BBC Outlines Digital Plans

The BBC announced today its plans for using digital technology to broaden its broadcasting activities. BBC Director-General John Birt pledged a dynamic new range of quality broadcasting services providing even better value in exchange for the licence fee. The ‘digital dividend’ will provide licence payers with:

• BBC1 and BBC2 broadcast in a cinema-style widescreen format with superior-quality pictures and sound
• new extra digital tv services supplementing BBC1 and BBC2 output with a range of additional programmes, information and graphics
• Europe’s first CD-quality sound radio services
• 24 hour news on both television and radio
• enhanced regional coverage on television, radio and Ceefax, and an increase in the BBC’s journalistic presence across the UK
• extensive opportunities for wide-ranging interactive learning in the school, workplace and home

The BBC will seek to ensure that its new licence fee funded digital services will be available on all the new distribution systems (digital terrestrial, digital satellite, cable and telecom networks). For viewers who want to pay for even greater choice and convenience, BBC Worldwide – the BBC’s commercial arm – plans to develop extra services. These will include themed subscription channels (ie drama, history, science); a range of multimedia and on-line products; and programmes which can be ordered on demand.

Plans which the BBC is currently working on include the provision of a ‘side channel’ where, for example, an episode of ‘Pride And Prejudice’ could be followed on a side channel by an edition of ‘Omnibus’ about Jane Austen. A 24-hour television news service would draw heavily on the BBC’s national and regional newsgathering teams and link with BBC’s international news channel BBC World to provide a richer and deeper mix of news and analysis. There would also be uninterrupted coverage of Parliament, conferences and live events in addition to the BBC’s normal coverage and supplementary information streams could provide maps, statistics and analysis to add further background information.

The BBC admits that it faces financial challenges in fulfilling these aims. It aims to meet them by realising the full benefits of new technology for programme production and business efficiency; expanding BBC Worldwide and exploring new approaches to capital funding and trading activities.

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