BBC reorganises for an on-demand Creative Future

The BBC has announced organisational changes to meet the challenges and opportunities of its Creative Future content strategy launched in April.
The changes have been made following consultation with senior managers across the BBC.
These reforms are built on the Creative Future vision that the best content should be made available on every platform at the audience's convenience and they will simplify how programme ideas – both from in-house and independent producers – move from original concept to audiences.
The changes, due to be fully operational by April 2007, will enable 360 degree commissioning and production and ensure creative coherence and editorial leadership across all platforms and media.
They will also streamline the way funding flows across the organisation, bringing in-house production together under a single head, while reinforcing commitments made to the independent production sector through the Window of Creative Competition.
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson told staff across the organisation: "Today is about making Creative Future a reality. It's about how we can make the BBC the most creative organisation in the world, delivering content that our audiences will simply love.
"We need a BBC ready for digital and for 360 degree multi-platform content creation, which brings different kinds of creativity together – in technology as well as content – to deliver what we need in this converging world.
"And we need a simpler, more open BBC with the licence-fee flowing down simple, direct lines to the right people, a simpler structure, clearer responsibilities and fewer layers."
A three year value for money efficiency programme is already underway to deliver savings of £355m a year by 2008 to reinvest in to content.
The key changes include:
Marketing, Communications and Audiences, led by Tim Davie, is designated as a creative division, putting audiences at the heart of the BBC and working ever closer with content areas and Future Media & Technology to bring audience insights to the creative process.
A new Future Media and Technology division (FM&T), led by Ashley Highfield, will concentrate on emerging technologies, playing a leading role in finding and developing new ways for audiences to find and use content.
Technology resources will be centralised and prioritised in FM&T and three new FM&T controllers will be based in the three main content areas – Journalism, BBC Vision and Audio and Music.
FM&T will manage all new media platforms and gateways like bbc.co.uk, the emerging i-player and web 2.0, as well as metadata, search and navigation and BBC Information & Archives which is vital to opening up the BBC's archives.
The multi-media Journalism group, led by Deputy Director-General Mark Byford, will now also include BBC Sport along with BBC News, Global News and Nations & Regions.
BBC Television, Factual & Learning and Drama, Entertainment & Children's come together in a new group, BBC Vision, led by Jana Bennett.
This group will be responsible for in-house multi-media production, commissioning and audio visual services, including the TV channel portfolio, and digital services like High Definition and Interactive.
(GB)