Just weeks after a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) called into question the BBC’s ability to build a digital-first public service media organization and manage the future demands of its audience and listeners, public accounting The Commission (PAC) has also questioned the ability of companies to achieve their digital ambitions, and MPs have previously voiced concerns about how they can manage the huge increase in personal data capture of UK license payers. He expressed particular concern about the backlash against his guarantees.
The BBC will first unveil its Digital Transformation Plan in May 2022, with BBC Executive Director Tim Davey pledging to build a digital media organization that will make a significant positive cultural, economic and social impact and become a global leader made a commitment. Additionally, this is an organization that prioritizes digital when creating content, an organization driven by “truth-seeking, impartiality, outstanding creativity and independence.”
To achieve these objectives, the BBC has reallocated funding to content that works in the on-demand world, including its iPlayer on-demand, live and catch-up TV platforms, making “hard choices” in traditional distribution, He said he would invest more. with an online service. In fact, the BBC had planned to have its digital services in at least the top three market shares in the UK within five years.
In assessing the BBC’s ambitions and performance to date, NAO explored from its 2021 Strategic Technology Review (STR) whether the BBC has the ability to deliver value to its users. Evolve to deliver strategies more effectively and accelerate digital growth. It also highlighted the fact that the BBC has less funding available to develop digital products than most other media organizations, many of which are digital only.
The report added that the BBC had announced plans to invest an additional £50m a year in digital product development by 2025, but there were no details on internal plans to support this, and the broadcaster said it would continue to invest in digital products. He said he had not yet finalized the budget for the first strategy. The NAO also notes that with the increased use of digitization, the use of personal data will correspondingly increase, and if the BBC does not meet best practices regarding the acquisition, storage, protection and data transparency of personal data, the BBC would be exposed to greater reputational risk. use.
The PAC, chaired by Meg Hillier, along with the BBC’s Chief Operating Officer Lee Tabaziba and Chief Product Officer Storm Fagan, questioned Davey. Davey remembered a recent speech. He outlined that digital presents a huge opportunity to unlock more value for the audience, but there are also major organizational changes, a fundamental overhaul of how the BBC uses data, and the need for a world-class technical team. new operating models, new creative solutions and ideas. PAC asked how a new operating model would be needed after STR was established, but really he said STR is not working now?
Davey explained to the committee that December’s speech does not mean that the STR is evolving, nor will it be unwound in any way. It was the right thing to do perfectly and the operating model is when you run television and content you create a new operating model editorially you’re doing the right thing for iPlayer is confirming. [for example]This allows you to traverse traditional silos. ”
Fagan added: [the Strategic Technology Review of 2021]So we implemented the change. Now everything is ready. The next phase spreads across the organization. No rollbacks or changes from that implementation. ”
Tavaziva sheds more light on what the new BBC means in terms of its technical structure, with what broadcasters previously called design and engineering capabilities to deliver product areas, especially digital products and services. He pointed out that he drained the team that was designed to be to the technical team. Manage your broadcast and online enterprise infrastructure. This has also impacted the execution of the underlying technology across traditional areas such as cybersecurity delivery and delivery – the way content reaches audiences.
“It allowed us to develop leadership to build the competencies that Tim was talking about in his speech. [and] The way product teams work in an agile way – lots of taste and learning development, fast-moving activities for digital services,” she noted. “This has been essential to compete with the kind of product distribution offered by our competitors compared to larger, capital-intensive and ongoing companies such as Netflix and Spotify.
“It’s one thing to get our technical team right and up to the task. [right], it’s another thing for all content creators to understand the changing habits of their audience and start thinking about how they receive the BBC. Optimize functions not only for broadcasting but also for digital, [support] multiple channels.with more multimedia teams [gain the] At the same time, you can offer stronger digital offers. ”
While acknowledging that the company is working in an “incredibly difficult environment,” Davey said he was confident the company was set up to make the necessary changes and address the concerns expressed by the NAO. was In particular, he noted that the company has aggressive commercial plans based on its success in the world of production, including a partnership with The Walt Disney Corporation. Doctor Who.
PAC also asked executives about the specific technological shifts the BBC is facing and what digital product development is being done to overcome them. Fagan took it upon himself, and he candidly said one of his big challenges is related to data.
“We are currently seeing a major shift in the world in terms of our ability to access and use data. This is evident when the NAO report talks about three major challenges: search, recommendations and metadata. All of this is due to the amount of data change, how the product uses the data, and how the data is used to create the product. [user] Experience a simpler experience. Moving from broadcast to digital greatly expands your content choices. ”
Finally, Hillier thanked the BBC for what she called a “very audacious” plan, and said the PAC was aware of the challenges facing broadcasters, but the Commission said the BBC would It warned that it was monitoring the BBC’s digital development very closely, as it was raising public money at one time. When there were other pressures on the company. She said the PAC will produce a report on the proceedings before Easter.
