The BBC is a treasured institution. But with a recession looming its sprawling tendrils and how they potentially damage legitimate commercial interests are becoming more obvious. It shouldn’t be surprising that rival media organisations put the boot in hard over issues such as ‘Brand-Ross.†They’re envious: as their own revenues are threatened , they see a BBC with guaranteed funding and very little to prove.
Until recently, I hadn’t really considered the challenged that the BBC poses to small businesses and start-ups, specifically online, the BBC’s unenlightened linking policy is well documented. But I’m more interested in how BBC content stifles competition in all sorts of spheres. BBC content has a much better chance of being ranked highly than that of smaller organisations and seen by its huge online audience. I spotted an example this week on the BBC homepage:
The content promoted is arguably of a PSB value but certainly not unique and it’s difficult to see why the BBC is in a position to claim that it should be publishing it. It’s not specifically related to a Radio or TV broadcast or programme and directly in competition to private sites out there (specifically MyDish, who I’m currently doing some work with.)
BBC.co.uk ran massively over budget in 2008 and since savings need to be found, the knife should cutback on producing unique content not related to programming. This will allow other to flourish and the BBC can concentrate on what it should be doing first and foremost: quality TV and Radio broadcast supported by online efforts.