Existing formats Book and video brands in the UK Notable among these is the Delia Smith phenomenon. 850,000 copies of How to Cook: Book Two were pre-sold to the book trade before publication in December; and half-a-million copies were bought by consumers even before the TV series aired in January – making it the fastest-selling hardback ever. Other best-sellers included Walking with Dinosaurs (1.3 million copies sold worldwide) and Gary Rhodes’ New British Classics (240,000 sold in the UK). The successful extension of broadcast brands into book and video formats also includes EastEnders, Changing Rooms, Ground Force, Bob the Builder and Noddy. Brands were developed to help us remarket the BBC archive, such as the Comedy Greats video series – or to address a special interest as with the The Nation’s Favourite poetry strand. Magazines BBC Worldwide retained its market position as the third biggest magazine publisher in the UK and grew in market share overall. Constant revitalisation of some of the UK’s best-known magazine brands is key to their continuing success in a difficult market. One example this year is Radio Times, relaunched last September – with clearer page navigation around the ever-increasing number of channels. Radio Times is still the most profitable magazine in the UK – and the country’s biggest magazine brand with the highest advertising revenue and retail sales volume. Our children’s brands work very successfully in magazine format. Robot Wars, Bob the Builder and Tweenies are the latest in our portfolio. BBC Toybox is the UK’s best - selling pre-school magazine. Gardeners’ World remains the UK’s top-selling gardening magazine. Top Gear has held its position as the UK’s top media motoring brand. Good Food Magazine has stabilised its circulation and absorbed its sister publication Vegetarian Good Food. The recently launched BBC History Magazine taps into the growing recreational interest in the past. A mainstream women’s title launches in autumn 2000. A new look at books We are also commissioning whole new ranges of books – including enduring factual offerings and a new autobiography strand. Terry Wogan, Steve Redgrave, Esther Rantzen and Stuart Hall autobiographies are already in production. Audio business The UK spoken word audio business has grown by 27%, and the BBC Radio Collection remains the leader in this field. This Sceptred Isle was a particularly strong seller, with a new set for the Twentieth Century added in tape, CD and book format. BBC Films Building on our successful involvement with widely acclaimed films like Mrs Brown, we are investing to develop commercial films and to ensure that the BBC receives wider exposure and credit for its creative and financial contribution to the British film industry. Recently completed projects include Julien Temple’s Pandæmonium, starring John Hannah, Linus Roache, Samantha Morton and Emily Woof, and Roddy Doyle’s romantic comedy, Stolen Nights. We are assured of mainstream theatric distribution through an eight-picture output deal with Redbus Film Distribution. Live events around the globe Live events and exhibitions are growth areas. Particularly successful this year were The Gardening Show in the UK and Dance with the Teletubbies in Europe and Australia.

New formats beeb.com – entertainment and e-commerce BBC Worldwide’s website beeb.com has consolidated its position as one of the UK’s leading sites. The site has attracted more than 200 advertisers and increased advertising revenue by 83%, making beeb.com one of the top revenue-generating sites in the UK. During the year we relaunched beeb.com as a trusted shopping guide for e-commerce. beeb.com has also developed interactive television content onto a range of cable and digital platforms. freebeeb.net Last June, BBC Worldwide formed a strategic alliance with Thus plc (formerly Scottish Telecom) to provide a free internet access service, freebeeb.net. There are already around 100,000 users. freebeeb.net provides our UK customers with easy access to both beeb.com and the hugely popular public service site, BBC Online, as well as unlimited internet access, e-mail addresses, webspace and support. No public funds are used to support freebeeb.net. bbcshop.com bbcshop.com offers users more than 3,000 BBC goods and product lines – more than can be found at any other UK retailer– in one easy-to-use site. The shop has seen a significant increase in unit sales and generated total sales to date of £300,000. bbcamerica.com Launched as a promotional vehicle for our channel BBC America, the site has grown hugely and now has over 120,000 unique users – and 720,000 page impressions a month. Relaunched in 2000, it is targeted at an anglophile audience offering the ‘Best of British’ and considerable e-commerce opportunities. We see this as a model for other markets around the world. DVD – from the Doctor to the Dinosaurs We have already achieved critical and popular successes with our first DVD launches: The Planets, Noddy, Dr Who and Blackadder. Recent releases include Walking with Dinosaurs. Video when you want it Interactive television services are of growing importance in the UK broadcasting landscape. BBC Worldwide has been a leader in this area, with two major licensing agreements for video on demand (VOD). Our agreement with Video Networks Limited allows 600 hours of BBC programmes to be seen on demand by subscribers to Video Networks' Homechoice service. This spring BBC Worldwide also struck a sizeable VOD deal with Yes Television for 600 hours of archive programming over two years.

CD-Roms and console games The Only Fools and Horses CD- Rom proved popular in the UK, while The Teletubbies’ Favourite Games was a strong performer in the US market. Our Noddy CD-Rom headed off tough competition and won the prestigious Children’s Interactive BAFTA award.

We are shifting the emphasis of our business from CD-Rom to interactive games consoles. Noddy for Game BoyTM Color and Teletubbies on PlayStation® are two new launches. Bob the Builder, also on PlayStation, is projected to sell well. Titles aimed at younger children are designed to promote early learning skills.