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MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has decided to carry out a major restructuring
exercise that will come into effect from 1 October.
BBC
Worldwide’s existing structure based around five global
divisions, will now be reconfigured to geographic lines of
management. Profit and loss ownership and primary commercial
ccountability will move closer to its customers, across seven
geographic regions: North America; UK;
Australia/New
Zealand; Western Europe; Asia; Latin America; CEEMEA (Central
and Eastern Europe; Middle East and Africa).
The aim: to further increase focus on international markets,
enabling it to capture future growth opportunities around
the world. At the same time, BBC Worldwide is creating new
global roles to establish direction and consistency around
content, editorial, brands, sales and digital.
As
a fallout of the restructuring, Worldwide Networks and the
Global BBC iPlayer president Jana Bennett has decided to leave
BBC Worldwide later in the year.
Bennett
said,“My time at BBC Worldwide has been exciting and
stimulating. I am delighted to have grown the BBC’s international
channel portfolio at a time when global markets are so highly
competitive and to have brought quality British programmes
and events to new audiences around the world both through
our worldwide networks and the Global BBC iPlayer pilot.
“This
announcement about the new organisation of BBC Worldwide,
with regions in future holding P&L responsibility, is
an important step in securing the future growth of BBC Worldwide
enabling it to compete more effectively in the global market
and deliver increasing returns to the BBC. I was pleased to
have played a significant role in the organisational design
process and fully support the changes under John Smith's leadership.
However with the move of P&L responsibility under the
new structure I feel this is a good moment for me to work
outside BBC Worldwide.”
The
increased focus on geographic markets will be balanced by
global functions with a remit across all BBC Worldwide geographies
and a close connection into BBC Worldwide’s parent, the
BBC. These will be managed by three newly created areas of
accountability across sales, brands and content globally:
- Chief
Sales Officer will be responsible for global B2B customer
relationships and fulfilment, including advertising sales,
as well as ensuring best practice across the company in
sales and deals, and management of global sales events such
as BBC Worldwide Showcase.
- Chief
Brands Officer will be responsible for the commercialisation
of BBC Worldwide’s flagship channel and programme brands,
and will have oversight of the company’s global marketing
activity, as well as business development of new brands.
-
BBC Worldwide is also creating a third area of accountability
for Content. This area will drive the creative and commercial
vision for BBC Worldwide’s content strategy and will
cover BBC Worldwide’s content and IP acquisition activity,
channels curation and editorial standards. Scoping the dimensions
of this accountability will form part of the next stage
of work on the organisational design.
In
addition, a Consumer Digital group will hold responsibility
for BBC Worldwide’s consumer digital businesses, including
all features on BBC.com, other commercial websites, the Global
BBC iPlayer, as well as the company’s global digital
strategy for apps, games and VOD, under a Chief Digital Officer.
All four positions outlined above will report to BBC Worldwide
CEO John Smith.
The
seven regions will report into four Presidents, all of whom
will report to John Smith and sit on the BBC Worldwide Executive
Committee.
Asia,
Latin America and CEEMEA will form one grouping, under a High
Growth Markets Group, enabling a single overview of investment
opportunities across many of the world’s most rapidly
growing markets, where BBC Worldwide intends to establish
a major presence. UK and Australia/New Zealand, both English
language markets, will also report into a single President,
representing continuity for Australia/New Zealand.
Western
Europe, where TV Sales and Distribution today forms the largest
single part of BBC Worldwide’s business, will report
to the Chief Sales Officer. US and Canada will continue to
report into the President, BBC Worldwide North America.
The
new structure has been agreed following several months of
work, involving all of BBC Worldwide’s Executive Committee,
many of BBC Worldwide’s Leadership Group and has been
approved by the BBC Worldwide Board.
BBC
Worldwide builds on the success it has achieved in recent
years in the USA and Australasia, where increased market focus
and autonomy have resulted in strong results, with headline
sales growth of 21 and 29 per cent respectively since 2009/10.
BBC
Worldwide CEO John Smith said, “The new organisation
is designed to help us capture untapped opportunities for
high quality British content and BBC branded services across
the world, in order to sustain our track record of strong
growth into the future. It has been worked out over a number
of months, with inputs from across the world, and throughout
our company. I believe it will accelerate delivery of our
global ambition, and help us drive future growth and returns
to the BBC, supplementing the licence fee.”
Since
becoming President of Worldwide Networks, Bennett has overseen
the channels business, which is the biggest revenue generator
for BBC Worldwide and will report further strong growth for
the year just ended. She has overseen the introduction of
13 channel services, from New Zealand to Thailand, as well
as the launch of channels into new markets for the first time,
including Brazil and Taiwan. She has pioneered global programming
events across BBC Worldwide’s own channels, with broadcasts
such as the Royal Wedding, Sport Relief, as well as the London
Calling season (timed to coincide with Queen Elizabeth’s
Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics), playing out across
four continents simultaneously.
Bennett
has been responsible for BBC Worldwide’s 33 owned and
operated thematic channels across 100 countries in EMEA, Australasia,
Asia and Latin America. Jana is also responsible for the Global
BBC iPlayer which launched as a pilot in July 2011 and is
now in 16 countries. She also
has financial responsibility for BBC Worldwide’s 50 per
cent interest in UKTV, the owner of 10 branded channels in
the UK; and executive responsibility for BBC Worldwide’s
business development strategy across all its business in Latin
America.
Bennett will remain with BBC Worldwide for a few months in
order to effect a full handover of her responsibilities and
to complete a number of major commercial deals that BBC Worldwide
CEO John Smith has asked her to oversee.
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