Ms Jane Black
c/o: [FOI #87 email]
21 April 2008
Dear Ms Black
Freedom of information request – RFI20080283
Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”) dated 20
March 2008, requesting the following information:
Please can you send me correspondence within and between the BBC Trust and BBC management
regarding:
-
assessing the market impact of BBCGreen.com
-
assessing the public value of BBCGreen.com
-
which BBC Service Licence BBCGreen.com should fall under, if any
-
whether the BBC’s Royal Charter grants the BBC legal permission to launch stand-alone,
commercial websites targeted at a UK audience.
BBCGreen.com is a website owned by BBC Worldwide. BBC Worldwide is the main commercial
arm of the BBC and is a wholly owned subsidiary. The company exists to maximize the BBC’s
assets for the benefit of the licence fee payer. BBC Worldwide’s profits are delivered back to the
BBC, supplementing the Corporation’s licence fee funding. For information, under section 6(b)(ii),
information held by BBC Worldwide is not covered by the Freedom of Information Act; however,
the type of information you have requested would be held by the BBC and as such is covered by
the Act.
As specified in the BBC’s commercial services protocol, any new or changed commercial service
proposal (including website launches) requires approval by the BBC Trust in the following
circumstances:
i) where it involves an investment or disinvestment in excess of £50m; or
ii) it falls outside the strategy for the BBC’s commercial services as approved by the Trust; or
iii) in the UK, it represents entry into a wholly new market sector for the BBC’s commercial
services.
BBCGreen.com does not trigger any of these provisions and therefore did not come before the
Trust or the BBC’s Executive Board. Accordingly, we do not hold any correspondence of the
description given in your request.
In response to your fourth question, the BBC’s Royal Charter and Agreement does allow for the
BBC to launch stand-alone, commercial websites targeted at a UK audience. Section 3(3) of the
Royal Charter1 allows commercial activities to be undertaken to any extent permitted by a
Framework Agreement. Sections 68 – 74 of the Agreement2 relate to the commercial services.
Both of these documents are publicly available at the links below.
Appeal Rights
If you are not satisfied with this response you have the right to an internal review by a BBC senior
manager or legal adviser. Please contact us at the address above, explaining what you would like us
to review and including your reference number. If you are not satisfied with the internal review,
you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. The contact details are: Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone
01625 545 700 or see http://www.ico.gov.uk/
Yours sincerely
Rachel Hallett
Information Policy & Compliance
1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/charter_agreement/royalchartersealed_sept06.pdf
2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/charter_agreement/bbcagreement_july06.pdf
