New terms for Radio Independents and BBC

The Radio Independents Group and the BBC have agreed new terms of trade for the commissioning of independent productions.

The agreement follows talks which have run in parallel with the BBC’s discussions with independent TV providers through PACT.

Independent radio production companies will now benefit from more freedom to exploit commercial rights – with digital rights being available to the wider market from first broadcast – and a reduction in the period before which independently produced programmes can be made available commercially to other radio networks and streaming services in the UK.

It will also allow the BBC to increase its podcast and archive offer to listeners, while also offering the independent community commercial opportunities around the creation of video content and commercial websites aligned to radio programmes.

John Moran, BBC’s Head of Commercial Business Development, Rights and Business Affairs for BBC Radio and Music says: “This deal is good news for listeners and radio indies. It allows the BBC to offer listeners more opportunities to hear new programmes they love and explore the archive, and radio independents the ability to better exploit the commercial value of their programmes across all platforms.”

Phil Critchlow, Chairman of RIG, says: “The UK’s independent radio production sector produce some of the most creative and loved programmes on BBC radio. This is a good deal for radio indies in enabling better exploitation of their programme on all platforms globally and building a collaborative creative partnership with the BBC.”

The newly agreed framework includes the extension of BBC iPlayer’s free-to-air catch-up window from seven to 30 days, subject to approval by the BBC Trust, giving listeners more time to catch up on BBC programming.