BBC World Service inquiry
Closed
What the inquiry looked at
“The BBC World Service (BBCWS) is a leading international radio broadcaster, providing impartial news reports and analysis in English and 27 other languages. The BBC World Service broadcasts and distributes mainly news, current affairs and information services around the world. In recent years the World Service has had to cut costs following a reduction in the grant-in-aid it received from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; manage the transition from grant-in-aid funding to licence fee funding from April 2014; and respond to broader changes in technology and consumption patterns among its audiences. The NAO are preparing a report which will examine how the BBC has managed these changes as well as the impact on performance.”
The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.
What it found
The BBC World Service has transformed its services and ways of working, and reduced its costs, while increasing its audience. Despite its success, there is scope for improvement.
The targets set for the Service have not been sufficiently rigorous and the amount of information available publicly on the Service’s performance has reduced. The Service faces a new challenge to expand, using the allocation of an extra £289 million from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and to demonstrate the agility needed to respond to a rapidly changing world. However, the accountability arrangements for the new funding are still unclear more than six months after it was announced and it is not yet clear whether this new funding will continue beyond 2020. The Service also needs to clarify its plans for maximising its commercial income, while maintaining its editorial integrity.
What the government said
No government response is linked to this report.
How the inquiry ran
Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 7 June 2016 to its close on 4 January 2018.
- Oral evidence 29 Jun 2016
- Report 16 Sep 2016
What it recommended
The committee's recommendations are not listed here yet. Read them in 15th Report - BBC World Service ↗ on parliament.uk.
Evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1
- 29 Jun 2016No witnesses recordedparliament.uk ↗