The BBC has published its Commissioning Report 2024/25, revealing a year of strong investment in UK content and outputs of its commissioning strategy across the UK.Over the past year, the BBC invested more than £1.6 billion in original UK television content, commissioning over 300 production companies across the country. In Radio, it commissioned 245 production companies with 46 per cent of network Radio spend in the Nations and English regions. This investment helped deliver a record-breaking year for BBC iPlayer, which became the fastest-growing streaming platform in the UK, and strong performance for BBC Sounds which reached 4.77 million weekly listeners.Kate Phillips, BBC Chief Content Officer said: “This report reflects our unwavering commitment to homegrown storytelling, regional investment, and authentic representation. We’re proud to work with hundreds of production companies across the UK to deliver content that truly reflects our audiences.”For the first time, this year’s report brings together the annual Supply Report and the Diversity Commissioning Code of Practice Report into a single, unified document, reflecting the content the BBC commissions, the individuals it supports and the audiences it serves.At the heart of the BBC’s commissioning strategy is a commitment to representing all audiences, both on and off air, to reflect and serve all of the UK.This year, it spent £140 million of its existing commissioning budget on 385 titles in TV and Radio that met the BBC’s creative diversity criteria. These included landmark dramas such as Mr Loverman, Reunion and Boarders.Alongside this, the BBC’s Diversity Development Fund, worth over £2 million, enabled placements for 135 individuals from underrepresented backgrounds across more than 100 productions, focusing on mid to senior roles. A further £1.3 million was invested in accessibility on productions, marking the first year of its access funding and reporting protocols to support producers and remove financial barriers to inclusive production.The BBC’s commitment across the UK remained strong, with 61.2 per cent of network TV spend in the Nations and English regions. This helped bring distinct stories to national audiences, including Virdee from Bradford, Smoggie Queens from Middlesbrough, This Town from the West Midlands, Blue Lights from Belfast, Lost Boys and Fairies from Wales and Dinosaur from Scotland.The BBC also had major relocations for BBC Radio this year, including Radio 3 programming relocating to Salford, BBC Asian Network to Birmingham and BBC Radio 4 programming to Salford and Glasgow, contributing to local economies and talent pipelines.The BBC continues to invest in the development of UK talent and production – including commissioning 43 new TV producers and 42 new Radio producers – as well as supporting writers, on-air creatives, freelancers and musicians through a range of partnerships and initiatives.Over the past year, over 700 productions were certified by albert, the industry standard for environmental sustainability in film and TV, with 99 per cent of all BBC TV productions meeting this certification. The BBC also published its first Net Zero Transition Plan, outlining how it intends to become a Net Zero organisation by 2050.Looking ahead, the BBC says it will continue to evolve its commissioning strategy in response to audience needs and a changing media landscape. “We remain committed to championing and investing in the very best UK storytelling, working with the widest range of partners, producers and talent, and continue to raise our ambitions for creative excellence, inclusion and sustainability across our output,” confirms the Corporation.2024/25 highlights include:
- £1.6 billion invested in original TV content
- Commissioned over 500 production companies across TV and Radio
- £140 million spent on TV and Radio content that met the BBC’s creative diversity criteria
- 2 per cent of network TV spend and 46 per cent of Radio spend in the Nations and English regions
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