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±«Óãtv reorganises for an on-demand Creative Future
The ±«Óãtv today announced organisational changes to meet the challenges and opportunities of its Creative Future content strategy launched in April. The changes have been made following consultation with senior managers across the ±«Óãtv.
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These reforms are built on the Creative Future vision that the best content should be made available on every platform at the audience's convenience and they will simplify how programme ideas - both from in-house and independent producers - move from original concept to audiences.
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The changes, due to be fully operational by April 2007, will enable 360 degree commissioning and production and ensure creative coherence and editorial leadership across all platforms and media.
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They will also streamline the way funding flows across the organisation, bringing in-house production together under a single head, while reinforcing commitments made to the independent production sector through the Window of Creative Competition.
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±«Óãtv Director-General Mark Thompson told staff across the organisation: "Today is about making Creative Future a reality. It's about how we can make the ±«Óãtv the most creative organisation in the world, delivering content that our audiences will simply love.
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"We need a ±«Óãtv ready for digital and for 360 degree multi-platform content creation, which brings different kinds of creativity together - in technology as well as content - to deliver what we need in this converging world.
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"And we need a simpler, more open ±«Óãtv with the licence-fee flowing down simple, direct lines to the right people, a simpler structure, clearer responsibilities and fewer layers."
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He stressed it was not about more large scale efficiencies and redundancies, but about making the ±«Óãtv more creative and efficient.
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A three year value for money efficiency programme is already underway to deliver savings of £355m a year by 2008 to reinvest in to content.
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The key changes include:
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Audience focus
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Marketing, Communications and Audiences, led by Tim Davie, is designated as a creative division, putting audiences at the heart of the ±«Óãtv and working ever closer with content areas and Future Media & Technology to bring audience insights to the creative process.
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A new Future Media and Technology division (FM&T), led by Ashley Highfield, will concentrate on emerging technologies, playing a leading role in finding and developing new ways for audiences to find and use content.
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Technology resources will be centralised and prioritised in FM&T and three new FM&T controllers will be based in the three main content areas - Journalism, ±«Óãtv Vision and Audio and Music.
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FM&T will manage all new media platforms and gateways like bbc.co.uk, the emerging i-player and web 2.0, as well as metadata, search and navigation and ±«Óãtv Information & Archives which is vital to opening up the ±«Óãtv's archives.
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Content creation
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The multi-media Journalism group, led by Deputy Director-General Mark Byford, will now also include ±«Óãtv Sport along with ±«Óãtv News, Global News and Nations & Regions.
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The creation of an Audio & Music group, led by Jenny Abramsky, will deliver not just network radio but audio content for all platforms from on-demand in the home to podcasts and mobile phones.
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This group will also lead on Music across all media, including TV, for the whole ±«Óãtv.
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±«Óãtv Television, Factual & Learning and Drama, Entertainment & Children's come together in a new group, ±«Óãtv Vision, led by Jana Bennett.
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This group will be responsible for in-house multi-media production, commissioning and audio visual services, including the TV channel portfolio, and digital services like High Definition and Interactive.
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Multi-media, 360 degree production, under a single Production Head, will be more closely aligned to - while still physically separate from - the 360 degree commissioning teams.
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Commissioning will be grouped under four controllers of: Fiction (drama, comedy, ±«Óãtv Film and programme acquisitions), Entertainment, Knowledge (including all factual and Learning) and Children's.
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Funding for multi-media content provision will move to the new Vision and Audio & Music groups, allowing 360 degree commissioning and a one stop shop for all producers, including independents.
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The Production Head for ±«Óãtv Vision, reporting directly to Jana Bennett, will also have an overview of network production outside London through the Controller of Network Production Anne Morrison.
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Alan Yentob, Creative Director for the ±«Óãtv, will ensure that the Creative Future recommendations are implemented across all content and services.
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He will chair both the Creative Training Board and Creative Network as well as chairing the board of ±«Óãtv Films and a new Arts Network which will pull together arts programme-makers from across the ±«Óãtv.
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He also continues to lead ±«Óãtv Talent and to present Imagine.
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The Window of Creative Competition (WOCC). Clear safeguards are in place to build confidence in commissioning and the WOCC now that production and commissioning are in the same ±«Óãtv Vision group.
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Commissioners do not manage in-house production and they are physically separate.
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There will be a new commissioning compliance role in ±«Óãtv Operations (see below) with a direct line to the Director-General and the new ±«Óãtv Trust will also keep the changes under review to ensure they do not prejudice the WOCC.
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An efficient business
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The CEO of ±«Óãtv Worldwide - John Smith - will concentrate on his ambitious development strategy for Worldwide, on course to treble profits, and to lead the sale ±«Óãtv Resources Ltd in 2007.
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Over the next six months he will relinquish all responsibilities to the public service side of the ±«Óãtv.
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Caroline Thomson, currently ±«Óãtv Director
of Strategy, becomes Chief Operating Officer for the ±«Óãtv, with overall
responsibility for strategy, policy, distribution, property, legal
and business continuity, in a new ±«Óãtv Operations division.
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The reorganisation does not affect ±«Óãtv Finance, led by Zarin Patel, which is already undergoing transformational change. Procurement will however, move into Finance.
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±«Óãtv People already has a major change programme underway and is largely unaffected by the reorganisation. The new director of ±«Óãtv People, Steve Kelly, joins the ±«Óãtv from BT in the near future.
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±«Óãtv Press Office
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