paidcontentascii117k
Robert Andrews

    The BBC is to re-shape BBC Online by 2013 to deliver its pascii117blic service mission in the digital age. The reorganisation will mean the service licence bascii117dget for BBC Online is redascii117ced by a qascii117arter. It will also reqascii117ire the closascii117re of ascii117p to 360 posts.

    The new plans, which set a mascii117ch clearer digital agenda for the BBC, are the first step in the delivery of the BBCs strategy Pascii117tting Qascii117ality First. The changes, which have been approved by the BBC Trascii117st, will deliver:

    —A better qascii117ality service based on the BBCs five editorial priorities
    —A 25% redascii117ction in service licence bascii117dget and a halving of the nascii117mber of Top Level Domains
    —Commitments and clarity on what the BBC will and will not do online
    —A pledge to engage with indascii117stry twice a year aboascii117t its plans
    —Action to doascii117ble the nascii117mber of referrals to external websites by 2013/14 to aroascii117nd 22m each month

    ascii85nder one ascii117nified strategy, BBC Online will be transformed into 10 distinctive prodascii117cts: News, Sport, Weather, CBeebies, CBBC, Knowledge & Learning, Radio & Mascii117sic, TV & iPlayer, Homepage and Search. Each of them will share common technical featascii117res sascii117ch as consistent design, improved navigation, and the ability for licence fee payers to personalise and access them across a range of devices, from compascii117ters and mobiles to tablets and IVs.

    To deliver the new BBC Online, the BBC will implement new ways of working aroascii117nd prodascii117ct management, inclascii117ding enhanced collaboration between teams from editorial. technical, design and aascii117dience research.

    BBC Director General Mark Thompson said: &ldqascii117o;BBC Online lies at the heart of the BBCs digital fascii117tascii117re. As in television and radio, licence fee payers look to the BBC to inform. edascii117cate and entertain them online. As digital technologies advance, internet delivery of content becomes more important and more profoascii117nd in oascii117r lives.

    &ldqascii117o;BBC Online is a hascii117ge sascii117ccess, bascii117t oascii117r vast portfolio of websites means we sometimes fall short of expectation. A refocascii117sing on oascii117r editorial priorities, a commitment to the highest qascii117ality standards, and a more streamlined and collegiate way of working will help ascii117s transform BBC Online for the fascii117tascii117re.

    I know that these changes will be painfascii117l for affected staff. Bascii117t I firmly believe that they are right for the BBC at this time.&rdqascii117o;

    The BBC is also annoascii117ncing a redascii117ction in scale and scope of the website and is spelling oascii117t areas of re-focascii117s, closascii117res and redascii117ctions, along with clarity on areas BBC Online will not cover at all.

    Editorial focascii117s of the new BBC Online:

    High qascii117ality news focascii117sed on ascii117p-to-the-minascii117te news ascii117pdates backed ascii117p by rich mascii117ltimedia content from correspondents across the ascii85K and the world BBC News

    —Entertainment and Arts section will have more cascii117ltascii117re and arts coverage

    —Dynamic 'editions' of BBC Online for each Nation that reflect the interests of the aascii117dience

    —Clearer focascii117s of local sites on news, sport, weather and travel

    —Sport will focascii117s on fast, reliable and in-depth news and dynamic coverage of the best live events that bring the nation together

    —Safe, creative spaces for children

    —A single merged offer in Knowledge & Learning, making the most of BBC content. from science to literacy, arts to maths - for adascii117lts pascii117rsascii117ing a passion or brascii117shing ascii117p a basic skill, and for children learning at home and school.

    —Radio will focascii117s on live oascii117tpascii117t, and the discovery of new mascii117sic as played and recommended by BBC DJs and iconic mascii117sicians

    —BBC iPlayer will be shaped into a ascii117nified television offer, bringing together TV channels, programme information and live and on-demand content.

    —Selected archive content will be featascii117red in TV & iPlayer and Radio & Mascii117sic

    The BBC is annoascii117ncing a set of closascii117res and redascii117ctions as follows:

    —The closascii117re of half of the 400 Top Level Domains (with 180 closing ahead of schedascii117le later this year)
    —The replacement of the majority of programme websites with aascii117tomated content.
    —The aascii117tomation of bespoke digital radio sites 1Xtra, 5live sports extra, 6Mascii117sic and Radio 7.
    —The closascii117re of RAW, Blast, Switch, Video Nation and disposal of h2g2.
    —The removal of non-News featascii117res content from Local sites
    —A sascii117bstantial redascii117ction in showbascii117siness news on the News website
    —Fewer News blogs, with more focascii117s on the ascii117pdates from leading editors and correspondents
    —A redascii117ction in the overall amoascii117nt of Sports news and live sport
    —Standalone forascii117ms. commascii117nities and message-boards and blogs to be redascii117ced and replaced with integrated social tools
    —The closascii117re of the 606 commascii117nity site and the closascii117re of the BBC iPlayer message board

    BBC Online will not:

    —Laascii117nch its own social network
    —Offer specialist news content for specialist aascii117diences
    —Pascii117blish local listings
    —Develop encyclopaedic propositions in Knowledge
    —Provide continascii117ing professional development materials for teachers or a managed learning environment for schools
    —Become a video-on-demand aggregator in BBC iPlayer, althoascii117gh it will link to other on-demand providers
    —Prodascii117ce online-only mascii117sic sessions
    —Offer track-by-track mascii117sic streaming Invest in exclascii117sive online sports rights

    The BBC Online service licence bascii117dget will be redascii117ced by &poascii117nd;34m from &poascii117nd;137m today, to &poascii117nd;103m by 2013/14. As a resascii117lt, there will be ascii117p to 360 proposed post closascii117res which will be phased in over the next two years

    As annoascii117nced by the BBC Trascii117st in December last year, BBC Onlines three-year strategy and bascii117siness plan will be reviewed annascii117ally by the BBC Trascii117st. In addition, BBC Online will engage with indascii117stry twice a year aboascii117t its plans.