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Nieuwe leider onderzoekt evenwicht bij aankoop van Amerikaanse programma's nadat commerciële concurrenten zorgen uiten over uitgaven van de licentievergoeding.

De BBC’s incoming director general Matt Brittin has announced plans to scrutinise the UK public broadcaster’s approach to acquiring overseas programming. The move follows mounting criticism from commercial rivals who argue the corporation has used public funds to secure popular US series ahead of them.

Brittin Questions Balance of Foreign Content Spending

Speaking to lawmakers, Brittin indicated he wants to assess whether the BBC has struck the right balance when purchasing imported shows. He suggested the review could lead to reductions in the acquisitions budget as the organisation works to deliver £500 million in savings over the next three years.

Less than five per cent of the BBC’s overall content budget currently goes on foreign acquisitions, Brittin told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. He described the purchases as a deliberate tactic to attract viewers who might then engage with core public service output such as Newsround.

Rivals Highlight Specific Deals and Call for New Rules

ITV, Sky and Channel 4 have voiced frustration over the BBC securing titles including Schitt’s Creek. Additional tension arose last year when the corporation acquired the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cartoon Scooby-Doo in a competitive bidding process.

In written evidence to the committee, ITV argued there is no justification for the BBC to deploy public money to compete for content that would otherwise appear on free-to-air commercial channels. The company urged ministers to insert a new charter requirement limiting such acquisitions to situations where the BBC acts as purchaser of last resort.

Sky separately warned that the BBC’s charter should stop iPlayer from developing into a platform that simply aggregates third-party material.

Parliamentary Exchange Focuses on Scooby-Doo Deal

Labour MP Natasha Irons pressed Brittin on the Scooby-Doo acquisition during the committee hearing. She questioned the public service value of outbidding commercial broadcasters for imported cartoons when the money could instead support UK production.

What’s the public service value in outbidding commercial broadcasters for things like Scooby-Doo when you could be investing in Britain?

Brittin, who was six weeks into the role at the time of the hearing, acknowledged the wider financial pressures facing the BBC and confirmed the acquisitions policy would form part of the ongoing cost review.