The last financial year saw good progress against our strategic objectives through record investment - in content, premium digital services and select international production companies.β
- ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Commercial delivers sales of Β£1.9 billion (22/23: Β£2.1 billion) and EBITDA of Β£199 million (22/23: Β£252 million) despite challenging market conditions
- ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios, the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔβs main commercial arm, invests record levels in content and strategic priorities, including the acquisition of BritBox International
- ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios sees good underlying growth underpinning the ambition to double the 2022 business by 2028
- Content highlights included Planet Earth III, The Famous Five, The 1% Club, Einstein and the Bomb, Eurovision, a second series of Time and the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla
2023/24 was a year of investment in sustainable future growth and business transformation for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Commercial. The business, which supports the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ by generating income for the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Group, delivered sales of Β£1.9 billion and EBITDA of Β£199 million against very challenging market conditions. For full results see here.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios, the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔβs main commercial arm, made a series of key strategic investments in year, most notably taking full ownership of profitable and fast-growing BritBox International, expanding its international production footprint with new acquisitions in Scandinavia, Spain and Australia, both completed and announced in year, and, as signalled in last yearβs annual report, enhancements to digital services ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ.com and UKTV Play. The year also saw ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios make record levels of investment in content.
These investments, together with difficult operating conditions, including softness in the commissioning and advertising sales markets and higher revenues from multi-year deals in 22/23 due to phasing, resulted in ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios achieving sales of Β£1.8 billion (2023: Β£2.1 billion) and EBITDA of Β£202 million (2023: Β£252 million), the third consecutive year the business has posted EBITDA over Β£200 million.
Tom Fussell, CEO ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Commercial said: βThe last financial year saw good progress against our strategic objectives through record investment - in content, premium digital services and select international production companies. Despite the challenging external environment we saw good underlying growth and our long term ambition to double the 2022 business remains. We will continue to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise.β
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Commercial is on track, to meet its five year returns commitment of Β£1.5bn by 2026/27 (a 30% increase on the previous five year period), with cumulative returns in year two of Β£693 million.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios delivered stand-out programming, showcasing world-class creativity, and with 123 award wins from 401 nominations, the Content Studio was once again the UKβs most awarded production company. Output included series two of Time, Planet Earth III, The Famous Five and Einstein and the Bomb. ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios produced seven of the top 10 performing shows in the UK across 2023, including events such as Eurovision and the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla that brought the nation together.
Across ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studiosβ franchises, Blueyβs popularity soared globally as it became the second most streamed show in the US, with the award-winning childrenβs brand reaching audiences in 140 territories amid the launch of a series of sought-after consumer products. The worldβs longest-running sci-fi show, Doctor Who celebrated its 60th anniversary with three one-off Christmas specials and the introduction of a new Doctor in Ncuti Gatwa, as the series debuted on Disney+. Dancing with the Stars is in more than 60 countries worldwide as the franchise celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studiosβ Global Media & Streaming operation is the new home for BritBox International, with 3.8m subscribers and growing at a rate of 25% year. UKTV gave a strong performance, increasing its share of the commercial audience in a soft advertising market, and building its free streaming service, UKTV Play. The number of international ad-funded (FAST) channels reached 36, including the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News Channel for the first time.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios was ranked in the UK top 50 in Glassdoorβs prestigious βBest Places to Workβ, as the highest-ranking TV company in the list. The accolade demonstrates the businessβ focus on developing a strong, innovative culture which prioritises creativity as a key part of its strategy.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios today also , which this year includes data on socio-economic background for the first time, in addition to its regular reporting on gender, ethnicity, disability and LGBTQ+ employees broken down by career level band. As well as increased depth in reporting, this yearβs Pay Gap Report is also the broadest analysis undertaken, reflecting recent workforce changes to the business.
This yearβs report shows that median pay gaps by career band below the Senior Leader level remain low across all characteristics, with over 90% of its workforce in a career band with a pay gap of under 5%. One exception to this stable picture is with the disabled workforce and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios is actively seeking to address this through partnership with a disability recruitment specialist as well as becoming a Disability Confident Level 2 employer and participation in the industry wide TV Access Project.
Tom Fussell added: βWe recognise that while we are making progress, there is still more work to do, including how we recruit and how we educate recruiting managers across the business. As ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios embarks on its transformational growth journey, part of our success will be measured on our ability to grow and empower our teams to deliver results as we develop a more representative workforce.β
For more information, please contact:
- Chris Charlton - Chris.Charlton@bbc.com
- Gavin Dawson - Gavin.Dawson@bbc.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
About ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios
The main commercial arm of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Commercial Ltd, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Studios generated revenues in the last year of Β£1.8 billion and a third consecutive year of profits of over Β£200 million. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Media & Streaming, with ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ branded channels, services including bbc.com and Britbox International and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. The business made more than 2,800 hours of award-winning British programmes last year for a wide selection of public service and commercial broadcasters and platforms, both in the UK and across the globe. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, and includes world-famous brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who.
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