Word: bbc
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...want to see the future of the Beeb as media giant, click on BBC America, which runs on digital cable and the satellite service EchoStar. BBCA is now available in 37 million homes, up from 28 million only last year. The channel airs BBC hits from Britain, such as Changing Rooms and The Office; it imports popular programs that other British broadcasters run, like the talk show So Graham Norton; and it's creating American spin-offs. An import called Ground Force, on which professional gardeners fix up a bloke's backyard, also airs as an American version with...
...strong with award-winning news, documentaries, dramas and comedies. It has long snubbed crass commerce and does not run ads on its two flagship channels. Its revenue model: every household with a telly must pay the British government a "license fee" of nearly $200 a year to fund the BBC, which adds up to a $4.5 billion annual subsidy. Americans would probably dump their sets in the Boston harbor if Washington forced them to spend that kind of money for PBS. But by and large, Brits love their Beeb; 93% tune in at least once a week. Audience satisfaction, which...
...Auntie, however, is not being treated with deference in its homeland. It's partly political--the company is feuding with the government over a BBC news broadcast that suggested Prime Minister Tony Blair exaggerated Iraq's military threat to justify going to war. It's partly corporate--the BBC, through its commercial side, is turning into a powerful media conglomerate. Some critics say the BBC is dumbing down its entertainment shows to get ratings and sexing up some of its news broadcasts to get buzz. With new digital-TV and radio channels, a highly successful website, a major international expansion...
Part of the hostility may come down to sour grapes. Last year the Beeb's for-profit operations, which are separate legal entities, brought in revenues of $1.9 billion--35% higher than in 2000--and returned $249 million to the BBC's not-for-profit side. That's remarkable, considering that during the same period, many of the world's major media firms struggled with slumping ad revenues, large debt loads and expensive mergers that blew up. But the Beeb more than muddled through, and one of its biggest success stories is right here in America...
...buzz network," says Lee, 42, a former BBC director and producer. "When we were in under 30 million homes, there weren't a lot of advertisers who noticed. But we're really getting noticed now." Lee says the BBC's prime-time ratings have grown 50% year over year since 2001. "When we launched, only 3 in 10 Americans heard of the BBC. That figure is now 6 in 10." He says BBCA is ahead of its target to turn a profit...