Pact Calls For Competition In BBC Online

The trade body for independent producers, Pact, has called on BBC online to open up more commissioning to competition between external suppliers and in-house to ensure the best quality content for the licence fee payer.
In its submission to the BBC Trust review of external commissioning for BBC online, Pact has highlighted how commissioning for external suppliers has declined from 31% to 26% (just above the 25% minimum external quota), despite a proliferation of high quality externally-produced content increasingly being commissioned for other broadcasters and new media services.
Chief Executive for Pact John McVay said: "The lack of competition in commissioning between external and in-house suppliers at the BBC raises questions as to whether the BBC is providing the licence fee payers with the best content possible and whether or not it is truly meeting its public purpose of stimulating UK creativity and the creative industries."
Pact has called for the BBC to ensure fair commissioning by introducing an online Window of Creative Competition (WoCC), similar to what is currently successfully in place in television and has recently been introduced to stimulate competition in radio. This would open up commissioning to both internal and external producers but places no obligation on the BBC to commission externally if the external supply sector cannot provide the best work.
Andrew Chitty, Managing Director of Illumina Digital and Chair of Pact's digital policy group said: "The UK external supply sector is winning more and more high profile digital commissions, but the BBC is using it less and less.
"The sector is not asking for any special protection, just the chance to compete on a fair basis with in-house producers and ultimately ensure the best possible content for the licence fee payer. We look forward to engaging with the BBC management to make this happen."
(KMcA/BMcC)