8 October 2015
DISTINCTIVE, INDEPENDENT, & UNIVERSAL – AN OPEN BBC
The BBC has today published its submission to the Government’s consultation on the future of the corporation.
The document sets out the case for a new Charter allowing the BBC to continue to serve all audiences, focus investment on British content, and act as the cornerstone of Britain’s creative industries. It also sets out how the BBC will become more open, with more partnerships and collaborative working on everything from the arts to local news provision.
The evidence-based response, which runs to over a hundred pages, makes clear the BBC’s commitment to reform, as well as outlining what the corporation can do in the interests of Britain. It also sets out proposals to protect the BBC’s independence.
The response shows that the BBC is working well today and helping to grow the creative industries, while acknowledging the need to modernise to respond to changing lifestyles, technology and the media landscape. To that end, we are proposing a radical programme of reform including:
- Increasing competition from two thirds to eighty per cent of our cost base – one of the best in the public sector;
- Planning to save almost twenty per cent over the first five years of the next Charter, having already saved more than forty per cent of our addressable cost base in this Charter period – with greater levels of efficiency savings than the public sector/government average;
- Getting our overheads to less than seven per cent, inside the top twenty-five per cent of private regulated companies, having already got to less than eight per cent this year;
- Growing our overall commercial return in the first five years of the next Charter to a cumulative £1.2billion, up fifteen per cent, with Worldwide maintained as an integral part of the BBC;
- Buttressing the BBC’s independence by having an eleven year charter and stopping top slicing or contestable funding;
- Removing key guarantees and quotas for BBC programmes, but setting up BBC Studios to maintain the BBC’s tradition of programme making;
- Reform to the BBC’s system of governance and regulation, to provide greater clarity and improved accountability; and,
- Transforming the BBC’s services to be internet fit, on the way to them being ready for an internet-only world whenever it comes.
BBC Director-General Tony Hall said:
“Every week the BBC informs, educates and entertains almost everyone in Britain. As the cornerstone of the UK’s creative industries, the BBC is also an engine for growth, supporting jobs and businesses in the wider economy.
“The public wants a strong – and independent – BBC that produces great programmes, gives them impartial news and ensures Britain’s voice is heard abroad.
“Our programme of reform will ensure the BBC is fit for the internet age, focused on the things that matter to audiences, continues to support the economy and is an unashamed champion of British talent, content and creativity.
“We look forward to working constructively with the Government in the months ahead to ensure the British public continues to have a BBC they are proud of.”
Today’s submission responds to each of the 19 questions posed by the Government on the BBC’s future. It argues there should be no changes to the purposes or scope of the BBC that undermine the BBC’s ability to serve everyone with public service content.
It sets out the distinctiveness of BBC output and how the corporation is an asset to Britain – culturally, economically, and globally. Far from having a negative impact on competition, the BBC is in fact an engine for growth and is the foundation for the best broadcasting system – along with the likes of ITV, Channel 4, Sky and others – anywhere in the world. Rather than crowding others out, the BBC attracts investment in and raises standards.
The document also argues that for the BBC to continue to serve everyone it should carry on offering high quality programmes across a broad range of genres. This is what the public wants and is in the best interests of the wider industry.
The submission also calls for the Budget funding agreement for the next Charter to be implemented, with no return to top-slicing the licence fee or introducing contestable funding for other Government policy projects. And it proposes an eleven year Charter which would provide long-term security and decouple decisions about the BBC’s future from the electoral cycle.
Full details of the submission can be found here. (Source: BBC press release)
5 October 2015
NHK WORLD TV, the 24-hour international English language channel produced by Japan’s public service broadcaster NHK, announces its autumn technology programming schedule showcasing pioneering medical robots to assist in elderly care, cutting-edge advances in unmanned aviation technology and a badminton-playing robot contest.
The 24-hour news and lifestyle network showcases everything Japanese – from culture to news on the hour and a programming schedule that covers subjects from art and travel, to cookery and technology.
The Japanese are leading innovators in the world of science and technology – the inventors of video and digital cameras, the walkman, CDs, DVDs, the pocket calculator to name but a few – and NHK WORLD TV’s technology output has a long standing tradition of highlighting scientific advances and breakthroughs and cutting-edge technological designs.
NHK WORLD TV’s autumn schedule will include a range of technology focused strands including: Medical Frontiers – exploring developments in Japanese medical technologies, Science View – showcasing advances in new technologies and Great Gear which reports on the latest products and gadgets developed with a uniquely Japanese twist.
Medical Frontiers: ‘Robotics Aid Recovery’ 6th October at 16:30-17:00/22:30-23:00, 6th October at 4:30-5:00/10:30-11:00 One week per month on Monday and Tuesday, Medical Frontiers explores developments in Japanese medical technologies. With the world’s highest life expectancy, Japan, much like the UK, is now home to an aging population. Just as the UK, medical professionals and caregivers for the elderly are in short supply. But in a country with a world class reputation as technological innovators, Japan has come up with an ingenious solution to support in elderly care – robots! A number of specially designed robots have been created that can help lead exercise classes and work with elderly people affected by paralysis.
Science View: ‘The Sky’s the limit: Cutting-edge unmanned Aircraft’ 6th October at 16:30-17:00/22:30-23:00, 7th October at 4:30-5:00/10:30-11:00 In Science View top Japanese scientists delve into the fascinating worlds of groundbreaking technology and the natural sciences. Following the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami, unmanned aircrafts have been designed to help monitor damage at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant and assess the levels of remaining nuclear waste in the surrounding areas. A Japanese company has also invented the world’s first crime prevention aircraft – the “flying surveillance robot” – that will film an intruder and transmit footage straight to the company’s control center manned by security personnel. Also available on VOD.
Great Gear: ‘Japan IT Week’ 21st October at 16:30-17:00/22:30-23:00 22nd October at 4:30-5:00/10:30-11:00 This month, NHK WORLD TV’s technology show that reports on the latest products and gadgets developed with a uniquely Japanese twist reports from Japan IT Week. It’s the number one trade show for Information Technology, showcasing everything from user devices to backbone architecture and the great gear that keeps our information secure and flowing freely. Also available on VOD.
ABU Robot Contest “Badminton Robot–Game” Battle to be the world’s best! 31st October at 0:10-1:00/06:10-7:00/12:10-13:00/18:10-19:00 The 14th annual ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest was held in the ancient city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on the 23rd of August this year. The international student competition featured unique hand-built racket-wielding robots battling it out in badminton matches. The programme follows the teams, including students from Japan, Vietnam, and China.
NHK WORLD TV, which is available on Sky, Freesat, TVPlayer, Virgin Media and a dedicated app, reaches 290 million households in more than 150 countries and regions.
For more details: www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/howto
5 October 2015
A new BBC Hindi TV news programme is launching on India’s ETV network and on the BBC Hindi website bbchindi.com. The Monday to Friday global news programme, BBC Dunia, brings original BBC stories, in Hindi, with a focus on international content that resonates with the Indian audience.
BBC Dunia is part of ETV’s 21.00 news slot, ETV News with BBC. It goes on air at 21.20 across the ETV network – ETV Rajasthan, ETV Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand, ETV Bihar and Jharkhand, ETV Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, ETV Haryana and Himachal and ETV Urdu. The programme is also available on demand on bbchindi.com and the BBC Hindi channel on YouTube.
Produced and presented from London, BBC Dunia is a fast-paced, dynamic 10-minute news programme with a special appeal to young viewers, delivering the BBC’s take on global events of the day – be it politics, science and technology or culture and entertainment – and looking at how global events impact India and the wider region. Delivering world-class news coverage from the BBC, with exclusive BBC news features and original BBC pictures, the programme draws on the BBC’s newsgathering presence across the world, bringing the viewers the BBC’s insights and expertise.
BBC World Service Asia Editor, Juliana Iootty, says: “The launch of BBC Dunia is a major development for BBC World Service in the region and an excellent example of our commitment to Hindi-speaking audiences. Now with BBC Dunia, available from Monday to Friday, BBC Hindi will serve its TV audiences even better, hopefully becoming essential viewing for anyone who wants to keep abreast of the world developments with the BBC, in Hindi.”
BBC Hindi Editor, Nidheesh Tyagi, adds: “The BBC teams in London and Delhi have worked hard to deliver BBC Dunia to our audiences in India – via ETV – and anywhere else in the world, via bbchindi.com and our YouTube channel. Based on our understanding of our audiences – especially younger ones – we have created a format with pace that will help us give them everything they need to know about the world around them. We all hope they will join us for this dynamic and comprehensive roundup of key news stories of the day on ETV and other platforms of their choice.”
Head of Business Development, Asia & the Pacific Region, BBC World Service, Indu Shekhar Sinha, says: “The launch of BBC Dunia means major expansion of the BBC Hindi TV offer in India. It builds on our partnership with ETV, which for almost three years brought our weekly TV news programme to millions of viewers, further expanding its audience base in India.”
Jagdish Chandra, Head ETV News Network, comments: “ETV is a leader in regional news space in the country, and this tie-up with BBC has added one more feather in its cap. Now ETV viewers across the country will get an international window in the form of BBC Dunia. This ETV BBC fusion will prove a boon for the viewers who like to watch news which really matters to them.”
Rajesh Raina, Group Editor, ETV News, adds: “We are proud to have this association with BBC which has no parallel as a credible international media organization. BBC Dunia, a ten-minute news capsule direct from BBC London studios on ETV channels, will add more fragrance and colour to our bouquet of news programmes. This will also give platform to BBC to reach the grassroots level in India through ETV which is having the largest news network in the country.”
BBC Hindi is available online, on mobiles, TV and radio. BBC Hindi is part of BBC World Service.
2 October 2015
France 24 has extended its distribution across Indonesia by concluding an agreement with MNC Sky Vision, the leading pay-television service in the country.
France 24, English version, is thus available in the basic offers of satellite providers Indovision (channel 352), Okevision (channel 156), Top TV (channel 352) and on Play Media IPTV service (channel 352), representing an additional 2.5 million households.
This new agreement reinforces France 24 presence in Indonesia and means that the channel is now available in 1 out of 2 households subscribing to a pay-TV offer in the country.
France 24 is also available 24/7 in Indonesia on numerous platforms, including the basic packages of First Media and Big TV.
For more real-time information on France 24’s distribution worldwide, go to ► http://f24.my/ijOOim
About France 24, a France Médias Monde channel (france24.com)
France 24, the international news channel, broadcasts 24/7 to 300 million homes around the world in French, Arabic and English. The three versions have a combined weekly audience of 45.6 million TV viewers (calculation method used in 64 of the 180 countries where the channel is broadcast). From its newsroom in Paris, France 24 gives a French perspective on global affairs through a network of several hundred correspondents located in nearly every country. It is available via cable, satellite, DTT, ADSL, on mobile phones, tablets and connected TVs. France 24’s new media platforms, which are also available in three languages, attract 14 million visits, 12.5 million video views a month and 14 million followers on social networks.
1 October 2015
Arqiva today announced the launch of FOX International Channels UK’s first free-to-air entertainment channel, YourTV, which will provide viewers with varied content throughout the day, including the reality series Don’t Tell The Bride, explosive true-life crime series Snapped: Killer Couples, and hit international legal drama, Shark.
FOX UK’s first channel launch in 11 years, YourTV is primarily aimed at women and will launch to UK audiences on October 1 at 1pm, and will air for 20 hours each day across the UK, from 7am until 3am, on Freeview, YouView, Freesat and Sky. The channel will be broadcast in standard definition, providing national coverage across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, from the Arqiva national commercial multiplex.
Today’s announcement builds on a long-standing relationship between FOX UK and Arqiva, which began in 2010. Arqiva provides FOX UK with a managed service for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) capacity, contribution (the physical link for the delivery of the playout signal to the Freeview network), and playout.
Jeff Ford, Managing Director FOX International Channels UK, commented: “We are thrilled to be working alongside Arqiva to announce the launch of YourTV. The move not only marks our first free-to-air channel but an exciting next step in the evolution of our UK brand portfolio. Our previous experience of Arqiva’s reliability, credibility and expertise has inspired us with the confidence to approach this new TV landscape. With the ability to manage the whole launch process for us – meaning all we have to do is provide the content – Arqiva’s service was the ideal choice to help us establish YourTV as a fresh new destination for entertainment in the UK.”
Mike Finchen, Director, DTT Muxco at Arqiva, said: “We’ve been working with FOX UK for many years to deliver a reliable managed service for playout and infrastructure services across a number of their pay channels. The launch of YourTV onto the UK’s free-to-air market is a key strategic move for FOX and we are delighted that it has recognised our ability to deliver the full end-to-end service required to make it a success. We are committed to taking the customer’s content and doing the rest for them, and the FOX UK and Arqiva relationship is testament of this.”
To receive the new service, Freeview and YouView viewers will need to rescan their TVs and set top boxes to view YourTV on channel number 73.
