Company information

Here you will find corporate information about our company. You can go directly to a section using the links below:


WHO WE ARE

BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which operates in the UK and over 200 countries around the world. The company is self-funded and exists to exploit the value of the BBC's assets for the benefit of the licence fee payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights.

We acquire the commercial rights to great programmes such as Doctor Who, Top Gear and Dancing with the Stars and find ways of earning money from these rights across different media and markets. In 2011/12, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £155 million on headline sales of £1085 million and returned £216 million to the BBC. For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review website.

In April 2009, the company was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise, recognising the company's substantial growth in earnings over the previous three years.

BBC Worldwide operates under the BBC Charter and Agreement, which sets out the following four commercial criteria with which our activities must comply. BBC Worldwide must:

  • Fit with the BBC's Public Purposes set out in the Charter
  • Be commercially efficient
  • Not jeopardise the good reputation of the BBC or the value of the BBC brands
  • Comply with the BBC's Fair Trading Guidelines and avoid distorting the market.

From April 2nd 2013, BBC Worldwide introduced a new structure, centred around geographic business units with commercial accountability, underpinned by strong centralised functions which offer consistency around content, editorial, brands and digital. This new structure allows BBC Worldwide to further increase its global presence, get closer to customers, operate more swiftly and put it in the best position to capitalise on opportunities around the world.

BBC Worldwide's operating businesses

The seven geographic P&Ls are: Asia; Australia & New Zealand (ANZ); Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA); Latin America; UK; US & Canada and Western Europe.


The three global business areas - Content, Digital and Brands - set the strategic framework and parameters for activities within the regions, and keep a close connection into BBC Worldwide's parent, the BBC.

BBC Advertising sells advertising and sponsorship solutions on behalf of BBC Worldwide's commercial portfolio across TV, online and mobile platforms globally.


ANNUAL REVIEWS

You can find out more information in an online version of our current 2011/12 and view previous Annual Reviews.


WHO'S ON THE BOARD?

Find out who makes up our Board & Committees here along with biographies.


OUR ETHICS AND STANDARDS
BBC Worldwide is committed to the highest standards of ethics, honesty, openness and accountability. It is crucial that we take all necessary steps to protect the reputation of the BBC and the value of the BBC brand. As an organisation, BBC Worldwide takes a zero-tolerance approach to any form of corruption: in the course of our business activities we do not endorse any form of fraud or corruption from either our own staff or those acting on our behalf
This commitment is reflected in the key principles contained within our Anti Fraud and Corruption Code of Conduct, which we expect all our staff and those acting on our behalf to understand and comply with.

OUR ETHICS AND STANDARDS

BBC Worldwide is committed to the highest standards of ethics, honesty, openness and accountability. It is crucial that we take all necessary steps to protect the reputation of the BBC and the value of the BBC brand. As an organisation, BBC Worldwide takes a zero-tolerance approach to any form of corruption: in the course of our business activities we do not endorse any form of fraud or corruption from either our own staff or those acting on our behalf.

This commitment is reflected in the key principles in the BBC Worldwide Anti Fraud and Corruption Code of Conduct on our Ethics and Standards page, which we expect all our staff and those acting on our behalf to understand and comply with.

For information on ethical sourcing, see BBC Worldwide's Code of Ethical Policy and our WorldwideAware Corporate Responsibility pages.

 

BBC Worldwide Ltd is a subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Registered Office: Media Centre, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TQ
Registered Number: 1420028 England; VAT Number: GB 333289454
<-->

Annual Review

Annual Review 2011/12