BBC seeks to double global audience to one billion

16 January 2020

BBC seeks to double global audience to one billion

BBC Director-General sets out vision for next seven years

Increasing reach of BBC News
Taking BBC Sounds app global
Story-led commissioning innovation in BBC News
Making Corporation carbon neutral
More staff away from London

The BBC Director-General Lord Tony Hall gave a New Year’s address to staff from the new BBC broadcast centre in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, on 14 January.

In his wide-ranging speech – relayed to all BBC offices in the UK and abroad – Hall said that the plans he was announcing would set the Corporation up for the rest of the current Royal Charter period that runs until 2027.

Hall said that the BBC brand is “recognised, and at times revered”, all over the world, with 426 million people using BBC products every week. He praised the work of BBC Studios, the in-house production unit, highlighting the immense audience for the landmark “Planet” series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Alongside this, BBC News is growing as it gives “so many more people access to news and information they can trust”. He cited the example of India where the BBC is now reaching 50 million people, an increase of 70% in the last year.

Now Hall wants to build on these successes and double global reach to one billion people every week by the end of this decade. He praised the last UK government that provided new funding for BBC World Service and he said that he’s looking forward to working with Boris Johnson’s new government. In addition, Hall wants to develop the BBC global brand and associated revenues further, gaining additional revenue from outside the UK at the same time as reaching the one billion audience figure.

Hall said that Fran Unsworth, Director of BBC News, is looking at new ways of working, including how best to bring the diverse range of BBC News teams together and how they can best create impact among audiences, including making sure that all the Corporation’s audiences recognise that BBC News “is really for them”. There’s to be a new “story-led” approach to commissioning in News and more detail on this will be announced towards the end of January. “It’s not just about how we cover news, it’s about what we cover’” said Hall. Audiences have told the BBC that they want explanation and analysis that helps them explore solutions. During 2020 there will be a “major focus on big themes, the things that matter beyond the headlines and the immediate.”

Hall spoke of the new Cardiff headquarters for BBC Wales that uses the newest generation of broadcast technology, live IP. He said that the building in the centre of the Welsh capital is the “most connected and flexible media centre in the world,” that is also the “greenest and most sustainable broadcast centre in Europe and…the world’s most accessible building for neurodiversity.” The renowned school of journalism at Cardiff University has moved alongside the BBC in the city.

Outside Wales, a new BBC technology hub is being created in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north-east of England. This is where software engineers, designers, product developers and data scientists will be based, driving the BBC’s digital services for UK and international audiences.

The curation team of BBC Sounds – the digital app for audio content – will be based at Salford on the outskirts of Manchester in the north of England. Hall said that BBC Sounds will be opened up to new British creators and will bring the best podcasts to everyone – presumably meaning that the platform will be available to storytellers to use to reach larger audiences. The BBC Sounds app will become available globally later in 2020, taking live BBC content and archived material to international audiences.

Importantly in terms of sustainability, Hall said that he wants to see “what it would take to make the BBC’s operations carbon neutral in this Charter period.” The BBC created the Albert initiative that broadcasters and production companies can use to help them become more sustainable. The AIB has been working with Albert to take its message to broadcasters and producers internationally.

Reading between the lines, Hall’s speech was perhaps a message to the UK government that said: “we know what we need to do, and we’re doing it. Mess with the BBC at your peril.” For example, moving more teams to places across the UK can be seen as a hedging move, protecting the BBC from accusations of being too London-centric and making it harder for any future licence-fee settlement to shrink the BBC’s staff numbers if it poses a threat to regional jobs and economies. The fact that Hall cited the way other organisations are drawn to where the BBC is establishing or expanding bases demonstrates that the presence of the BBC is a local multiplier, helping to drive growth in the media and digital sectors where it operates.

There is more news to come from the BBC over the coming weeks. Broadcasters and media companies, both in the UK and around the world, as well as politicians will be looking at how the world’s largest publicly funded broadcaster is adapting to ever-increasing competition from streaming services, the challenges in the news sector and the problems associated with climate change.

Main image: JThomas / BBC Cymru Wales

Al Jazeera English revamp

3 January 2020

Al Jazeera English revamp

Al Jazeera English has launched its new and refreshed on-air branding and studio. The refresh project enhances news, programmes, broadcasting, and operational features.
The channel’s renovated newsroom incorporates a state-of-the-art studio set, décor, an expanded video wall and a presenter desk that rotates through 270 degrees with enhanced lighting capabilities. This setup allows for camera positions to be utilised with reverse shots into the newsroom. In addition, revised on-screen graphics feature creative elements with new colour themes.
“We are excited to be starting the new decade with a refreshed look,” said Giles Trendle, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English. “This has involved the renovation of our studio and news room in Doha and the creation of some new on-screen features based on internal consultation as well as employee and audience feedback.”
Commenting on the refresh, Duncan Preston, Head of Global Creative, said, “This has been an amazing project, a huge effort has been made by all departments, coming together with one vision; the aim of creating a more dynamic, modern and fresh on-screen presence that will really enhance and promote the Al Jazeera brand as we move into a new decade”.
Reflecting on the project, Russell Maguire, Programs Manager for the Projects Directorate under Technology and Network Operations Division, said: “This has been a complex project to implement as maintaining on-air continuity is of paramount importance combined with the need to push on and deliver against an aggressive time constraint”.
The refresh project is the result of an initiative to enhance Al Jazeera English’s studio and newsroom to bring it up to the modern look and feel of Al Jazeera Media Network.

BBC Persian makes urgent appeal to UN as harassment spikes during Iran protests

10 December 2019

BBC Persian makes urgent appeal to UN as harassment spikes during Iran protests

The harassment of BBC Persian staff and their families in Iran has been stepped up during protests in the country, the UN has heard.

In an urgent complaint, UN Special Rapporteurs heard anonymised testimony from a number of the affected journalists which makes clear the gravity of the current situation which they now face. Elderly relatives have been subjected to solitary confinement, degrading prison conditions and interrogation, and express threats have been made to journalists’ safety in the UK and elsewhere.

In addition, over the past number of weeks Iran is known to have taken extra-territorial action against a number of individuals considered to be critical of the regime. The Iranian authorities claim that foreign broadcasters are encouraging dissent within Iran – in essence blaming the protests on the media.

BBC Persian journalists are extremely concerned for their own safety and wellbeing, and for that of their family members in Iran.

BBC World Service Director Jamie Angus says: “Following the civil unrest, we have seen some deeply disturbing developments regarding the state-backed harassment of BBC Persian staff in London and their families in Iran.

“Over the last few weeks, family members of BBC staff have been called in for questioning, had their passports confiscated and told that they must ask their relatives to stop working for the BBC or face the consequences. At the same time, the Iranian media has cited BBC Persian television as allegedly encouraging unrest and violence in Iran.

“While BBC Persian staff have borne the brunt of this harassment over many years, the Iranian authorities are widening their offensive against journalists from other media outlets reporting on the protests and have imposed an internet shutdown. There can be no doubt that these actions constitute a clear breach of the universal human right of free expression. We call on all those who believe this fundamental right should be powerfully defended to support BBC Persian and all journalists who report on Iran.”

This is the first time BBC Persian journalists have filed a communication with the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions.

Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC and Jennifer Robinson, international counsel for the BBC World Service at Doughty Street, say: “BBC Persian journalists are facing harassment and persecution because of their essential work reporting on events inside Iran. This decade-long harassment campaign against BBC Persian staff has included a national security criminal investigation, asset freeze and ongoing targeting of their family in Iran.

“This recent escalation has coincided with a brutal crackdown upon dissent within Iran, and has included express threats being made by state officials to their families about the safety of BBC Persian journalists outside Iran. This places the journalists and their families at grave risk, but it also hampers the ability of international organisations and other States to hold Iran to account for its response to protests within Iran.

“The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Agnes Callamard, has repeatedly raised concern about impunity for the persecution of journalists and the need to take early action to protect against and prevent violence against journalists. We call on the UN to condemn Iran’s attempts to intimidate and terrify BBC Persian journalists into silence, at a time when their work is needed more than ever.”

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, says: “This campaign of harassment has to stop. This cruel and inhumane tormenting of families has to cease. The Iranian government must recognise that this harassment of individuals and their families are clearly understood by the international community for what they are: an attack on journalism and on press freedom, one that the NUJ and everyone who cares about media freedom will not allow to be successful.”

The three mandate holders hearing the complaint – the Special Rapporteurs on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Human Rights in Iran, and Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Execution – had already acknowledged the deteriorating situation in Iran in a UN statement issued on 22 November 2019.

There are many disturbing and credible reports of killings of protestors on a large scale. Grave concerns have been expressed that the authorities may be using excessive force against those participating in the protests. In addition, the authorities have introduced measures to curtail the public’s access to news and social media, with a nationwide internet shutdown.

Image: Adobe Stock

Organisations Launch Project Against Disinformation

6 December 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Advances in technology to manipulate information and to spread disinformation have created a very real threat for media outlets and users alike. Fact-checking digital content on the internet and social media has become a top priority together with promoting media literacy. The DG7 members are entering into a long-term commitment for developing an effective response to the threat of AI-generated false information.

The members of DG7 are committed to collaborating on tools for validation and verification of digital content ranging from written articles to video. These are “Project Origin”, which was initiated by CBC/Radio-Canada, New York Times and the BBC as well as DW’s “TrulyMedia”. The cooperation to further develop these tools will lead to content on third-party platforms being published with proof of provenance, enabling users to distinguish objective news from disinformation. In this context, the DG7 are calling on social media companies to combat disinformation and protect digital platforms as a space for free expression.

The DG7 also discussed effective measures to counter the increasing pressure on the freedom of the press around the world, which ranges from censorship to the intimidation and the threatening of journalists.

The DG7 members stressed the profound importance of objectively distinguishing between public service media organizations, which are operating with editorial independence and state-controlled media entities.

With over a billion total weekly users, the DG7 broadcasters have a significant journalistic impact worldwide. Audiences and users, particularly in the world’s most repressive countries, rely on consistently trustworthy, fact-based reporting to circumvent censorship, disinformation, hate speech, and propaganda.

The DG7 calls on governments around the world to respect press freedom, to ensure the safety of journalists and their families, and to reject any legislative action which could lead to a system of law that criminalizes independent media.

The DG7 comprises publicly funded international public service media organizations from seven democratic nations: ABC Australia, CBC/Radio-Canada, France Medias Monde, Deutsche Welle, NHK World-JAPAN, BBC World Service and U.S. Agency for Global Media, represented by their respective directors general or chief executive officers and heads.

Five programmes from BBC News Persian add to Ariana News TV schedule

3 December 2019

Five programmes from BBC News Persian are adding to the schedule of one of Afghanistan’s leading national TV channels, Ariana News. Thanks to this rebroadcasting collaboration, BBC News Persian will now bring Ariana News viewers the flagship news and analysis programme Shast Daghigeh (60 Minutes), Saturday to Wednesday, and the weekly programmes: the current-affairs programme Safheh Do (Page 2 weekend), the interview programme Be-ebarat-eh Digar (HARDtalk), the debate programme Pargar (Compass), and the guide to digital technology, Click.

BBC News Persian has a global weekly audience of 21m on TV, radio and digital. It currently reaches around 8.5m people in Afghanistan every week.

The BBC reaches 12.1m people in Afghanistan every week – 59% of the adult population – with content from BBC News Afghan in Pashto and Dari, BBC News Persian, BBC News Uzbek and the BBC’s English-language news content on radio, TV and digital.

BBC World Service Director of Business Development, Simon Kendall, says: “We are delighted that through this new partnership with Ariana News a suite of BBC News Persian programmes will be available to audiences in Afghanistan. We are excited to be increasing BBC presence on TV in the region and we hope that audiences will enjoy our programmes alongside our digital and audio offer. We look forward to working with Ariana as we establish this important new agreement.”

Ariana News is part of Ariana Radio & Television Network (ATN). ATN’s Managing Director, Ali Kasemi, adds: “ATN was founded in 2005 with a mission to provide our viewers with a ‘Window to the World’ so that all Afghans could watch, share, and enjoy the best global news, entertainment, sports and information from around the world. We are very proud to be adding BBC News Persian’s award-winning programming to our content package, and we see this partnership as an exciting continuation of our commitment to bring the world to Afghan viewers and families around the nation.”

Shast Daghigeh will air at 23.00 Kabul Time Saturday to Wednesday; Pargar – 12.00 on Sundays; Be-ebarat-eh Digar – 20.30 on Tuesdays; Safheh Do – 23.00 on Thursdays; Click – 21.30 on Fridays.

BBC News Persian TV is broadcast via satellite (Hotbird, YahSat and Telstar 12) and is streamed live online (and available on demand) on bbc.com/persian and YouTube. BBC News Persian also reaches its audience via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Telegram. BBC News Persian radio broadcasts are visualized, enabling audiences to also watch radio programmes on TV and digital platforms.

AIB condemns asset freeze on Iran International staff and jamming of channel

27 November 2019

Iranian government’s action mirrors attack on BBC Persian

The Association for International Broadcasting today condemned the freezing of assets of journalists working for London-based Iran International by the Iranian authorities.

The move, reported by the Fars news agency in Tehran, imposes legal restrictions on journalists working at Iran International, the Persian-language TV network that broadcasts news, current affairs and feature programmes from its headquarters in west London. The asset freeze come in the wake of the Iranian government’s failure to stop reporting by Iran International of the crack down on protestors in the country following the threefold rise in petrol prices.

The asset freeze and legal restrictions mirror the actions taken by the Iranian authorities against BBC Persian journalists and staff based in the United Kingdom two years ago. The scale and severity of the Iranian authorities’ actions led the BBC to file a complaint at the United Nations, the first time the Corporation had taken such a step.

In addition to the asset freeze, Iran International’s satellite television signal has been jammed as the authorities in Tehran attempt to prevent viewers in Iran watch the channel.

“We are appalled by this latest attempt by Iran’s government to silence journalists who are reporting news from and about Iran,” said Simon Spanswick, Chief Executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “The Iranian government is once again trying to use a jurisprudence dragnet to intimidate journalists and their families. At the same time, it is seeking to restrict access to news and information by its own citizens. The Association for International Broadcasting and its Members – who collectively serve audiences of over one billion people every week – call on the Iranian government to immediately cease from this act of harassment and intimidation and to lift the asset freezes immediately. The jamming of the channel’s signal must also end.”

In March 2019, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran deplored the harassment of BBC Persian staff and reiterated the seriousness of the persecution of BBC staff, which included the publication of fake and defamatory news to undermine the reputation of BBC Persian journalists.

The Iranian authorities ban both Iran International and BBC Persian in the country. Despite the restrictions, both broadcasters reach significant numbers of people in the country, counted in the millions.

The AIB is supporting its Members around the world through its Media Freedom Initiative that seeks to increase the cost of infringements of media freedom to governments and other actors.

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