“British storytelling is at increasing risk of being squeezed out in a highly competitive global media landscape,” the BBC’s director-general will warn in a landmark speech tomorrow in which he will set out how to “radically transform and renew” the 100-year-old institution. .
“We are in danger of undermining the UK’s world-class creative industries”, and diminishing our unique cultural identity and notable influence around the world, Tim Davie plans to say in a video revealed on Tuesday by Deadline last week.
Davy’s announcement will come in just a few days the crown EP Andy Harris has warned that the UK is at risk of becoming a Hollywood “service industry” unless local storytelling is protected.
In notes shared with the press ahead of the speech, Davie also plans to raise concerns that “American and Chinese algorithms” could be “potential tastemakers of the future.”
He intends to argue that “polarization and social division are fueled by the fragmentation of media consumption between global platforms,” and will highlight that shared moments and unified cultural experiences are becoming increasingly rare.
Davie will sit in London on Tuesday morning to deliver a speech and Q&A, arguing that “the BBC can and must be part of the solution to national challenges” such as artificial intelligence and rapid technological change.
It will put forward three ways to “radically transform and innovate”: integrating the BBC’s online services, investing in high-impact content from across the UK and boosting commercial income including establishing new partnerships.
More details are featured on each piece in the collection. Davie has touched on all that has happened in the past, appearing in a 2022 speech that the company would eventually “unify the activity under one simple brand”, and discussing the topic of high-impact content as part of the BBC’s “Less, Bigger, Better” strategy “. Repeatedly emphasizing the need for more commercial income to offset falling license fee income and rising inflation. BBC Studios recently bought ITV from broadcaster BritBox International for £255 million ($322 million), its most expensive deal ever.
“These steps will help secure the future of the BBC, but more importantly the vital role the BBC can play for the UK at home and abroad in the years to come,” Davie will conclude his speech tomorrow.
After the set-piece is implemented, Davey will “hold sessions with each department to look at what it means for everyone in more detail and what we need to prioritize as we set goals for next year.”
The speech comes in the days ahead of the BBC’s annual plan, which sets out spending priorities for the coming year.