The BBC needs confident and decisive steps, and the willingness to take risks, amid a “full-on crisis” of trust that major organizations, including the U.K. public broadcaster, are facing in the age of social media and fake news and amid a “brutal” financial state of affairs, outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie said during a Royal Television Society (RTS) keynote speech and Q&A in London on Thursday.
In what was seen as his farewell public appearance before his April 2 departure and what sounded like a call to action, he spoke about the U.K. public broadcaster’s future in central London amid such challenges as expanding restrictions on journalism around the world, AI, as well as misinformation and disinformation. In a wide-ranging speech, he even addressed media mega-mergers, such as the recent showdown for Warner Bros. Discovery.
“It’s not about disowning the past,” Davie highlighted about the BBC’s future. However, “we do need to develop a little bit of swagger,” he offered in a call for a touch of U.S.-style pride and confidence. “The game is not up… We can shape things.”
His take on what the BBC needs is “reinvention to avoid decline.” After all, Davie argued: “Today, the BBC is strong, but it is on a knife edge,” requiring risk-taking and decisive action.
“Despite the hurricanes, we have been successful,” he argued, offering that “we remain relevant” and pointing to the broad reach and trust among audiences in the U.K. and beyond, the broad lineup of talent that the BBC works with and such hit content as Bluey and The Night Manager.
“Of course, we have made mistakes, and this has not helped us,” he also acknowledged, though. And he highlighted that his team has had to make “tough choices to cope with a brutal financial situation,” including reducing staff and services. In that context, Davie called for more long-term planning instead of “short-term dealmaking.”
He even shared some news as it was being unveiled via press release, namely a new three-year deal struck by the BBC for The Traitors and Celebrity Traitors. The pact will keep the hit show on the BBC until at least 2030.
Davie’s speech followed the BBC’s recent start of negotiations with the U.K. government, led by Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, about a new royal charter that will govern the broadcaster for the coming decade, by publishing a review consultation document. Among other things, it proposed that the BBC streaming platform iPlayer could be opened to other public service broadcasters in the U.K., such as ITV’s ITVX, and the streamers of Channel 4 and Paramount’s Channel 5. The paper also included a similar proposal for the BBC Sounds service hosting podcasts from third parties.
The BBC document also mentioned that if more people were compelled to pay the annual license fee that U.K. taxpayers pay, the fee could potentially be lowered for the first time in history. “A reformed model that requires more households to contribute at a lower cost could strengthen fairness and sustainability while preserving universal access to high-quality, trusted services,” the BBC paper argued.
Davie on Thursday suggested that the next charter should be considered as an open-ended rather than a 10-year foundation for the BBC. And he called for a “radical reform” of the BBC’s funding structure, highlighting that it was still designed for a different age.
And he addressed industry consolidation. “In an age where Netflix and Paramount feel the urge to bulk up, we must act urgently to secure scale,” the BBC boss said. “We are in a game where we need more scale.” Davie didn’t go into detail on how to reach such scale but mentioned partnerships with big sector and technology players, which has been a focus for him and his team, including cooperations with Disney.
Davie spoke very freely and openly ahead of his exit. Late last year, Davie and Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, said they would step down following a controversy over an edited speech by U.S. President Donald Trump. The BBC was criticized for editing a speech Trump made on Jan. 6, 2021, before the attack on the Capitol in Washington. The speech edits for a BBC Panorama documentary were misleading and cut parts of Trump’s remarks where he asked supporters to demonstrate peacefully, critics noted.
In his Thursday RTS appearance, Davie also argued that running the BBC means, among other things, to “stimulate civic and commercial returns.” In that context, he shared that ignoring short-form content would be “fatal,” saying “accessibility is different from dumbing down.” The comments are part of a debate about whether and how much the BBC, as a public service broadcaster, should look to reach younger and other audiences in newer, shorter forms of media.
Few can imagine the pressures and the joys of running the BBC. Davie shared this about the job he is leaving: “I will miss it.” And he described it in this tongue-in-cheek way: “It’s not a breeze. Boy, there have been days! A rollercoaster.”
Following his speech, Davie was interviewed by The Thursday Murder Club author Richard Osman, who made joking references to such scandals as the recent BAFTA Tourette’s controversy and the fall of disgraced BBC presenter Huw Edwards. And he asked Davie what the biggest crisis was that he faced during his tenure as the head of the BBC. Davie’s reply drew laughter: “There were so many.”
Original Article on Hollywood Reporter