BBC’s commercial goals lack ambition, say MPs

A UK parliamentary committee has criticised the BBC for lack of ambition in delivering results from its commercial activities.

A report by the public accounts committee has criticised the public broadcaster’s plan to deliver an extra £40 million (€48 million) a year from the activities of BBC Worldwide, its commercial arm, by 2016-17, up from its current contribution of £280 million.

The committee’s report said that the BBC needed to provide an explanation why earning more than £320 million annually would distort the market or be too ambitious. Conservative MP Richard Bacon said that the BBC had failed to give assurances that the cuts it is implementing will not have an adverse impact on the quality of its output. He said the BBC needed to maximise its commercial income.

Under its 2010 agreement with the government, the BBC’s licence fee income is frozen at its current level until 2016-17. In the past the broadcaster has been criticised for being too commercially aggressive.