The big discussion today across the blogsphere is that BEBO, MySpace, YouTube and Facebook are all being wooed by mainstream broadcasters to carry video and broadcast content in order to recapture the ‘lost’ youth audience on the social networking sites.

Perhaps the most stunning success to date has been Kate Modern, a YouTube based programme that allowed BEBO users to interact with the main character. It achieved 25 million downloads in three months! The success has allowed lucrative sponsorship deals where Warner Music was able to weave its band, The Days, into the story line. There are also opportunities for product placement that would not be allowed on TV.

In the UK, BEBO has pioneered the partnership of broadcast media, and has signed deals recently with a string of broadcasters such as C4, Sky, ITN and CBS. This is perhaps the most significant development to date on the back of BEBO's marketing leading audience of 10.7 million users in the UK.

BEBO has perhaps been able to steal a march on its rivals by allowing Broadcasters to embed their own media players in the site whilst not attempting to make money directly from the broadcasters. This is, perhaps, a stroke of genius as BEBO will be able to sell targeted banner advertising on the same page, at a fraction of the cost of broadcast advertising rates, to a huge audience. Also as I have mentioned many times before in my blogs, content is key to keep people coming back!

BEBO is set to retain its market leading share of 10.7 million users, as following its string of media partnerships, it can now offer users the opportunity to collect clips from BBC programmes such as EastEnders and Doctor Who, behind the scenes MTV footage and ITN news.

As a platform for targeting the youth audience, we will have to see if this move is the right thing to do. One may argue that as, according to Ofcom, 31% of 15-24 year olds use social networking sites, it should be a success. However, care must be taken to ensure the content is not too 'mainstream'. Clearly, most of the appeal for social networking sites for young people is that it feels like ‘their’ media where they can control its content. If, for example, all the program content available on TV appears on BEBO and the site begins to feel more like Reuters the younger generation may switch off (again) and migrate to another form of media.

 

Blimey, what are the BBC up to at the moment? The BBC is looking to make up the £2 billion budget shortfall, due to the less than generous rise in the license fee, in a lot of concerning places.

Yes, I believe that selling off expensive real estate and moving production and support functions out of London makes perfect sense. However, I cannot subscribe to the idea that large scale job cuts should be made in the areas of world class excellence such as the Natural History and Vision Units.

Staff in Bristol are anxiously waiting to hear if they are part of plans to axe 2,800 jobs in the UK. BBC director general Mark Thompson is submitting his plans for the corporation's future to its governing body. Reports have surfaced that BBC staff may have to write a 200-word memo justifying why they should keep their jobs in the light of cutbacks.

In Bristol the BBC employs about 740 staff at Whiteladies Road. Two of its departments are expected to be affected by the cuts. These include its BBC Vision department which has 450 staff and includes the Natural History Unit, and the Factual Unit, which makes programmes including Bargain Hunt.

The main changes include:
• Closing 2,500 job posts over the next six years
• Creating about 1,000 new jobs, many of which will be filled internally. In total, the BBC estimates there will be 1,800 redundancies from current staff
• Making 10% fewer original TV programmes by 2012/13, focusing on fewer, higher quality shows
• Establishing an integrated newsroom - merging TV, radio, and online
• Reducing the size of the BBC's property portfolio by selling BBC Television Centre by 2012/13
• Scrapping proposals for new activities, including plans for four new local radio stations.

I think that in the past the BBC has tried to be all things to all people, rather than focusing on its core purpose which is simply to inform, educate and entertain the British Public. I believe that the BBC has tried to follow its competition, ITV and C4, too far into the commercial and reality TV market. I would put further emphasis on the "inform and educate" part of the BBC's formal purpose, as clearly many commercial stations do not focus on this area as it is not as appealing for advertisers, so the BEEB surely is carrying out a valid service for Britain?

With the exception of the Discovery Channel (which carries a lot of BBC content anyway), the BBC dominates the Natural History and factual programming market. It clearly is a strength and I cannot see how the organisation will benefit from making job cuts in this area. Surely the BBC earns the "lion's share" from content sold around the world from the estimated 80% of all Natural History programming worldwide? So what's the plan? Axe the next series of Blue Planet in order to roll out another cringe worthy reality TV (most probably dancing related) programme?

My plan to address the budget crisis would be to:

AXE:
1 - The ill-fated BBC i-player project (Read about this in my blog)
2 - "Reality TV" programmes.
3 - Focus on providing streamlined sports coverage. (A contact close to the BBC coverage of Rugby world cup said that the BBC team was the largest of any TV station from around the world!)
4 - The bureaucracy and red tape for which the BBC is also famous, i.e. focus job cuts in the "Professional services" department.
5 - Axe BBC3 and BBC4 as I am not sure who watches these channels to be frank!

KEEP:
1 - The Natural History unit intact and well funded.
2 - Maintain the quality and informative elements of the Vision Department.
3 - Look to keep the regional programming network for radio and TV intact and well funded.

If you are interested in contributing to this debate more please visit the Bristol Evening Post article here and you might stand a chance of getting your views in print!