{"id":935193,"date":"2026-10-16T12:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T12:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/935193\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T12:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T12:50:10","slug":"bbc-studios-boss-says-streaming-is-the-future-but-linear-still-pays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/935193\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC Studios\u2019 Boss Says Streaming Is The Future But Linear Still Pays"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tMarcus Arthur<\/a> tells Deadline about walking a tightrope in a streaming-first world where linear remains a big money-spinner.<\/p>\n

\n\tArthur is running a huge and complicated business. Having been upped from CEO of channels group UKTV to chief exec of global channels and streaming at BBC Studios<\/a>, he faces a sizable challenge. Positioning the commercial arm of the 100-year-old BBC for a streaming future while managing the traditional linear channels that still do great business in many international territories.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cStreaming is definitely our future, and building for a streaming-first future is absolutely paramount,\u201d Arthur says. \u201cBut linear is still hugely important right now for the profits that the businesses make and will be for the next five to 10 years. The art is that clutch-control between building for a streaming future, but still trying to maximize the benefit of the big linear businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBBC Studios has an enormous catalog of shows that it sells around the world \u2014 it rolled into MIPCOM<\/a> with a shiny Dancing with the Stars spinoff \u2014 but its channels and streaming business remains a big earner, with revenues of \u00a3788 million ($1.1 billion) for the 2025\/26 financial year.<\/p>\n

\n\tArthur\u2019s portfolio comprises channels and digital services spanning linear pay-TV nets, branded ad-supported channels, direct-to-consumer services and SVoD U.K. streamer BritBox International is in the mix, with Arthur overseeing it outside of North America.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe difficulty for broadcasters is that the new [streaming] paradigm doesn\u2019t come about overnight. It takes time to develop your digital services and your routes to market,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd all the time you\u2019re investing [in streaming], you still need to keep your linear businesses warm. You don\u2019t get a free hit. You need to do both of those.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBBC Studios is not beholden to shareholders in the same way as a company like Comcast, which has split its legacy channels and streaming businesses. Arthur says these moves have contributed to a narrative that does not always acknowledge the value of linear.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPeople don\u2019t always recognize that there\u2019s still growth in linear in places like South Africa, or that you can still grow your linear share in Poland and other markets that we are in, like Turkey, because they have read about a few of the big broadcasters that have decided to bifurcate their linear and streaming businesses. There\u2019s an equally long list of people who have decided to keep those assets together, whether that\u2019s Fox, ITV or AMC.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe businesses that decide to keep them together are the ones who believe that they can still benefit from those linear sides of their business for a long period of time for their future profitability, and most of them are using those profits to invest in the digital side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith a smorgasbord of channels, meanwhile, there will always be fine-tuning and rebrands. Drama network BBC First is an example: It was rebranded as BBC Belgium in that European country and there has since been an uptick in viewership with a launch lineup that included the likes of Wild Cherry, Foyle\u2019s War and Call the Midwife. That rebrand followed a similar move in the Netherlands where BBC First was rebadged BBC NL.<\/p>\n

\n\tMajor Player<\/p>\n

\n\tLast year, BBC Studios teamed with CosmoBlue to distribute channels and launch a new general entertainment network across the Middle East and North Africa regions and Turkey. Part of the deal was also the integration of the BBC Player service into the CosmoGO streaming app.<\/p>\n

\n\tTheBBC Player on-demand services can bridge the traditional and the new, providing a streaming service that can sit next to regular channels.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve grown that to 21 products in the EMEA region,\u201d Arthur says. \u201cWe have taken the existing channels\u2019 businesses and put the very best digital product alongside it. When we\u2019re speaking to the pay platforms we have relationships with, we\u2019re now talking to them about a linear business that has a really strong digital future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tBBC Player is multi-genre, including drama, and there is also the scripted-focused BritBox service. In line with the plethora of business models within the BBC Studios channels and streaming business, BritBox runs as an SVoD proposition in Australia, going direct to consumers, while it operates in conjunction with regional pay TV platforms in the Nordics.<\/p>\n

\n\tElsewhere, BBC Studios-owned channel group UKTV did a deal last year to launch content from its \u2018U\u2019-branded on-demand service on Channel 4\u2019s streaming platform. It meant Channel 4 bolstered its streaming offering with UKTV programs including the Bergerac reboot, as well as classic BBC shows that air on UKTV channels including The Office and Red Dwarf.<\/p>\n

\n\tArthur offers a progress report: \u201cWe have experienced very healthy growth and we have managed not to cannibalize our standalone service. That deal was great for Channel 4 because it got really good content from the BBC, the archive, and the UKTV originals. For UKTV, it took us onto a platform that, by nature, is younger and exposed us to a whole load of new people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFAST Facts<\/p>\n

\n\tFree Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) is a smart way to make the most of a big catalog and BBC Studios has been steadily launching channels. Arthur tells us that it is about to launch a suite of new channels in the U.K., pegged to some big-ticket brands.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe services will carry the aforementioned U branding from UKTV, with Top Gear<\/a> on U, EastEnders<\/a> on U and Antiques Roadshow on U among eight launches.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou can test and learn with FAST,\u201d Arthur says. \u201cYou can get channels up and see if they grow, and then move and change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAcross EMEA, BBC Studios said there were 53.6 million hours of viewing of its FAST channels in the first seven months of this year, a year-on-year increase of more than 50%.<\/p>\n

\n\tFAST can also plug the gaps where BBC Studios does not have services. \u201cThey\u2019ve done exceptionally well for us where we don\u2019t have any big pay deals or our own channels. It\u2019s a very effective way to launch into marketplaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Top<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBBC Studios<\/p>\n

\n\tCharter For Change<\/p>\n

\n\tOutside of the commercial Studios business, pubcaster BBC is making eye-watering cuts. For BBC Studios, the knock-on effect is a greater recognition of the importance of the cash it returns to the public service mothership.<\/p>\n

\n\tBBC Studios has argued that U.K. regulations are putting its operations at a disadvantage compared to its peers in the international business. One bone of contention is its borrowing cap, which will sit at \u00a3750 million ($1 billion) in 2027.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe have a good track record, when we do have funds, of spending them well and getting returns, but whether we get more cash availability as part of the Charter is for the government and for [BBC director general] Matt Brittin,\u201d Arthur says.<\/p>\n

\n\tLooking ahead for the next year, Arthur says the BBC iPlayer service will be modernized in terms of look and feel. And, of course, his channels and streaming division needs to make money.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe need to grow our revenues,\u201d he says. \u201cDespite the fact that advertising in the U.K. might be incredibly challenged, I want to grow our EMEA revenues. I want to grow our APAC revenues and our revenues in both Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe want this to be a growth business, and to show that we have things in place that can make that true,\u201d he continues. \u201cI don\u2019t want to just be managing businesses where the revenue is flat and all you\u2019re doing is looking at costs. I mean, life\u2019s too short.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Marcus Arthur tells Deadline about walking a tightrope in a streaming-first world where linear remains a big money-spinner.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":935194,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[101542,49,48,39555,75,320539,98913,123317,348],"class_list":["post-935193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-bbc-studios","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-eastenders","tag-entertainment","tag-marcus-arthur","tag-mipcom","tag-top-gear","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/935194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}