The BBC started a new chapter on May 18 when Matt Brittin took over as director general. The former senior Google executive has come to the broadcaster at a time of profound change in both media and technology. While the worlds of media and big tech face different challenges, their corporate and competitive strategies are becoming more and more intertwined.
When his appointment was first announced, Brittin stated in the press release that “now, more than ever, we need a thriving BBC that works for everyone in a complex, uncertain and fast-changing world.”
Here, Brittin finds himself on very familiar ground. He arrives at the BBC after 18 years at Google in the UK and Europe, the Middle East and Africa where he delivered impressive growth in audiences and revenues in exactly this type of environment. Brittin’s experience shaping how audiences find and watch video on YouTube offers the BBC perhaps its greatest near-term commercial opportunity.
YouTube is fast becoming one of the most significant commercial operators in news and entertainment. Its growing dominance in streaming and multichannel delivery almost certainly being studied by the BBC as the broadcaster seeks to reduce its dependence on the licence fee.
Brittin is no novice when it comes to strategy, having trained at top consulting firm McKinsey before entering the media and technology sector. His experience with Google and YouTube gives him a data-driven approach to understanding audience behaviour at global scale.
This is exactly what the BBC needs to redesign its own distribution strategy. This might be through iPlayer and Sounds, or partnerships with platforms such as YouTube to reach new audiences. There have, however, been concerns that the BBC is placing too much of its content on the platform, handing even greater power to big tech.
Brittin will bring a much-needed commercial perspective to these discussions.
Having negotiated with broadcasters and rights holders as a tech leader, Brittin understands the detail, whether that be windowing (staggering release dates for new content), discoverability (how easily users can find the content they are looking for) or innovative revenue-sharing models. The BBC will need his experience as it negotiates and updates its future distribution strategy at the pace required to keep up with the tech giants.
Politics of the BBC
In undertaking this challenge, he needs to also manage the politics as the BBC renews its royal charter. The BBC’s public funding model is under intense political scrutiny, with many arguing that the current licence fee model is anachronistic in a world dominated by streaming services.
There are many options to change the funding model. Brittin is well-versed in these types of strategic debates and will bring this perspective to the table.
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Those who know him say that Brittin is a skilled manager, easygoing and affable with clarity of mission and an iron will to deliver. Brittin credits his leadership qualities to rowing – he rowed three times in the Boat Race (for Cambridge) and then spent four years as part of Team GB, winning bronze at the World Rowing Championships in 1989.
However, his track record is not unblemished. During high profile UK parliamentary hearings over Google’s tax arrangements back in 2013, MPs accused the company under his watch of being “calculated and unethical”. He was also mocked for claiming not to know his own salary. These episodes raise questions about how politically attuned he is when under such scrutiny.
His experience at Google will certainly have prepared him for attacks from commentators, politicians and competitors. As an executive in a major company with growing influence in the media and tech world, he is no stranger to handling controversy.
But the BBC is an altogether different animal when it comes to what we hold its leaders accountable for. As a public service broadcaster, members of the public have an important voice when it comes to governance, transparency and accountability. The BBC even broadcasts shows dedicated to criticisms of its own output – most notably Newswatch for BBC TV and Feedback for BBC Radio.
Given his somewhat stumbling performances in front of parliamentarians, it is fair to question whether Brittin can handle criticism from people who do not come from the sector with the ease and aplomb that will be needed to maintain the public support the BBC so desperately needs.
An additional niggle that persists is how he will deal with high-stakes editorial issues. The BBC’s impartiality and editorial fairness is under scrutiny following several deeply embarrassing incidents – including the broadcasting of a racial slur at the Baftas and Donald Trump’s multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the BBC. The lawsuit is over a Panorama episode containing a misleadingly edited clip of the US president, which also contributed to the resignation of the last director general, Tim Davie.
There is an obvious solution to this final point: appoint a deputy director general with a strong background in journalism to complement his tech sector experience. Elevating a senior journalist to the role of deputy would provide the valuable and much needed air cover for Brittin on future editorial matters across the BBC, both commercially and politically.
Rupert Younger does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.