BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20 BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20 Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport by Command of Her Majesty © BBC Copyright 2020 The text of this document (this excludes, where present, the Royal Arms and all departmental or agency logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as BBC copyright and the document title specified. Photographs are used ©BBC or used under the terms of the PACT agreement except where otherwise identified. Permission from copyright holders must be sought before any photographs are reproduced. You can download this publication from bbc.co.uk/annualreport Designed by Emperor emperor.works Prepared pursuant to the BBC Royal Charter 2016 (Article 37) Contents Contents About the BBC Governance report Financial statements 02 Informing, educating and 70 BBC Board 159 Certificate and Report entertaining the UK in 2019/20 71 Executive Committee of the Comptroller and 04 Coronavirus: informing, 71 Next Generation Committee Auditor General educating, and entertaining in 72 Corporate Compliance Report 171 Consolidated income statement lockdown 73 Remuneration Report 171 Consolidated statement of Strategic report 81 Pay disclosures comprehensive income/(loss) 89 NAO opinion on pay 172 Consolidated balance sheet p 06 Statement from the Chairman 173 Consolidated statement of 08 Director-General’s statement disclosures 09 Delivering our strategy in 90 Nominations Committee changes in equity Report 173 Consolidated cash flow 06 2019/20 Strategic Report 16 – Audience performance and 91 Audit and Risk Committee statement Report 174 Key themes for the BBC market context Risks and opportunities 175 Notes to the accounts 18 Delivering our public purposes 95 20 – Impartial news and 103 Viability Statement Additional information information 104 Commercial Holdings 222 Equality Information Report 22 – Learning for people of all ages Board Report 260 Index 24 – Creative, quality and 105 Editorial Guidelines and 261 Copyright and photographer distinctive output Standards Committee Report credits 30 – Reflecting the UK’s diverse 107 Nations Committee Reports 262 Contact information communities 109 Fair Trading Report and feedback 40 – Reflecting the UK to the world 111 Independent Fair Trading Assurance Report 42 Finance and operations 112 Statement of Board 51 Commercial operations responsibilities 52 – BBC Studios 113 Performance against public 56 – BBC Global News commitments 57 – BBC Studioworks 136 Performance data packs 58 How we operate 157 NAO opinion on Nations’ 59 – Our people data packs 64 – Consultations 65 – Audience engagement report 66 – Environmental sustainability 67 – Charitable work 68 – Partnerships and collaboration p69 Governance Report Left: BBC One’s Seven Worlds, One Planet p158 Above: Ellie Bamber in BBC One’s The Trial of Christine Keeler Financial Statements BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20 1 Return to contents Informing, educating and entertaining the UK in 2019/20 It has been an exceptional and unprecedented year for BBC News; record-breaking audiences have come to BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds; and BBC Studios has had an outstanding year delivering British creativity to UK and international audiences. These pages highlight just some of the key ways the BBC delivered its mission – to inform, educate and entertain – in 2019/20. 38% year-on-year increase in average weekly viewing minutes on iPlayer. 3.6m 74% User accounts using BBC Sounds of UK adults say that the BBC is weekly at the end of 2019/20. effective at informing people in the UK (ineffective 9%). iPlayer transformed Boosting BBC Sounds Informing audiences BBC iPlayer ended the year on a record- BBC Sounds has taken off this year, ending in complex times breaking high, with 4.8 billion requests significantly ahead of our all-audience It has been an exceptional and to stream programmes in 2019/20. targets for users. Users have taken unprecedented year for BBC News, covering Programmes are now available for at least advantage of live stations, music mixes the last months of Theresa May’s period in 12 months (see pages 11-12 and 25 for more and a surge in listening to top-quality BBC office, the election of Boris Johnson, a UK on how iPlayer has transformed this year). podcasts, including hits such as The Missing General Election, the Brexit debate and our Cryptoqueen, That Peter Crouch Podcast and departure from the EU. We ended the year Tunnel 29 (see pages 13 and 25 for more on reporting on the flooding in February and our distinctive programming this year). then the global outbreak of coronavirus. The BBC is named most often by far when news consumers cite the source they are most likely to turn to for impartial news coverage (see pages 13 and 20 for more on what audiences think of our news coverage). 2 BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20 Return to contents About the BBC 55:45 ratio of men to women reported in our pay disclosures on page 81, from 76:24 in 2016/17. A diverse and inclusive BBC This year, our pioneering 50:50 project to ensure equal representation of men and women on screen has been adopted by more than 60 organisations in 20 countries. We appointed June Sarpong as our first ever Director of Creative Diversity and we committed to the biggest financial investment to on-air inclusion in the industry – prioritising £100 million of our existing commissioning budget for new content over three years (from 2021/22-2023/24) towards diverse and inclusive programming (see pages 30-39 and from page 59 for more on what we have been doing to make our workplaces as diverse and inclusive as they can be). 18.5m Gavin & Stacey The audience for the Gavin & Stacey 2019 m Christmas special across all screens. It was the biggest scripted show of the decade. 468 Global weekly reach No. including BBC News and BBC Studios. 1 BBC Two’s Travelling Blind for impartial news coverage Source: BBC Global Audience Measure. 51% of news consumers name the BBC as the source they are most likely to turn to for impartial news coverage – up from 44% in 2018/19 and far ahead of the next h:m nearest provider (Sky News, 7%). 07:30 Source: Ipsos MORI UK 16-34s spent more media time with A global BBC the BBC’s services on average per week in 2019/20 than any other brand. % This year, our total global audience grew 9 by 11% to reach 468 million across our year-on-year growth in EBITDA news, English language, foreign language for BBC Commercial Holdings. and commercial services. And our brand continues to grow internationally, BBC Studios – seen in the success of BritBox in North in the best of British America and the performance of hit 1 6 shows like Seven Worlds, One Planet proportion of the Scottish population BBC Studios had its highest-ever level of across the globe (see pages 34 and 40 tuning in per week on average to the content investment and its best year for for more on our global operations). BBC Scotland channel. content sales. Along with the acquisition of UKTV, this meant that Studios delivered Growing the BBC record sales and profit. In its second year Scotland channel as a merged business, delivering the very best of British creativity to audiences In its first full year of operation, the new in the UK and around the world, these % BBC Scotland channel has been a real results show success in transforming BBC 91 success. It reached more viewers in Scotland Studios’ culture and operations, achieving UK adult reach than any channel outside BBC One, BBC a strong position alongside other global Percentage of UK adults who use BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 per television, radio or online per week on week on average (see pages 33 and 144 for players. And following its success in North average. 2018/19: 91%. America, we launched BritBox with ITV more on our performance across the UK). in the UK in November – a new streaming service, home to the largest collection of British boxsets (see pages 51-57 for more on our commercial operations). BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20 3 Return to contents Coronavirus: informing, educating and entertaining in lockdown As the national broadcaster, we have played a crucial role during the coronavirus crisis. This special report demonstrates how at a time of national need, we refocused all of our resources – channels, stations and output – around the most pressing needs of our audiences. From trusted news and information to educational support, from arts and culture to distraction and escapism, the public came to us in huge numbers in response. Global initiative to combat % disinformation during the crisis An industry collaboration of major news 94 and tech organisations worked together to put in place a shared alert system to m UK adults’ pan-BBC reach in the rapidly identify and stop the spread of week social distancing began harmful coronavirus disinformation. 81 The public’s response to the BBC in Record breaking UK browsers to this period has been extraordinary. BBC News Online As social distancing began in the UK A record-breaking 81 million UK Keeping audiences informed browsers came to BBC News in the third week of March, pan-BBC BBC News played a key role in providing Online in the week of 16 March. reach amongst UK adults peaked at audiences with trusted and accurate 94% – and 86% of those aged 16-34. information, refocusing its output to provide a continuous news service on television, radio and online.