BBC could close linear channels to consolidate under one "BBC" brand
The broadcaster's director-general unveiled plans for the BBC's future.
Some big changes could be in store for the BBC in the near future, including reducing its linear services and consolidating under one brand with a digital-first focus.
The news was announced by the broadcaster's director-general Tim Davie during an RTS talk today (Wednesday 7th December).
“The BBC will focus its effort on the digital world and over time this will mean fewer linear broadcast services and a more tailored joined up online offer,” he said (via Deadline).
Despite this digital-led approach, Davie also said that “live linear is here for the long term,” with changes expected to take place over the next 10 years.
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Some shifts have already happened, however, including the merge of BBC News Channel with BBC World News, and the freezing of new original content on BBC Four. Interestingly, youth-led channel BBC Three was brought back to linear TV after going online-only, however.
The news comes in the wake of the Government's plans to scrap the BBC licence fee altogether, with the broadcaster undergoing a review into its current funding model.
Despite distancing herself from comments made by previous post holder Nadine Dorries, new UK Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said “the licence fee alone cannot be the only answer" as an increase would drive down the number of people who pay it.
“Inevitably all this requires another choice and that is to actively, dare I say happily, invest in the BBC,” Davie said during his speech today. “Moving to digital is not the challenge in of itself. Moving to digital while not losing most of your audience and burning millions of pounds unnecessarily is the challenge.”
Davie's aim is to avoid “simply drifting to the point where the emergence of vast US and Chinese players marginalise us while we put on a very British brave face as they do so".
The director-general also stated that owning intellectual property, such as Doctor Who, would be a major drive of its new direction.
“We need to own IP and find the writers who own them,” Davie explained. “This is a bigger question than who is operating the most effective shed [studio space]. Those sheds are brilliant at skills and apprenticeships but they are not going to underpin the future – that’s about IP and ownership.”
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