BBC DG Matt Brittin returned to a theme at the Edinburgh TV Festival, warning that the BBC iPlayer had “fallen behind” rivals due to a focus on content spend over technology in recent years.
And, lo, Broadcast reveals that Dan McGolpin is an applicant for the head of content role at C4. His current job ? Director, iPlayer and Channels - "Service lead for BBC iPlayer, overseeing strategic direction, budget and operations."
Back in May 2019, James Purnell, given custody of BBC Radio by Lord Hall, talked about the future of BBC Sounds, launched six months previously. He said the BBC was developing its own public service algorithm; "This is not an algorithm that just gives you more of the same, but an algorithm built to surprise you, to direct your attention to new information, to different points of view, to pop your bubble."
Yesterday, the new DG Matt Brittin focused on such an algorithm to drive a new version of iPlayer, which might have a UK-focussed type offer, and work like YouTube.
I see, hear and smell a combination of red herrings and alarm bells. Listeners, readers and viewers go through all sorts of gateways to obtain both information and entertainment. On tv, in the 1950s, it was select one of two channels and sort of let it happen. Then came Radio Times and appointments to view. ITV sniffed a biased portal and came up with TV Times. On the radio, the rotary dial gave more opportunities for serendipity; you could spin and just listen for "English", or music you liked. The broadcasters much preferred you to have push-button radios.
Now, with giant portals like Amazon and Netflix, it's not really a question of "What's on ?"; we're not far from a position where nearly 'everything is on'. All too big for a Radio Times, and we turn increasingly to websites to pick recommendations in monthly reviews of new material. The 'front pages' of Netflix, Amazon, and Disney are not reliable guides to quality; they're pushing their new stuff, co-ordinated, like old-style broadcasters, with press and publicity campaigns. (Where would The One Show be without them ?)
I can't imagine (in all Mr Brittin's re-imagining of public service broadcasting) an iPlayer where the BBC surrenders control of the 'front page'; iPlayer 2 would have to run alongside. Would we really want computers to control the front page, as Mr Brittin says, “in a way that’s not biased towards the incentives of a U.S. tech company or commercial interests. It should be biased towards what we want public service to be all about.” That's the problem, Matt. A goody-goody repository for family values ? Equal time for all religions ? Even-handed between the Nations and Regions ? A balanced choice between acid jazz and chamber music ? Influencers without advertising funding ? Police chase videos and/or home-made news reports ?
Any evidence of how it's working on BBC Sounds ?
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Amol Rajan has been networking. His 'inner entrepreneur' has driven him to collaborate with the Sister Group (co-founder Elisabeth Murdoch) via their creator talent operation. Looking after Brand Rajan's strategy will be Rich Waterworth, previously an exec with YouTube and TikTok, and on production, Bryony Hopkins, an early digital operative for BBC World Service and BBC News, later with LadBible, now a campaigner on Crohn's Disease.
The Sister Group have an interest in Koko, the Camden venue that was operated by the BBC from 1945 to 1972, and home to many Goons recordings. That could be where Amol entertains...
By the way, if you're waiting for the Amol Rajan 'reveal' this morning, gamble on something called The Amol Rajan Connection, which he has applied to trademark. And he's renamed his company, Rajcloth Productions, dormant since incorporation in 2018, as Rajcloth Connections.
Deborah "I lead and grow global content businesses" Turness has found a new berth, after her departure from BBC News in November last year.
Debs loves a title, so she'll be President of a newly formed 'Studio' within mega-agency, the Independent Talent Group. Variety thinks it's a Creator Studio; that's a title usually given to a bundle of social media management software, with examples at YouTube, Facebook and Apple. Deborah thinks it's a Creative Studio.
ITG already has its fingers in a number of podcasts, with writers, producers and 'talent'. And for some, its a family business: Andi Oliver and Miquita Oliver; Richard Hammond and Izzy Hammond; sisters Isabella Branson and Cressida Bonas. Many of the podcasts seem to survive on interviewing ITG 'talent'; "My Favourite Takeaway" has already featured Andi Oliver, Alex Brooker, and Simon Rimmer; Simon Rimmer's "Grilling" has featured Andi Oliver twice. Expect Deborah to exploit this further...
(Perhaps Deborah will be paid via DEBORAH TURNESS GLOBAL MEDIA LTD, formed in April this year).
The last Edinburgh TV Festival is underway (it moves to Manchester in 2027), and the casting of BBC DG Matt Brittin's session couldn't be better. As Andrew Neil concocts an argument that the ending of Newsnight signifies the end of the BBC, Matt will face an hour being interviewed by former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark.
A good number of BBC Commissioners and executives are on other platforms (the ones struggling to find the 16-34 audience), so maybe Matt can attend their sessions and make some judgements about how many managers the BBC needs...
I'm not sure what's propelled the idea of closing Newsnight into our newspapers in recent days. It maybe the alignment of the stars; total shutdown was contemplated previously in 2018 and 2020.
Interim News boss Jonathan Munro has yet to complete his savings target. Will a new boss arrive before the axe is swung ? Might that new boss be Esmé Wren, currently at Channel 4 News, who started her journalistic career at Newsnight, and was editor and successfully passionate programme defender from 2018 to 2021 ? Esme has found time at C4 to complete the senior management programme at the Cambridge Judge Business School.
The BBC's US lawyers are having another go at trying to get Trump's case thrown out. They've submitted a new rebuttal of almost everything, over 30 pages long, to the new Judge, Judge Kuntz, and advised him that it would only take a one hour hearing to come to the right conclusion.
Here's a factoid revealed by a Freedom of Information enquiry.
Weekend features on BBC.com seem to share elements of prurience with the UK offering. Take "'You're fully accepted': Being nude in public can make us feel better about our bodies".
It's from BBC Studios' journalist Molly Gorman. It features as its professional sources Kerem Soylemez, assistant professor of psychology at Regent's University London and Marina Rachitskiy, billed as a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Roehampton. That's a part-time job for Marina; her main employment is as Principal Lecturer & Head of Programmes (Psychology), at, er, Regent's University London.
Molly talks to three people feeling better about their bodies. First is Helen Berriman, correctly billed as Women's Officer for British Naturism. She's also a podcaster, and, with her husband Simon, has a website called Naked Retro Gamers ("Clothes Off, Game On"). Second is Martha Vickery, a recent guest on Helen's podcast, who featured in the 2023 C4 series Naked Education. Third is Linda Ashmore, who is South West organiser for British Naturism.
