T T ANNUAL REPORT RR2016 SS PATRONS PRINCIPAL PATRONS BBC Channel 4 Sky ITV INTERNATIONAL PATRONS A+E Networks The Walt Disney Company Discovery Networks Turner Broadcasting System Inc Liberty Global Viacom International Media Networks NBCUniversal International YouTube MAJOR PATRONS Accenture IMG Studios Amazon Video ITN Audio Network KPMG Boston Consulting Group McKinsey and Co BT OC&C Channel 5 Pinewood Studios Deloitte S4C EndemolShine Sargent-Disc Enders Analysis Sony FremantleMedia STV Group FTI Consulting TalkTalk Fujitsu UKTV Huawei Virgin Media IBM YouView RTS PATRONS Alvarez & Marsal LLP PricewaterhouseCoopers Autocue Quantel Blackmagic Design Raidió Teilifís Éireann Digital Television Group UTV Television Kantar Media Vinten Broadcast Lumina Search 2 CONTENTS Foreword by RTS Chair and CEO 4 Board of Trustees report to members 6 I Achievements and performance 6 1 Education and skills 8 2 Engaging with the public 16 3 Promoting thought leadership 26 4 Awards and recognition 32 5 The nations and regions 36 6 Membership and volunteers 40 7 Financial support 42 8 Summary of national events 44 9 Centre reports 46 II Governance and finance 54 1 Structure, governance and management 54 2 Objectives and activities 55 3 Financial review 55 4 Plans for future periods 56 5 Administrative details 56 Independent auditors’ report 59 Financial statements 60 Notes to the financial statements 64 Notice of AGM 2017 75 Agenda for AGM 2017 75 Form of proxy 76 Minutes of AGM 2016 77 Who’s who at the RTS 80 Picture credits 82 3 FOREWORD his was a busy and vibrant year of RTS All-Party Parliamentary Group, chaired by Damian expansion for the RTS, with a signif- Collins MP. icant rise in membership, a growing Among our nationally organised events, other high- digital engagement with the public lights included: two superb “Anatomy of a hit” events and a wide range of very successful looking at Poldark and The Night Manager; two “In con- events across the nations and regions versation” events with Gary Davey and Jay Hunt; four andT in London. We have seen an increase in the num- sparkling and well-attended awards ceremonies; and ber of Patron supporters and our undergraduate bur- absorbing panel discussions of reality TV, comedy and sary schemes have gone from strength to strength. This virtual reality. has all been thanks to the tireless efforts of our mem- In the nations and regions, we saw a plethora of bers, Patrons, staff and, above all, our volunteers. equally high-quality debates, workshops and awards The RTS London Conference, “Full stream ahead”, ceremonies. was held in September. With 436 attendees, it was The Society is deeply committed to the future of our the best attended since 2004, and was energised by industry and to widening opportunities for young peo- an exceptional line-up of speakers: Steve Burke, Ted ple who wish to be part of it. Our undergraduate bur- Sarandos, Tony Hall, David Abraham, Tom Mockridge, saries schemes are now well established, with 60 RTS Andrew Griffith, Dido Harding, Sharon White, the Rt Production Bursaries, focusing on production, craft and Hon Matt Hancock MP and many others. journalism, awarded since that scheme started in 2014. We are indebted to Kevin MacLellan, Chair of NBC- Bursary recipients come from around the UK and Universal International and of the conference organis- are studying at 22 different universities. They all come ing committee, for his commitment and enthusiasm, from low-income homes and are often the first gener- and to NBCUniversal for its sponsorship of the event. ation of their family to go to university. The first 20 stu- We also appreciate the contribution of IBM and Fujitsu. dents are in the final year of their courses. All final-year The Society is grateful for the sponsorship of the RTS students have been matched with prominent industry Programme Awards by Audio Network and of the RTS mentors. Craft & Design Awards by Blackmagic Design. Fujitsu The RTS Technology Bursary scheme focuses on a sponsored the patron reception following the RTS/IET major skills gap in the broadcasting industry – engi- Joint Public Lecture at the British Museum. neering and computer sciences – and 12 bursaries We would also like to acknowledge the generosity of have been awarded since their introduction in 2015. our patrons and sponsors: we could not achieve what This year, we launched a Summer Tour, where the stu- we do without their help, whether this takes the form dents were able to spend one day each at Arqiva, the of financial support, contributions in kind, the use of BBC, BT, Channel 4, Ericsson, Fujitsu, IET TV, ITV, Sky their brains or a combination of all of these. We were and YouView. pleased to welcome 10 new patrons this year: Alvarez Two RTS Masterclasses days aimed at students and & Marsal, Amazon, Audio Network, Blackmagic Design, young entrants to the industry were sell-out successes, BT, FTI Consulting, Huawei, Kantar Media, Pinewood with a combined attendance of 758. One concentrated Studios and Sargent-Disc. on programme genres and the other on craft skills; we In the third of our series of RTS/IET Joint Public are grateful to the experienced practitioners who gave Lectures, the geneticist and Nobel Prize winner Sir Paul so freely of their time and experience. Nurse spoke passionately about “Science as revolution”. The Society committed significant resources to In another inspiring event, later in the year, Sir David extending its communication with the wider public Attenborough was interviewed by Andrew Marr at through its publications and, in particular, its digi- the House of Commons, under the auspices of the tal presence. The RTS website clocked up more than 4 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 1 million page views in 2016, fuelled by greatly enriched To promote and enhance the benefits of learning content and a very active use of social media. and skills development associated with television, A key part of the Society’s strategy has been to increase our membership, which has grown to 4,475, 1 educating people across all ages, cultures and from 3,866 at the end of 2015. A new, three-year deal capabilities, with an emphasis on young people has been signed with The Hospital Club and, on top of improved national membership benefits, significant looking to a career in television additional benefits have been introduced for members in the North West and Bristol centres. The RTS is very grateful to John Hardie, who has To engage the broader public in promoting been a wonderful Chair of the Board of Trustees during a wider understanding of the relevance and his four-year term. Members and Trustees have been delighted to welcome Tom Mockridge, CEO of Virgin 2 enjoyment of television, recognising the Media, who has picked up the Chair’s baton. He comes importance of the medium to society worldwide to the RTS with a wealth of international business expe- rience in pay-TV, broadband, telephony and news. Thanks are also due to Tim Davie of BBC Worldwide, To promote thought leadership by providing who has completed his term as Vice-Chair, but who a forum for discussion and research into the will remain on the Board of Trustees. ITV’s Simon Pitts succeeds him as Vice-Chair, and has also overseen the 3 practice, technology, art and science of television RTS Technology Bursaries. We are grateful, too, for the contribution of Huw Jones, Jane Lighting and Graeme Thompson, who com- To promote and encourage the achievement of pleted their terms as Trustees this year, and welcome high standards of creativity and technology in Lynn Barlow, who has joined the Board of Trustees. Particular thanks go to Sir Peter Bazalgette, who stood 4 television and its allied fields down as RTS President after more than six years – a role that he performed with his inimitable verve and energy. To support the Society in the nations and regions As the Society goes from strength to strength, we are optimistic about our future. We would like you to feel in engaging with the industry, its members and that you are part of a Royal Television Society that will 5 the public help to shape, enrich and lead the debate about the future of a dynamic industry that is critical to the UK’s creative industries and which plays a huge role in how To promote and develop the Society’s membership our society sees itself. and volunteer base in pursuing industry 6 aspirations and in contributing to industry learning To ensure a sound and sustainable basis for Tom Mockridge, Chair continued operation and delivery of the of the Board of Trustees, and Theresa Wise, Chief Executive 7 Society’s objectives 5 RTS BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT I Achievements and performance 6 The Board of Trustees (who are also the directors of the Royal Television Society for the purposes of company law) present their annual directors’ report and consolidated accounts for the year ended 31 December 2016, which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and accounts for Companies House purposes. The Trustees’ Report highlights the ways in which the Society’s activities have provided gen- uine benefit to the public at large. In 2012, the The RTS Student Television Board of Trustees adopted a five-year strategic Awards 2016 were held in plan for growth. June at BFI Southbank 7 Education and skills To promote and enhance the 1 benefits of learning and skills development associated with television, educating people across all ages, cultures and capabilities, with an emphasis on young people looking to a career in television 1 RTS UNDERGRADUATE BURSARIES as well as free membership of both the RTS and affiliate The RTS awarded 27 bursaries in 2016, representing membership of The Hospital Club while studying and a commitment of around £80,000.