BBC Vision launches new multiplatform strategy

Simon Nelson, Controller of Portfolio & Multimedia, has announced a new strategy for multiplatform commissioning, content creation and delivery across BBC Vision.



Speaking at an in-house Multiplatform Day for programme-makers from the BBC and the independent sector, Simon Nelson stressed the role of multiplatform – web, red button and mobile platforms – in delivering the BBC’s public purposes in the digital age:



"It’s too easy to dismiss the multiplatform opportunity as simply getting our programmes onto new devices or creating websites alongside programmes.



"The lack of a commercial imperative and the privilege of licence fee funding oblige [the BBC] to drive innovation and break new ground in attempting to serve all audiences in the UK ... We will be able to liberate our content from the limitations of the live linear schedule...



“We can use the two-way nature of new media platforms to transform our relationship with licence fee payer ... collaborat[ing] with audiences in the creation of content and participative experiences.”



Key elements of the new multiplatform strategy are:



* An ambition to double investment in multiplatform, with an additional £30million in funding over the next three years, subject to the BBC’s reprioritisation plans

* A new architecture for BBC Vision on the web:

o for the first time, every television programme will have its own website with web support provided at three prioritised levels: Basic (created automatically), Enhanced (for 50+ programmes a year) and 360 (rich content for 15+ programmes a year);

o a new suite of user tools for rating and sharing content;

o improved search and navigation for users.

* A new, simpler commissioning process for multiplatform initiatives with a single point of commission (ie one genre commissioner for both TV and multiplatform elements), and one commissioning route via a standard e-commissioning system.

* New, ring-fenced investment for mobile commissioning in three areas: Mobile television (clips and broadcast TV), social media, and location specific initiatives.



Simon Nelson also announced a year-long communication campaign to share audience research, market knowledge and BBC Vision’s requirements in-house, across the BBC, and with the wider independent sector.



Jana Bennett, Director of BBC Vision, commented: "BBC Vision was created in part to place the BBC at the heart of the multimedia landscape. We have a real advantage that’s born out of our scale and the range of our talent and skills here. I believe that together we can define this new creative space in terms of public service content and populate it with ideas that are distinctive and innovative.