BBC Design & Engineering

Last updated

BBC Design + Engineering branding (2018 onwards) BBC D+E.png
BBC Design + Engineering branding (2018 onwards)

BBC Design & Engineering (styled as BBC Design + Engineering [1] ) was an operational business division of the BBC, which combined the BBC Digital, BBC Engineering and BBC Worldwide Technology divisions. It is responsible for all of the BBC's digital media services including BBC Online, BBC Red Button and BBC iPlayer, BBC mobile apps, internal technology services, technology procurement and BBC Research & Development. It was headed by the Chief Technology and Product Officer; Matthew Postgate. [2] [3]

Contents

Since 2020, the division has been split into multiple smaller departments - Product Group, Technology Group, and Distribution & Business Development within the public service, and BBC Studios Product and Technology group within the commercial BBC Studios. [4]

History

BBC Online (1994)

The BBC has had an online presence supporting its TV and radio programmes and web-only initiatives since 1994 but did not launch officially until April 1997, following government approval to fund it by TV licence revenue as a service in its own right. [5]

BBC Online Logo BBC Online.png
BBC Online Logo

It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as: BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site CBeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize. Throughout its short history, the online plans of the BBC have been subject to harassment from its commercial rivals. This resulted in various public consultations and government reviews to investigate their claims that its large presence and public funding distorts the UK market.

BBC Red Button launched in September 1999 as a branding for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service, and is only available via digital television receivers. The service can be accessed via Digital terrestrial television (DTT) (DVB-T), satellite television (DVB-S) and cable television (DVB-C). The "Red Button" branding is no longer used within the BBC own website.

BBC Technology Ltd sell off (2004)

In 2004, BBC Technology Ltd, a commercial subsidiary of the BBC who provided technology and broadcast support and services was sold to Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS) under a 10-year Technology Framework Contract (TFC) worth almost £2bn. [6] Siemens was purchased by Atos Information Technology Incorporated in 2011 who continue to hold the contract. BBC Future Media & Technology continued as an internal division for managing this contract and other technology projects.

BBC iPlayer (2007)

BBC iPlayer was launched in 2007. This provides internet television and radio service and software application, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows.

DMI (2008-2013)

The Digital Media Initiative (DMI) was broadcast engineering project launched by the BBC Technology division in 2008. It aimed to modernise the BBC's production and archiving methods by using connected digital production and media asset management systems. After a protracted development process lasting five years with a spend of £98 million between 2010 and 2012, the project was abandoned in May 2013. [7] [8]

BBC Future Media (2011)

The original Future Media & Technology division was divided as a part of a corporate restructure within the BBC in 2011. [9] The idea for the division was conceived in 2011 to connect all areas of the BBC's digital viewing platforms. [10]

The concept was to create a more streamlined business function that can respond more quickly to future developments in the industry. According to The Guardian newspaper "The BBC's online presence now is like TV was in 1963. They still do not know what they are doing. It's about combining an understanding of technology, editorial and the BBC – and there's still not enough people in the business that understand all three." [11] Some staff were moved from London and other locations to the new MediaCityUK development in Salford. [12]

From 1 April 2015 BBC Future Media was renamed BBC Digital, while BBC Technology was renamed as BBC Engineering. [13]

BBC Design & Engineering (2016)

BBC Design & Engineering was created in 2016 when Matthew Postgate was appointed as Chief Technology Office for a new division that brought together the BBC Digital, Engineering and BBC Worldwide technology teams, thus re-amalgamating departments separated by previous internal restructures. [14] Since 2020, the division has been demerged into multiple smaller departments - Product Group, Technology Group, and Distribution & Business Development within the public service, and BBC Studios Product and Technology group within the commercial BBC Studios. [15]

Subsidiary departments

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Red Button</span> Interactive television service

BBC Red Button is a brand used for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service. BBC Red Button's text services were due to close on 30 January 2020, but the switch off was suspended on 29 January 2020 following protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokia</span> Finnish multinational telecommunications, technology and electronics corporation

Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, in the greater Helsinki metropolitan area, but the company's actual roots are in the Tampere region of Pirkanmaa. In 2020, Nokia employed approximately 92,000 people across over 100 countries, did business in more than 130 countries, and reported annual revenues of around €23 billion. Nokia is a public limited company listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. It is the world's 415th-largest company measured by 2016 revenues according to the Fortune Global 500, having peaked at 85th place in 2009. It is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeview (UK)</span> British digital terrestrial television platform

Freeview is the United Kingdom's sole digital terrestrial television platform. It is operated by Digital UK Ltd and DTV Services Ltd, a joint venture between the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. It was launched on 30 October 2002, taking over the licence from ITV Digital which collapsed that year. The service provides consumer access via an aerial to the seven DTT multiplexes covering the United Kingdom. As of July 2020, it has 85 TV channels, 26 digital radio channels, 10 HD channels, six text services, 11 streamed channels, and one interactive channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siemens</span> German multinational conglomerate company

Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interactive television</span>

Interactive television is a form of media convergence, adding data services to traditional television technology. It has included on-demand delivery of content, online shopping, and viewer polls. Interactive TV is an example of how new information technology can be integrated vertically into established technologies and commercial structures.

The Plessey Company plc was a British electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after World War II by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Fry</span> British businessman (born 1956)

Nicholas Richard Fry is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, having previously served in similar roles at previous incarnations of the company.

Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom encompasses over 100 television, radio and interactive services broadcast via the United Kingdom's terrestrial television network and receivable with a standard television set. The majority of digital terrestrial television (DTT) services, including the five former analogue channels, are broadcast free-to-air, and a further selection of encrypted pay TV services are also available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC iPlayer</span> Television and radio streaming service

BBC iPlayer is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services delivered to UK-based viewers feature no commercial advertising. The terms BBC iPlayer, iPlayer, and BBC Media Player refer to various methods of viewing or listening to the same content. Viewing or recording live television broadcasts from any UK broadcaster or viewing BBC TV catch-up or BBC TV on-demand programmes in the UK without a TV licence is a criminal offence.

The Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards, or Technology and Engineering Emmys, are one of two sets of Emmy Awards that are presented for outstanding achievement in engineering development in the television industry. The Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), while the separate Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards are given by its sister organization the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS).

Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc and now owned by Digital UK. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Freesat offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television, with a broadly similar selection of channels available without subscription for users purchasing a receiver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Research & Development</span> Media technology research organization

BBC Research & Development is the technical research department of the BBC.

Atos Information Technology Incorporated is a service provider which is owned by Atos. Atos Information Technology Incorporated provides a wide range of information technology services such as consulting, systems integration, and IT management.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom, based at Broadcasting House in London. It is the world's oldest national broadcaster, and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees, employing over 22,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 19,000 are in public-sector broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV</span> Industry standard for hybrid digital television

Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) is both an industry standard and promotional initiative for hybrid digital TV to harmonise the broadcast, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), and broadband delivery of entertainment to the end consumer through connected TVs and set-top boxes. The HbbTV Association, comprising digital broadcasting and Internet industry companies, has established a standard for the delivery of broadcast TV and broadband TV to the home, through a single user interface, creating an open platform as an alternative to proprietary technologies. Products and services using the HbbTV standard can operate over different broadcasting technologies, such as satellite, cable, or terrestrial networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siemens NX</span> Computer-aided design software

NX, formerly known as "unigraphics", is an advanced high-end CAD/CAM/CAE, which has been owned since 2007 by Siemens Digital Industries Software. In 2000, Unigraphics purchased SDRC I-DEAS and began an effort to integrate aspects of both software packages into a single product which became Unigraphics NX or NX.

Siemens Digital Industries Software is an American computer software company specializing in 3D & 2D Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software. The company is a business unit of Siemens, operates under the legal name of Siemens Industry Software Inc, and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

The Digital Media Initiative (DMI) was a British broadcast engineering project launched by the BBC in 2008. It aimed to modernise the Corporation's production and archiving methods by using connected digital production and media asset management systems. After a protracted development process lasting five years with a spend of £98 million between 2010 and 2012, the project was finally abandoned in May 2013.

Matthew Postgate is a British digital technology strategist. He was the BBC's Chief Technical Officer from 2016 to 2020.

References

  1. ↑ BBC Design + Engineering Medium page, accessed 21 June 2018
  2. ↑ "Matthew Postgate, Chief Technology and Product Officer - Inside the BBC". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "BBC Future Media at Media City UK". 27 July 2013. BBC North. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  4. ↑ BBC Hires Storm Fagan as Chief Product Officer, TheOrg, 20 April 2021
  5. ↑ Brandon Butterworth's History Of Online BBC, 2007
  6. ↑ BBC closes deal with Siemens, BBC Press Office 1 October 2004
  7. ↑ "BBC abandons £100m digital project". BBC News. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "BBC closes Digital Media Initiative". BBC press release. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "BBC Future Media Management Structure". 27 July 2013. BBC. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Rannard, Storm. "BBC showcase Future Media". 4 March 2013. Digital Innovation On-Line Magazine Manchester Metropolitan University. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  11. ↑ Kiss, Jemima (21 January 2011). "BBC Future Media: What is Erik Huggers' legacy?". 21 January 2011. London: The Guardian Newspaper. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "BBC Future Media at Media City UK". 27 July 2013. BBC North. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  13. ↑ "New names for FM and Technology". 30 March 2015. BBC Ariel. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Matthew Postgate profile, BBC Management Structure, Accessed 22 February 2017
  15. ↑ BBC Hires Storm Fagan as Chief Product Officer, TheOrg, 20 April 2021
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.