BBC ‘new brands’ plan sparks criticism for ‘assault’ on commercial media

The BBC director-general’s announcement that the broadcaster will launch “two new brands” has sparked criticism of its “overreach” and “assault on commercial journalism”.

Speaking at the Royal Television Society on Tuesday, Tim Davie outlined plans for the BBC to chase commercial revenue as it faces a possible end to the licence fee model.

This is set to include more deals with partners, such as the recent agreement with Disney over Doctor Who, in a bid to prop up BBC finances. 

Davie said the broadcaster needed to work “more strategically” and warned: “Below inflationary settlements have chipped away at our income… and put serious pressure on our finances. 

“In future we must continue to be highly active in attracting investment and redeploying money internally as well as making savings.”

He said a “leaner, more agile” BBC would “launch two new brands”; a “digital destination” boasting analysis and long-reads, and a “investigations brand” to unify content.

And he stressed that while the licence fee model would need to “reform”, the BBC would engage with the government and launch a “biggest-ever” public consultation on the issue.

But News Media Association chief executive Owen Meredith said Davie’s vision for the BBC “overreaches its remit” and risked breaching Royal Charter rules on damaging competition.

“The public should be in no doubt that this appears to be an aggressive strategy, designed to strengthen the BBC’s hand at the expense of others,” he said.

“The BBC repeatedly sought to reassure commercial news publishers that their presence online does not seek to compete with them – despite mounting evidence to the contrary.”

He added: “Not content with directly competing with local titles through expansionist plans, the BBC now apparently plans to launch two online news brands providing the very content that is core to driving commercial subscription and advertising revenue for publishers, ensuring sustainable business models and investment in independent journalism.

“We urgently need to see the detailed proposals behind Tim Davie’s announcements and expect Ofcom to thoroughly scrutinise them. 

“The BBC must be pulled back from its assault on the commercial journalism sector, otherwise the consequences for news provision in this country and further afield will be devastating.”

The BBC was contacted for comment.