BBCS secures three-quarters of BBC contestable tenders

BBC Studios has won three-quarters (74%) of all competitive tenders since the BBC made its returning in-house shows contestable by indies in 2017.

So far, the BBC has awarded contracts for 23 network shows, of which six (26%) have been awarded to indies and 17 to BBCS.

The titles which went to the indie sector are: Songs of Praise, awarded to Afanti and Nine Lives in 2017; Proms TV coverage, won by Livewire in 2019; Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind, for Hindsight and Hat Trick in 2019; Sunday Morning Live (Tern TV and Green Inc in 2022); DIY SOS, handed to South Shore in 2024; and See Hear, awarded to Signpost Productions in 2024.

The total value of the tenders that the BBC was able to confirm is £130.45m (the corporation was unable to state the value of three contracts). Two were won by BBCS and one by BBC Sport.

Of that £130.45m, the indie sector’s contracts were worth £34.3m (26%), compared to BBCS’s £96.15m (74%).

The most valuable win by an indie was the original three-year contract Afanti and Nine Lives secured for Songs of Praise in 2017, worth £12m.

The full chronological list of tendered shows is set out below.

In addition, there have been re-tenders for Songs of Praise in 2023, with CTVC winning the £8m contract, and Sports Personality of the Year, which went to Whisper North last year. The BBC was unable to state how much the latter contract was worth – BBC Sport won the initial 2019 tender. The BBC only counts original tenders as part of its 100% contestability requirement, and it is understood that BBCS and BBC Sport did not contest either of the re-tenders.

There is an ongoing competitive process around the BBC1 soap Casualty, which is set to relocate into Wales.

There has also been a tender for Hogmanay coverage, which is not included in the table because BBC Studios was not eligible to bid. That Scotland-commissioned contract was retained by BBC Scotland in-house.

The winner of each tender is the highest scoring against a set of specific criteria for each show. These vary depending on the project but include factors like production experience, cost, experience and regionality of the producer.

More than three-quarters (77%) of eligible TV hours have been contested so far, according to the latest BBC Commissioning Report. Some of the major BBC shows which are yet to be tendered include Strictly Come Dancing, EastEnders and The One Show.

The BBC began to tender the shows that previously made up the in-house guarantee following the launch of the BBC’s 2014 Compete or Compare strategy.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Tendering of existing programmes has produced a range of outcomes, with the highest scoring bidder winning following a fair and robust process. They form just one part of the overall opportunities we offer the market as part of a fully meritocratic commissioning model.”

The BBC also works with the indie community through pitching opportunities for strands like Horizon, The One Show insert films and BBC Arts Film, as well as new formats like the next unscripted hit for the BBC and NBC Universal.