BBC Eyes Radical Rebranding Of Internet Operations
The BBC has announced a radical overhaul of its online branding which will see the familiar BBCi brand disappear from its website leaving it the sole brand for the Corporation’s interactive television services.
From 6 May all of the BBC’s websites will come under the new bbc.co.uk brand, while its range of red button services will retain their familiar BBCi moniker.
The move to rename the Corporation’s internet presence comes ahead of the finding of a wide-ranging Government review of its £111 million a year online operations and the effect they are having on the commercial market.
Last month it emerged that the BBC was likely to escape unscathed from the investigation, with competitors unable to provide any solid evidence that Corporation’s operations are putting its commercial rivals out of business (see BBC To Emerge Unscathed From Online Review).
The BBC claims the rebranding has been sanctioned as a result of consumer research showing that the BBCi identity was becoming more closely associated with digital television services and had much less recognition with users of the Corporation’s website.
Ashley Highfield, BBC director of new media and technology, explained the reasoning behind the decision, stating: “The BBC has a vital role to play in getting people online and, once they’re there, making the internet as simple and easy to use as possible. The new name bbc.co.uk is much more intuitive for users and the improved, clearer home page design will make our website easier to navigate.”
The Corporation denies that the move is designed to reinvigorate its websites with traffic remaining busy across its network. The latest figures show that the websites currently reach around 45% of the 23 million internet-using adults in the UK.
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk
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