting will point to some on the detail in the report and question the need for a publicly funded news gathering operation.
BBC in Australia
Performance details from international operations are provided in general terms.
The operations of the BBC business are split between two divisions: PSB Group (Public Service Broadcasting) which is the TV and audio services provided across the UK and the rest of the world. The other is Studios Group – the BBC’s production and distribution business that creates, invests in, develops, produces, commercialises, and distributes content across multiple platforms and around the world.
In Australia, the report indicates income generated in Australia in 2022 was £87m, with £86m of that coming from the Studios Group.
See also: BBC Studios Showcase – What’s new in 2023 and what it means for Aussie partners
Celebrating Bluey and its global reach
Writing in the report, the chief executive of BBC Studios, Tom Fussell, commented:
“It has been another creatively and commercially successful year for BBC Studios. We reached a significant sales milestone, breaking through £2 billion for the first time, with record EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) also.
Full-year sales were £2,090 million (2021/22: £1,630 million), 28% higher than the previous year. This was driven by a healthy slate from our Content Studio, which created momentum for the business overall, also fuelling sales of BBC Studios’ premium catalogue. Global long-term partnership deals, thriving brands Bluey and Strictly Come Dancing [Dancing with the Stars in Australia], and an increased market share for UKTV also contributed to the record year.”
While some broadcasters and producers are turning their back on kids’ TV, the BBC is using its partnership with Bluey to strengthen its offering. The report notes:
In April 2022, the BBC’s Children’s In-House Production team became part of BBC Studios and the newly created Kids and Family division was formed.
The new home of Blue Peter, Bluey, Phoenix Rise, Hey Duggee, JoJo & Gran Gran, The Beaker Girls, Sarah & Duck and Something Special, Kids and Family combines a century of award-winning storytelling with the content investment, commercial and marketing expertise of BBC Studios. The new division has the end-to-end capability to take projects from script to screen and beyond.
About the Australian production specifically, the report adds:
Global hit Bluey cemented her status as an iconic children’s brand, appearing as a giant, hand-painted balloon in New York’s 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Co-commissioned by the ABC and BBC Studios from Ludo Studios and distributed by BBC Studios, the award-winning Bluey is now broadcasting and streaming in 60 countries, with licensed products available in over 20 countries and the first US tour for Bluey’s Big Play The Stage Show.
Bluey’s success helped to increase sales for consumer products by 10% in the year, and BBC Studios expanded its approach to brand extensions and partnerships.
Britbox grows globally
There is no breakdown regarding Britbox (a JV with ITV) streaming numbers in Australia. Regarding overall performance, the report notes:
BritBox International increased subscribers to three million across eight international markets, including the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa and Nordic countries, up more than 15% in the year.
It is investing in original content, including a major new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic novel Murder is Easy, co-commissioned with BBC One.
See also: Bears, beets, BBC Studios: What goes into bringing The Office Australia to life