The BBC has reached a record number of people on its digital platforms and spotlighted a review into its workplace culture following the “shocking” revelations about former news anchor Huw Edwards.
The U.K. broadcaster released its annual report and accounts on Tuesday which detailed how the company has remained the number one brand for media in the U.K.
Digital consumption of BBC content significantly increased this year, the report said, with nearly 10 percent more requests on streaming platform BBC iPlayer. A whopping 4.5 billion viewing hours were accrued on the service, which was was also the U.K.’s fastest-growing long-form video-on-demand platform over the last year.
Programming which drove audiences to the BBC included The Traitors, Race Across the World, Gavin and Stacey: The Finale, the Men’s European Football Championships, the Olympic Games in Paris, award winning podcasts such as Miss Me?, and in news, Britain’s national election coverage.
Aside from lauding digital success, the report also spotlights the BBC’s workplace culture review in the wake of “shocking revelations” about Huw Edwards, as well as “several further cases of inappropriate behaviors and abuses of power.” In September, the former newsreader was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to making indecent images of children.
The review ordered by the BBC “found no evidence of a toxic culture at the BBC,” but in a series of detailed findings and recommendations, “key areas for improvement” were highlighted which the company is “implementing at pace.” The latest scandal to rock a BBC show is Gregg Wallace’s departure from MasterChef. The 60-year-old was fired from the cooking series last week after over 50 people came forward with allegations about the presenter’s inappropriate behavior on and off set.
Elsewhere in the report, trust in BBC News went up year-on-year in 2024/25 and the BBC News app is now the number one news app in the U.K. for monthly reach. The site has a weekly audience of 453 million people worldwide, and 74 percent of adults in Britain use BBC News each week.
On finances, the report highlighted an income of £3.8 billion ($5.1bn) from the U.K.’s TV licences as 23.8 million remain in force. BBC Commercial delivered record sales of £2.2 billion ($3bn) while BBC Studios, the main commercial arm, delivered its fourth successive year of net earnings in excess of £200m ($269m).
Despite this success, however, the report said that this is not enough to plug the gap left by a licence fee that generates 30 percent less income for the BBC now than it did in 2010, as well as rising costs across the production sector. “In response to these financial challenges, we have made further progress towards our £700 million annual recurring savings target by March 2028, achieving total savings of £564 million since 2022/23,” the findings said.
The company said it has reduced a net 400 of public service posts, including the closure of 900 roles which has enabled reinvestment into 400 new positions. “We are working hard to transform the BBC through cutting-edge technology and AI driven innovation,” the BBC said.
“We have already used Generative AI to increase the value we offer audiences with initiatives such as adding subtitles to programmes on BBC Sounds, and we continue to look at ways we can use AI to transform our digital offer, in line with our published principles.”
BBC director-general Tim Davie said he is proud of the speed at which the BBC is transforming to “meet the challenges of a fast-changing media landscape.”
“This report demonstrates the importance of the BBC and the vital role we play in helping to strengthen the U.K.’s democracy, economy, and society, now and in the years to come.”