BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the British public broadcaster, on Tuesday reported record full-year figures, including all-time highs, and said this “positions the company well for future growth.”
The company revealed key strategic and financial performance data for the 2021/2022 fiscal year, with total sales or revenues of £1,630 billion ($1.93 billion), up 30 percent from £1.255 billion made in the previous fiscal year. was registered. on a very healthy year for production and (TV channel group) UKTV.”
The growth was driven by a 56 percent increase in production revenue. “Content sales were strong at over £400 million ($473 million), thanks to key brands such as doctor who and Top gearunscripted landmarks The universe and Green Planetalongside hits from our indie partners including The Noorderwater† This is going to hurt and the outlaws† BBC Studios said.
Earnings, measured in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 50 percent to £226 million ($267 million) from £151 million), marking “the first time the company has exceeded £200 million” , BBC Studios said. It added that a cash dividend of £135 million ($160 million) would go back to the BBC.
“Last year was a great one for BBC Studios, thanks to continued strong demand for our brands such as Strict†Dancing with the stars† Time† bluey and the Planet series,” said Tom Fussell, CEO of BBC Studios. “Our creative and financial success is clear to all and I am so proud of our teams around the world who have worked so hard to achieve this in extremely challenging conditions. With new freedom to invest and new commercial governance, it is now time for the company to step up a gear. Despite an uncertain economic environment, we are extremely confident in the opportunities ahead: and while this investment in future growth could have an impact on our bottom line in the near term, we know we are building a company that can play a greater role in the future of the BBC.”
BBC Studios also released its annual pay gap report Tuesday, “which details employee pay gaps across gender, ethnicity, disability and LGBTQ+ broken down by career level, as well as global analysis for the first time.” The majority of career levels show a median pay gap of plus/minus 5 percent, “while the overall median gender pay gap is now less than 10 percent,” the company said. “In entry-level roles, new arrangements to increase diversity are impacting some pay gap metrics, but this is important work to improve diversity across the company.”
Said Fussell: “We are among the most transparent in the media industry for disclosing pay gaps, with breakdowns by gender, disability, ethnicity and LGBTQ+ at all levels of the company, as well as new data this year for our global workforce. While there’s much to be proud of as our gender pay gap narrows, these numbers inevitably paint a picture of a work in progress, especially where we’re investing in the talent of the future. We know there is work to be done to achieve the equality we strive for across the board, and we will work tirelessly to make it happen.”
UKTV also had a record year, with EBITDA soaring 105 percent as the advertising market bounced back to boost revenue and audience share rose to “record levels,” the company said. “The stations performed very well, with Drama, Gold and Alibi increasing their share by 11 percent, 7 percent and 5 percent respectively in calendar year 2021, and (comedy network) Dave increasing their share of 16-34 year olds by 14 percent while audiences responded enthusiastically to investments in new original content, while streaming service UKTV Play added 1 million registered users.”