Next BBC titles announced for competitive tender
The BBC today announced the next titles to be put out to competitive tender as part of the Charter and Agreement requirement to open up more of the BBC’s TV programmes to competition; they are BBC Two’s topical arts coverage and an invitation to pitch for a new film show proposition on the BBC.
Published: 18 October 2018
The range of opportunities announced today emphasise our continuing commitment to open up more of the BBC's existing shows to competition.
An invitation to tender for BBC Two’s topical arts coverage, to be produced in Scotland will be published in November 2018. It will include Front Row Late, Edinburgh Nights, and a series of standalone events to mark key highlights in the cultural calendar during the period of the contract. These titles and topical event coverage will be tendered as a bundle for suppliers to bid for.
BBC Content will invite pitches from all producers and a full list of eligibility criteria and requirements for the shows will be openly shared with all suppliers. The BBC will retain all intellectual property rights for the programmes, which will continue to be shown on the BBC, but the tendering process will decide which supplier makes the series.
There will also be an invitation to pitch (ITP) for a new opportunity to cover film for the BBC; this will be an online proposition with an accompanying series on BBC Four. The ITP will be published on the commissioning website in the next few weeks detailing the scope, requirements and terms.
In addition to these opportunities, BBC Two’s Natural World will be moving into commissioning and opened up to greater competition from 20/21, with producers able to pitch for all programmes in the strand. More information will follow in due course from the natural history commissioning team.
Richard Dawkins, Chief Operating Officer, BBC Content, says: "The range of opportunities announced today emphasise our continuing commitment to open up more of the BBC's existing shows to competition. We are really excited about the creative potential that they offer."
Jonty Claypole, Director of Arts, BBC, says: “The BBC has a long and illustrious history of reflecting, reviewing and capturing the biggest stories, personalities and ideas in contemporary culture. We are excited to be opening up our topical arts output, as well as creating opportunities for a new format to competition so we can ensure the greatest value for licence fee payers.”
The titles that have been opened up to competitive tender so far include A Question of Sport, Holby City, Doctors, Bargain Hunt and Songs of Praise. The first four were retained by BBC Studios and the latter was awarded to two independent producers Avanti and Nine Lives. Horizon was also opened up to a competitive pitch process, with independent producers Windfall Films and Wingspan Productions joining BBC Studios to produce bundles of films for the BBC’s flagship science strand, as well as a number of single films commissioned from a range of independent producers. Other titles announced include The Proms TV coverage, Mastermind, Celebrity Mastermind, as well as Later with Jools Holland and Hootenanny. These processes are all still live at the moment.
The tendering of returning series currently produced by BBC Studios forms part of the Compete or Compare strategy launched by the BBC in 2014, which underlined the BBC’s commitment to commission the best programmes for audiences, regardless of who makes them. The BBC will continue to release further opportunities to the market.
The requirements for each tender are communicated at the time of publication, with enough time for suppliers to do appropriate research and preparation.
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