BBC Studios

BBC Studios is a British television production and distribution company. It is a commercial arm of the BBC, bringing together the majority of BBC Television's former in-house production departments; Comedy, Drama (both combined as Scripted in the new division), Entertainment, Music & Events, and Factual.[2] BBC News and BBC Radio remain separate internal production divisions in the BBC (although BBC Radio Comedy is part of BBC Studios), and the rest of the former BBC Television division (channels and genre commissioning, as well as BBC Sport, Children's and Family and Learning, Children's Babies, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer) now form the BBC Content division.

For the BBC's commercial studios arm, see BBC Studioworks.

BBC Studios
Public subsidiary
IndustryTelevision production
PredecessorBBC Worldwide
Founded27 February 2015 (27 February 2015)
HeadquartersTelevision Centre
101 Wood Lane,
London, England
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Tim Davie (Chief executive officer)[1]
ParentBBC
DivisionsDemon Music Group
2 Entertain
Websitewww.bbcstudios.com

The division was formed in 2016 with an intent to make it a for-profit entity in the future, which would allow it to produce programming for other broadcasters to supplement the income received through the licence fee. In exchange, the BBC agreed to place production of much of its non-news programmes to tender, allowing third-party independents to compete with BBC Studios on bids to produce them.

The formal establishment of BBC Studios as a commercial entity occurred in April 2017. In April 2018, BBC Studios subsumed the BBC's existing international distribution arm BBC Worldwide, to make it both a distributor and producer of programmes in line with other major multinational studio conglomerates.

History

BBC Studios Ltd. as a production company was first registered on 27 February 2015.[3] In September 2015, the BBC's general director Tony Hall announced a proposal to split the BBC's in-house production units for non-news television programming into a separate BBC Studios division, which would eventually, with BBC Trust approval as part of the next revision to the BBC's charter, be spun-out as a for-profit subsidiary of the BBC. This proposal would allow the BBC's units to produce programmes for other broadcasters and digital outlets (which could be done in conjunction with its international distribution arm BBC Worldwide) in addition to the BBC's publicly funded properties. As a for-profit company, BBC Studios would be allowed to pay higher wages to its executives and talent, and no longer face scrutiny over them as it did as a public entity.[4] The proposal was described by The Guardian as being "one of the biggest changes to the BBC in its 93-year history".[5]

The proposal attracted criticism from independent studios, who felt that it would result in the formation of a "super-indie" that would unduly benefit from "guaranteed" programme commissions from the BBC. As part of the split, the BBC planned to tender its programmes, so that independent producers and BBC Studios could bid for the rights to produce its non-news programming, outside of top shows assigned to BBC Studios.[4] The re-organisation and formation of BBC Studios as a division of the BBC was completed in April 2016.[6] In September 2016, the BBC announced that it would tender its non-news programmes over the next 11 years, beginning with programmes such as A Question of Sport, Holby City and Songs of Praise.[7][8][9]

In October 2016, the BBC announced that it planned to lay off 300 employees from the division seen as redundant.[5] In December 2016, BBC Studios announced that it had reached an agreement with Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) in regards to the tendering plan, stating that it would tender at least 40% of the "in-house guarantee" within two years of approval of the transition.[10] The BBC Trust subsequently approved the creation of BBC Studios as a commercial subsidiary, with the process expected to be completed in April 2017.[9][11][12]

On 29 November 2017, the BBC announced that BBC Worldwide would be merged into BBC Studios effective 1 April 2018. The BBC stated that by handling both the production and sales of its programming within one unit, it would improve efficiency and be in line with the "global norms" of other major international media companies.[13][14] Technically, BBC Ventures Group Ltd.[note 1] was renamed BBC Studios Group Ltd. on 3 April 2018, and then BBC Studios Ltd. 1 October 2018;[15] also in October, the production company established in 2015 was renamed BBC Studios Productions Ltd.,[3] and so did BBC Worldwide Ltd., which was renamed BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.[16]

BBC Studios sold 14 television series to CW Seed for streaming in the United States on January 8, 2020.[17]

Television channels
See also: BBC Television § BBC Studios

Assets and brands
  • Owns video publishing company 2 Entertain with products dual branded 2 Entertain and BBC.
  • Owns Demon Music Group.
  • The BBC Shops closed in 2016, although Studios retain Doctor Who and Top Gear-branded online shops.
  • Operates the BBC Motion Gallery.
  • Operates BBC Player (not to be confused with BBC iPlayer), a video on demand subscription service in Singapore and Malaysia.
  • 12.2% stake in production company Left Bank Pictures.[18]
  • 25% stake in Cliffhanger Productions independent production company.[19]
  • 25% stake in BBC Children's Books, an imprint of Penguin Group who hold a 75% stake.[20]
  • Licences the publishing of magazine titles to the Immediate Media Company. The titles were formerly published in-house by BBC Magazines.
  • Licences audio content to Penguin Random House UK for global sales and distribution.[21][22] Titles were previously published in-house by BBC Radio Collection and BBC Audiobooks and later by AudioGO, in which BBC Studios held a 15% stake.[23][24]
  • Minority share in BBC Books, with Random House Group taking majority share. Books published using BBC Books brand.
  • Minority stake in BBC Active, with Pearson PLC taking the majority share.[25] The brand publishes educational material.
  • In partnership with ITV, launched a SVOD service BritBox in March 2017 in the U.S, has since expanded into the UK and Canada.[26][27]

Notes
  1. Originally registered as FFW 1987 Ltd. on 18 June 2002, renamed as BBC Ventures Group Ltd. on 15 August 2002.[15]

References
  1. "Board & Committees". BBC Studios. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  2. Gannagé-Stewart, Hannah (7 January 2016). "BBC Studios takes shape". Broadcast.
  3. https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09463829
  4. Conlan, Tara (16 September 2015). "Biggest shakeup ever to BBC could see hit shows moved to private sector". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  5. Conlan, Tara (13 October 2016). "BBC Studios to cut 300 staff as hit shows move to private sector". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  6. Conlan, Tara (2 May 2016). "BBC Studios: a win for talent or an own goal?". The Guardian.
  7. Conlan, Tara (17 September 2016). "BBC woos independent producers after loss of Great British Bake Off". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  8. "Holby City among BBC shows out to tender". BBC News. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  9. "BBC to begin making programmes for other broadcasters". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  10. "BBC, Pact outline policy framework for Studios proposal". Realscreen. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  11. Williams, Christopher (20 December 2016). "BBC Studios wins go-ahead for commercial production push". The Daily Telegraph.
  12. "BBC Studios approved to launch commercially". Realscreen. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  13. Chu, Henry (29 November 2017). "BBC Worldwide, BBC Studios to Merge into Single Operation". Variety. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  14. White, Peter (29 November 2017). "BBC To Merge BBC Worldwide & BBC Studios Into $1.9B Company". Deadline. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  15. https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04463546
  16. https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01420028
  17. Dade Hayes (8 January 2020). "CW Seed Acquires 14 BBC Studios Shows In Non-Exclusive Streaming Pact". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  18. "The Telegraph" Sony takes stake in Left Bank telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2012
  19. "BBC Worldwide buys into Cliffhanger". BBC Press Office. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  20. "Penguin Books and BBC Worldwide form new venture for BBC Children's Books". BBC Press Office. 30 April 2004. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  21. "BBC Worldwide partners with Random House Audio for new publishing and distribution deal". BBC Media Centre. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  22. "Penguin Random House UK extends relationship with BBC Worldwide to become the global publisher and distributor of BBC Audio content" (Press release). The Random House Group. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  23. "BBC Worldwide announces sale of majority shareholding in BBC Audiobooks". BBC Press Office. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  24. Sweney, Mark (14 July 2010). "BBC Audiobooks sold". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  25. "BBC Active signals new partnership for BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education". BBC Press Office. 13 October 2005. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  26. "BBC – BBC Worldwide and ITV partner to bring new SVOD service BRITBOX to the US – Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  27. "BBC, ITV launch BritBox video streaming service in U.S." Reuters. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
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