“We will be moving to an Internet-fit BBC, to be ready for an Internet-only world whenever it comes,” the report said.
That’s a big shift in rhetoric for the BBC. It does clarify that it will not be an online-only operation within the next decade and goes on to recommit to its identity as a broadcaster. But it does plan to have its traditional channels supported by Internet-first services. The balance of Internet and broadcast means that the BBC will be shifting how it commissions and plans its programming, “no longer treating TV, radio and online as separate sets of services, for instance, but looking across everything that we do to make the content that meets audience needs properly.”
Part of this digital revolution also means getting on board the streaming bandwagon. The report touched on the BBC’s plans to launch a new streaming service that complements existing platforms with discovery and playlists. The plan will revamp BBC Music’s Playlister feature into streaming service with access to the 50,000 songs in the BBC’s broadcast catalog for that month. The focus will be on playlists – made by the BBC or by the listener – that can be transferred to other streaming properties.
“Our music product would be the only one in the market which would be fully open and integrated with other digital providers,” the report said. “Users will be able to transfer playlists between digital music products, and access them after BBC availability has expired through third-party providers.”
The report did acknowledge that the BBC is under some financial pressure as it prepares to make these adaptations. It is being tasked with saving another 20% of its revenues in the next five years and will likely need to make cuts in its services. Exactly how that will play into its Internet-friendly plans remains to be seen. But the core message from this report is that the BBC is taking steps to change how it will achieve its mission in the modern era.