Governors’ review of services – New Media Overview The future of broadcasting looks increasingly to lie in ‘on-demand’ – the provision of programmes and other material when, where and how audiences want them, often with an inbuilt interactive element. During the year under review, management have carried out a large-scale trial of the BBC’s experimental BBC iPlayer, which allows users to access BBC television programmes for up to a week after transmission.This will be subject to a Public Value Test before we or the Trust decide whether or not to approve a full launch.There have also been new developments in the provision of BBC material to mobile devices such as phones and PDAs. bbc.co.uk has made good progress towards re-shaping itself to meet the new tighter remit we set for it last year to ensure a clearer focus on delivering the BBC’s public purposes. BBCi – the interactive services in text, video and audio available via the red button – continues to develop. BBC jam (formerly the Digital Curriculum) was launched. BBC management have a good record of partnership with private sector new media operators and we welcome their commitment to continue to develop this.We have made it clear that the Governors, and in future the Trust, will pay close attention to the BBC’s new media activities to ensure that the BBC operates in a way that does not inhibit UK entrepreneurial activity in this sector. 40 BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2005/2006 Monthly reach of bbc.co.uk, BBCi 24/7 services and BBCi enhanced television services (millions) 2005/2006 2004/2005 bbc.co.uk* 13.7 10.6 BBCi interactive television** 10.7 n/a BBCi enhanced television*** 3.2 3.5 Source: *BMRB Access (monthly reach age 15+ in GB) **TNS/Interactive Television Tracking Study (monthly reach GB adults age 16+ in digital satellite, Freeview and digital cable homes.This new measure was only available from October 2005) ***BARB, viewers age 4+ in digital satellite homes. Digital satellite peformance only of BBCi enhanced television programmes (eg Winter Olympics, Chelsea Flower Show) Coast Supplying new platforms: Coast, the BBC Two maritime history series, was supported with innovative content available via mobile phone to viewers who wanted to follow the programme routes on foot New Media division The Director-General’s Creative Future project proposes considerable changes for the BBC online services.A key recommendation is to relaunch the BBC’s website to include more personalisation, richer audio-visual content and more user-generated content. New ways of finding content will be necessary in the coming on-demand world and the BBC is developing better search tools and ways of navigation. In addition it is considering creating easy access points for audiences via broadband portals for key content areas such as sport, music, knowledge building, health and science. We will ensure that these developments undergo the appropriate level of scrutiny and approval. Broadcasting is already moving rapidly towards ‘on-demand’ – enabling audiences to access content when, where and how they want. One of the most interesting developments from BBC New Media during the year under review was its trial of the proposed BBC Integrated Media Player or iMP, now part of the BBC iPlayer project.This allows users to download BBC TV programmes on demand for up to seven days after transmission. The trial, using a panel of 5,000 people from across the UK, ran from November 2005 to February 2006 using a selection of BBC programmes, including soaps, comedy, drama, news and factual, and it drew a very positive response. The technical trial of the BBC iPlayer was carried out in partnership with a number of internet network operators – part of the commitment by bbc.co.uk to develop partnerships with the online community in order to support innovation and growth in the online market by sharing BBC learning. The results are still being assessed by the BBC and its partners. Early findings already made public show that individuals watched on average two programmes a week – about an hour of content, equivalent to 6% of a typical household’s weekly viewing.The main reason for usage was, unsurprisingly, to catch up on favourite programmes, but, significantly, many individuals also used the player to watch unfamiliar output – nearly a third used it to watch a programme they had never heard of.This suggests that the BBC iPlayer could bring new audiences to niche output. The BBC iPlayer raises significant policy issues, and it will be subject to a Public Value Test, including a Market Impact Assessment by Ofcom, before we or the Trust decide whether or not to approve a full launch. The New Media division is also doing innovative work with emerging platforms, including the delivery of BBC content to mobile devices. The popular BBC Two maritime history series Coast, for example, was supported with mobile content. Details of 12 coastal walks could be downloaded as MP3 files to use as an audio guide. BBC plaques were also placed at selected coastal points giving a number that mobile phone users could call to hear the history of the site, sometimes including dramatic re-enactments of key historical moments. Another example was the temporary WAP site rapidly set up when the London suicide bombers struck in July. It offered headlines, emergency contact information, transport updates, comments from the BBC News Have Your Say site – and images of the aftermath.The site was kept in operation for 18 days and seemed to meet a real need – it generated more than 2.5 million page impressions. Trials were also carried out of the Creative Archive concept – which is designed to open selected content from the BBC archive for free non-commercial use by licence fee payers.The BBC has worked with other broadcasters to agree common licensing arrangements under which material is released. Part of the creative archive trial, Superstar VJs, was a collaboration with Radio 1 and 1Xtra, under which 100 programme clips were released.The 15,000 people who registered were invited to use the material in their own compilations and enter them for a competition – with the winner featured on the Radio 1 website. Since then, a range of clips from the BBC News archive have been released and material from other genres, including science and nature is also being released. Users are encouraged to add their own material – pictures, sound and text.The project has obvious potential – not least in education – but also raises significant policy issues in terms of its impact on commercial suppliers of archive material. A Public Value Test will be carried out before we or the Trust approve a full launch. BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2005/2006 41 Governors’ review of services – New Media Remit bbc.co.uk aims to serve the BBC’s six purposes, with an emphasis on democratic and educational value, through the provision of innovative and distinctive content,available to all.As a starting point on the internet and a guide to the medium, bbc.co.uk promotes internet use to develop a deeper relationship with licence fee payers and to strengthen BBC accountability. Usage of bbc.co.uk continues to show strong growth. Average monthly reach was 13.7 million or 53% of the British online audience in 2005/2006, and by the end of that period had reached 56%.This compares with the 2004/2005 average of 10.6 million or 46%.The site is the sixth most popular in the UK based on unique audience reach to home internet users. In 2004 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published its independent review of the BBC’s online services, carried out by Philip Graf. One key recommendation was that a new and tighter remit, closely aligned to the BBC’s public purposes, should be drawn up for the online services (the remit at the head of this section reflects this recommendation). In our response to the Graf Report, we made it clear that one of the cornerstones of this new remit should be the provision of innovative and distinctive content available to all.We have been encouraged by the energy with which this goal had been pursued during the year under review. A good example is Jamie Kane.This ‘interactive fiction’ for teenage girls is Jamie Kane Bringing new content to new audiences: Jamie Kane is an innovative web-based interactive fiction aimed at teenage girls – an audience the BBC can find hard to reach with more traditional content a whodunit about a young pop singer killed in a helicopter crash.The narrative is structured as a game – it takes two weeks to play – and the story unfolds through clues in emails, message boards, fake weblogs, and real telephone calls.The story is supported by fictitious entries about Kane on BBC music sites and a selection of specially composed music available to download from Jamie Kane’s own ‘official’ website. Jamie Kane is a noteworthy achievement, both in terms of its creative use of the videogame format, and of its technical sophistication. The BBC has made a public commitment to increase its activity with external partners as part of its digital mission – taking advantage of the ability of digital technology to open up content and enable assets to be shared, bringing benefits for licence fee payers and for the BBC’s partners.A good example is the collaboration between the BBC and the UK film industry that lies behind the Film Network site launched in 2005.The site is a platform for new British filmmakers. It publishes three new short films each week and encourages viewers to discuss the output and to exchange information and ideas, building a community supporting the UK film industry and nurturing new talent.The Film Network can also be accessed by mobile devices – users can see very short films specially created for mobiles. In a similar vein, another new site, Comedy Soup, encourages users to make their own comic videos and animations and see them published on the site. bbc.co.uk/comedysoup contains free source material from the BBC archive, including images and sound effects available for use by the public. Another example of the BBC actively reaching out to partners is the BBC Backstage project.This gives web 13.4 million page impressions to the Glastonbury 2005 website (19 June–2 July 2005) developers and designers outside the BBC access to BBC content and APIs (application programme interface – the computer protocols and tools for building software applications).The aim is to promote a constructive and open dialogue with the online development community using BBC content and tools to deliver public value.The site actively encourages people inside and outside the BBC to share knowledge, ideas and prototypes and it has generated a large number of new ideas. One of these, the BBC Homepage Archive, has been commissioned and is now live (bbc.co.uk/homearchive).The site records how the BBC homepage changes hour by hour and day by day; by giving permanence to an inherently evanescent product, it transforms it into a curiously compelling chronicle of how the world was viewed through a BBC prism at any one moment in time. An associated development has been the publication online of the BBC Programme Catalogue – an astonishing source of information on more than 900,000 programmes going back to the 1930s. The site – at present still in an experimental form – is searchable, so users can find what programmes, including news bulletins, were broadcast on a given day and who appeared in them.This data can be used in creative ways. One external software developer, for example, has used the catalogue data to design a graphical way to compare the number of BBC appearances by two people over time – an indicator of the individuals’ comparative fame or newsworthiness. The Graf Report noted that the management structure of the BBC could make it difficult for an outsider to engage constructively with the organisation, and changes have made to meet this criticism. These include the appointment of a head 42 BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2005/2006 RaW Promoting literacy: RaW (Read and Write) a three-year BBC campaign to encourage literacy, is supported by the RaW website containing games, quizzes, background material and links to local activities of External Supply to act as a single point of contact for external content and technology suppliers. bbc.co.uk is committed to a voluntary quota of 25% eligible spend on external production from 2006/2007. For a report on progress see page 150. An important part of the BBC’s digital mission is to open up access to the internet for everyone and valuable work has been done during the year to improve access for people with disabilities. The My Web, My Way site is based on a partnership between bbc.co.uk and AbilityNet, a leading UK computing and disability charity.The site provides advice and help to anyone who would benefit from making changes to their browser, operating system, or computer in order to make the internet more accessible. It provides guidance on hardware such as alternative keyboards and mice, and software such as voice recognition, screen reading and word prediction. A different kind of access is promoted by Action Network which provides a way for people to organise community campaigns via the internet. It puts concerned individuals in touch with others in their area who might feel the same way, and provides information, advice, and shared expertise from successful campaigns elsewhere in the UK.The site now contains information on a very wide range of campaigns, including crime, housing, transport and education, and is developing real civic value.The potential editorial risks are well-managed and there is clear labelling to underline the fact that the BBC is an impartial facilitator and does not endorse any of the campaigns itself. A useful by-product is that the site has become a valuable source of news stories for the BBC’s local and national news programmes. Comedy Soup Finding new way to encourage talent: the Comedy Soup website lets users make comic videos and animations using free source material from the BBC archive and see the results published on the site Our remit for bbc.co.uk makes reference to the important role the service should play as a starting point on the internet and a guide to the medium. In its 2005/2006 Statements of Programme Policy, bbc.co.uk committed itself to a major digital media literacy campaign working with partners to increase awareness of the internet and how to get connected. In the event, this particular campaign was not delivered although activity during 2005/2006 included the launch of Webwise/Computer Tutor,a user-friendly on-screen guide for those new to the internet which is being used by public libraries hosting learning sessions. During the year, the Factual & Learning division was given overall responsibility for coordinating and delivering the BBC’s work on media literacy and in the year ahead they will need to consider how this commitment should best be delivered. In our response to the Graf Report we promised a major review of bbc.co.uk as a whole every five years and a mid-term review after three.The mid-term review is due in 2007 and we would anticipate the Trust would fulfil this commitment, being informed by detailed audience research, and public consultation and take account of work being done as part of the Creative Future project. 575,000 people in digital satellite homes accessed Proms Interactive 2005 via the ‘red button’ on their TV remote control BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2005/2006 43 Governors’ review of services – New Media Remit BBCi aims to offer all-day, up-to-theminute news, weather, education, entertainment and other non-linear content to all digital television audiences. It aims to enhance the value of the BBC’s television and radio proposition to digital audiences through interactive video, audio, pictures and text. The BBC offers two kinds of interactive television services: BBCi 24/7 and BBCi eTV (enhanced television). BBCi 24/7 offers news, weather, sport, programme information and so on.These are available all the time. BBCi eTV offers services related to specific television programmes and events – for example, additional coverage of sports events or interactive general knowledge tests. Average monthly reach in digital TV homes for BBCi 24/7 was 11.05 million in Q1 2006 (there is no comparable data for 2004/2005 due to changes in methodology – see below). BBCi eTV had an average monthly reach of 3.2 million (3.5 million in 2004/2005). Usage in 2004/2005 had been boosted by the Athens Olympics. The editorial content of the enhanced interactive service has continued to develop well.The lessons from the notable success with Wimbledon and the Athens Olympics were applied not just to sport (the Winter Olympics and the Commonwealth Games) but also to news (the General Election) and to live music events such as Live8 and Glastonbury.The application meant viewers were offered greater choice – for example to see Live8 coverage from other international venues, or Wimbledon play from a range of courts. Winter Olympics Delivering greater choice: the BBC’s eTV service gave Winter Olympics viewers more control over what they watched – they could choose which events to follow from the onscreen menu The other major application is the so-called ‘playalong’ format which enables viewers of general knowledge and quiz programmes to take personalised tests or compete against studio contestants via interactive TV. This application has been imaginatively used during programmes such as Test the Nation and the National Lottery quiz Come and Have a Go. BBCi produces a number of successful services for children. For CBeebies, the service offers a range of stories and games, all fulfilling the channel’s philosophy of “learning through play.” During the year under review, BBCi launched a service for older children with CBBC Extra.This offers interactive content, including talent competitions, in a magazine format. BBCi was also the interactive hub for the General Election. It offered news, analysis and constituency results in an innovative mix of video, text and interactivity. Your Stories is a BBCi platform for stories produced by the audience. Four or five personal stories are published each day linked by a common theme.The service is available only on digital satellite. A commitment to improve access time was not met and continued reduction in access times will require additional investment. New Media believes that public value can be better delivered by focusing new investment on other areas.We have however, sought a commitment that access times are at least maintained at 2005/2006 levels. During the year, New Media introduced a new methodology for measuring reach of BBCi 24/7 to include Freeview and digital cable in addition to digital satellite (the only platform that previously allowed for accurate measurement). Following a validation period the previous methodology was discontinued. Although the new methodology prevents direct comparison Your Stories Encouraging audience creativity: the BBCi Your Stories platform on digital satellite publishes four or five stories a day produced by viewers and linked by a common theme year on year, we are pleased the new approach is a more robust measure and early indications show a growth in reach over the last six months since the new tracking survey was introduced. 44 BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2005/2006 BBC jam Supporting formal learning for 5 to 16 year olds: BBC jam uses characters such as Earwax to attract the youngest learners to its high quality educational content developed in partnership with teachers and private sector educational suppliers Remit BBC jam is a free online service centred on the learner, aiming to provide high-quality interactive resources which can be used at home, at school or in the community. Structured around key elements of the school curriculum for 5 to 16 year olds, it aims to offer resources that add value to learning for children of all abilities. BBC jam, formerly known as the Digital Curriculum, was launched in January 2006. This delivers via the internet – ideally by broadband – high quality video, audio, games and animations linked to key areas of the curriculum and designed to bridge the gap between school and home. The service is still in its infancy. It was launched with four subjects, building up to a complete portfolio by 2008. It is planned to include some material in languages other than English and Welsh. Reaction to the initial group of subjects is being closely tracked and the findings incorporated into the later releases. The service has enormous educational potential and complements other successful BBC learning sites such as BBC Bitesize (revision) and BBC Blast (encouraging creativity) as well as non-BBC e-learning products already on the market.The service is being developed with the education profession and other industry providers – half the content budget will be spent with private sector suppliers. When the Secretary of State approved the project in 2003 strict conditions BBC News weblog Opening up the BBC: the internet diary or weblog kept by the BBC political editor Nick Robinson gives audiences insight into the way news judgements are arrived at and encourages debate about them were set.We take regular reports to ensure compliance with these conditions as well as conditions set by the European Commission when it approved the service. A compliance report can be found on page 90. 5.3 million users per week to bbc.co.uk/news in March 2006 bbc.co.uk/news The online BBC news site has continued to build on its formidable reputation. Increasingly it is becoming the immediate first port of call when big stories break – witness the day of the London suicide bombings when it generated nearly 116 million page impressions – more than twice its previous record. The service, which is managed by BBC News, and supported by news from local teams around the UK and across the world, continues to innovate with initiatives such as Iraq Day (see our review of BBC News, pages 47 to 48). It is also developing a valuable dialogue with licence fee payers, enabling them to interact with key decision makers in BBC News.The weblogs now written by a number of BBC reporters, including the BBC political editor Nick Robinson, are a good example of BBC News’ praiseworthy attempts to achieve greater openness and transparency about the way it operates. BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2005/2006 45