Background

Content & Production is the most recently created separate business in BBC Worldwide, headed by Wayne Garvie, who joined from the BBC's Entertainment division.

It manages the company's relationships with the Independent production community via its Indie Unit, co-ordinates programme investment and film development for the whole of BBC Worldwide, and helps to maximise the potential for formats via its local production capability.

Strategy

Content & Production works closely with the BBC's in-house production teams and Independent production companies and will look to build on and broaden these relationships in the next year.

The business also plans to drive growth by expanding the number of countries in which formatted shows appear, as well as encouraging the recommissioning of further series.

Working with the unrivalled distribution network of the Global TV Sales business, Content & Production is the first port of call for the BBC's in-house production teams and many Independent producers looking to develop new programme ideas. Its investment in young and up-coming production companies ensures that the business continues to support and stimulate the UK's Independent sector.

Performance

Content & Production achieved a turnover of £36m in 2005/06, up from £13m the previous year. The LA production office generated revenue of £19m, mainly due to the strong performance of the second series of Dancing with the Stars (Strictly Come Dancing). Profits grew to £3.2m from £1.0m in 2004/05.

The joint venture with Woolworths plc, 2 entertain (see Home Entertainment), includes a film production business with sales of £3 million.

Activity

In 2005/06 the Indie Unit struck a number of output and development deals with Independent companies including Seven Stones Media, Tiger Aspect, Baby Cow, Monkey, Touchpaper, Clerkenwell and Ecosse.

BBC Worldwide was delighted to be named the Distributor of Choice in a Broadcast magazine survey of UK Independents in September 2005. The accolade recognises the combined efforts of the Indie Unit and the Global TV Sales teams around the world in maximising the commercial potential of Indie-produced programming. Dancing with the Stars continues to be BBC Worldwide's most successful current format. In the US, a third series of the show, which is ABC's top rating entertainment show, has just been signed. In New Zealand, Dancing with the Stars launched its second series on TVNZ, while deals have been signed for a fourth and fifth series with Seven Network in Australia.

The format has extended its reach to 27 countries around the world including Russia, Poland and Germany and commands huge audiences in each territory. It has also collected an impressive number of awards, including a Logie Award in Australia for Best Entertainment Show and a Broadcast Award in the UK for Best International Programme Sale.

In addition the BBC THREE hit, Honey We're Killing The Kids, was licensed to Australasia, USA, Sweden and Germany, and Just the Two of Us to Seven Network in Australia. The Office was licensed to Canal+ in France for its first-ever foreign-language version.

South Africa is a robust market for formats with programmes such as Generation Game, Strictly Come Dancing, Friends Like These and Keeping up Appearances continuing to gain strong audiences for broadcasters in this territory.

Content & Production also signed a deal with Sony Studios to develop scripted formats including a possible US version of Cutting It!. Following the international success of the award-winning, feature-length film, Deep Blue, which has been watched by more than three million people in more than 20 countries around the world, Content & Production is now developing the film Earth with BBC Production. Planned for worldwide distribution in summer 2007, it is based on the highly acclaimed series Planet Earth.

Summary

In the next year, as the business begins to get into its stride, it will be looking into format production outside the traditional US sphere, with successes like Dancing with the Stars acting as a blueprint for what might be achieved around the rest of the world. Content & Production will continue to invest in new ideas for formats and new programming from Independents.

Sales(£m)	06	05
Europe	14.4	10.3
Americas	18.6	0.7
Rest of World	3.1	2.2
Total	36.1	13.2

Profits(£m)	06	05
Europe	2.0	0.7
Americas	0.7	0.2
Rest of World	0.5	0.1
Total	3.2	1.0

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