“BBC Head Predicts “Big Shock” Coming for Traditional Media”
“There’s a big shock coming,” according to BBC Director-General Mark Thompson. “The second wave of digital will be far more disruptive than the first and the foundations of traditional media will be swept away, taking us beyond broadcasting.”
Thompson outlines his views in a recent speech that suggests that the BBC needs to completely rethink itself around the Internet.
“On-demand changes everything. It means we need to rethink the way we conceive, commission, produce, package and distribute our content. This isn’t about new services, it’s about doing what we already do differently.
“The BBC should no longer think of itself as a broadcaster of TV and radio and some new media on the side. We should aim to deliver public service content to our audiences in whatever media and on whatever device makes sense for them, whether they are at home or on the move.”
“We can deliver much more public value when we think across all platforms and consider how audiences can find our best content, content that’s more relevant, more useful and more valuable to them.
“I see a unique creative opportunity. This new digital world is a better world for public service content than the old one.
“Better because great content will now be available forever. Better because finding it will no longer depend on being in front of the TV or radio at exactly the right moment. Better because, in areas like Knowledge Building, the new digital media will allow a far deeper, richer offer than the BBC has ever been able to deliver before.
“There has never been a better moment to be a public service programme maker - there has never been a better moment to be a public service viewer, listener or user.”
The full speech is available at the BBC site.