Reference.com

BBC Resources

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

Set up as a commercial company in 1998, BBC Resources Ltd provides TV Studio facilities based in London, UK plus Outside Broadcast facilities based in Langley (close to the M4/M25 junction) and Salford, along with network Post Production facilities in London, Bristol and Birmingham. As one of the largest production facilities in the UK, it employs around 1,100 staff (approx. 960 plus 165 in admin.) and has an annual turnover of around £125 million - although it does not own any studios - its assets being staff and equipment.

It was the first of the BBC's commercial business-to-business divisions to be set up as a limited company and is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of the BBC.

Organisation

BBC Resources provides production facilities to programme makers, and is made up of three active businesses:

* BBC Studios - will remain under BBC control
* BBC Outside Broadcasts - preferred bidder SIS
* BBC Post Production

* BBC Costume + Wigs - has now ceased trading.

Privatisation

The company made an operating profit of £6.1m for 2005-06, down from £7.4m the year before, with the BBC accounting for 83.3% of its turnover, down from 87.4% for 2004-05. The figure for 2006-07 was £5.2 million - with BBC business currently 80% of its turnover.

Andrew Thornton was appointed as project director in early 2007 for the sale of the company, and in April Ernst & Young were named as external advisers.

The team responsible for this privatisation have been named as: Ed Murray, Victoria Custerson, Peter Reynard, Grant Welland, Dominic Warren, Paula Hornby, Mike Goodie, Ali Jeremy,- other expertise "will be brought in as required".

This sale team is accountable to a BBC steering group consisting of: Zarin Patel, Nicholas Eldred, Stephen Kelly, Peter Salmon and John Smith.

On 16th August 2007 advertisements were placed in the Financial Times, The Times and Broadcast inviting expressions of interest for the acquisition of this commercial subsidiary, and stating that "it is expected that the sale of the business and transfer of BBC Resources staff to the successful bidder will take place by the end of March 2008, subject to contract negotiations and approvals".

On 6th November The Guardian reported that the privatisation could be left with a shortfall of up to £15m to cover the transfer of the pensions of BBC Resources staff to a potential new employer.

The BBC has not yet released the names of all the short-listed companies, with The Guardian reporting - in early 2008 - more leaks over concerns about pension obligations and asbestos exposure. On 7th March 2008 it was announced that the outside broadcast division would be sold, as expected, to Satellite Information Services - with a surprise announcement that the studios operation (employing around 350 staff at Television Centre and Elstree) would remain in BBC ownership. The fate of the third business, post production, has yet to be announced with the BBC continuing negotiations with the preferred bidder "understood to be a company based in west London".

BBC Costume + Wigs

Costume and Wigs - trading as part of BBC Studios - is the second largest collection of its kind in the UK, after the leading suppliers Angels The Costumiers. It was not included in the privatisation, however in early October 2007 it was announced that the business was to close within six months and the entire stock sold as a complete collection.

This sale fell through, and on 14th February 2008 the department ceased trading, with a BBC spokeswoman adding that "the arrangements [the corporation] was pursuing have not worked out and BBC Resources is currently inviting interested parties to consider making an offer to purchase."

References

External links



Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Monday March 10, 2008 at 08:53:47 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation