BBC Worldwide - Annual Review 2004-2005



	2\|entertain aims to champion the best of UK-produced home entertainment on DVD and CD around the world, and will apply its success and commitment to a broader range of genres - becoming a new power within the home-entertainment market. The company has ambitious plans to build on its position as the leading service company for DVD rights holders. BBC Audiobooks Market-leader BBC Audiobooks had a stable year, with strong sales allowing for the absence of a new Harry Potter title. During October–December 2004 it had eight of the top ten UK titles by value. The Bath-based business won 19 awards and was named Publisher of the Year at the industry’s annual Spoken Word Awards. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, published under the Cover to Cover Cassettes Ltd imprint in 2003, went platinum, meaning that it had retail sales over £0.75m. Lord of the Rings, a perennial best-seller, also went platinum. Other best-sellers included Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Tertiary Phase and Michael Palin’s Himalaya. BBC Shop In 2005 the UK’s seventh BBC retail shop was opened by Sir David Attenborough in Kingston, Surrey. The chain is now in profit



	and more shops are planned. The BBC online shop, bbcshop.com, had a good year and a successful Christmas, with best-sellers across all formats. BBC Books BBC Books is a significant publisher of hardback non-fiction and is the UK leader in the food and drink book market. Disappointing trading in 2003/04 was tackled with a major restructure and the business expects to be back in profit in 2005/06. A number of BBC TV-tie-in titles hit the best-seller lists and sold outstandingly well at Christmas. These included Alan Titchmarsh’s A Natural History of Britain; Venice, based on the BBC 2 series; the family-history title, Who Do You Think You Are?; and Grumpy Old Men. The hardback book Auschwitz, by Laurence Rees, immediately became a UK best-seller on publication in January 2005 and is also achieving international success. Editions are published or planned in 13 territories so far, including USA, Poland, Holland, France, Spain, Denmark, Hungary and Germany. In France, Auschwitz hit the top ten best-seller list after only ten days on sale.