Mergers, Acquisitions, Alliances and Synergies Case Study

Case Title:

BBC-Microsoft Tie-up: Strategy for Next Generation Digital Presentation

Abstract:

British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC had entered into tie up with Microsoft in 2006 to take it into next generation digital presentation of its content. Falling viewership for conventional news presentation in television had resulted in BBC’s Board of Governors to announce new media initiatives which assessed BBC’s current stature and its need to cater to younger audiences who are on the move. BBC had Channels offering 24 x 7 presentations which were increasingly put on internet and interactive channels for specific groups were also floated. Uploading and downloading images were made possible and search on BBC’s exhaustive archive content was also open. BBC felt that these measures were not enough and looked for alliance partners who could radically alter its presentation platform to suit next generation requirements. After scouting RealNetworks, IBM and Linden Laboratories, BBC tied up with Microsoft.

As its director general, Mark Thompson had quoted that BBC needed a creative response to the amazing, bewildering, exciting and inspiring changes happening in both technology and expectations, the MoU outlined its emphasis that BBC’s content delivery and consumption will be explored for the next generation platform. Potential areas of collaboration will include search and navigation, distribution and content enablement, the MoU said.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• The case anticipates familiarising the students on
• The changing scenario in presentation of news and other programs in television
• Evolution in conventional news and infotainment media
• Threat posed by internet to the conventional media
• BBC’s worldwide standing on multi-channel broadcasting and its efforts to be modernised
• Various divisions and channels in BBC and their functions
• Contribution of Microsoft in developing BBC’s next generation presentation.

Keywords :  Mergers,Acquisitions,Alliances Case Study;BBC-Microsoft Tieup; Next generation digital presentation; Evolving digital technology in news channels; Creative Media; New Media initiatives in BBC; Challenges to traditional newscast; Sharing BBC Archives; Multi device newscast; Digital TV in UK; BBC News 24; advertising revenues from BBC sites; News content in BBC; BBC Jam and Cbeebies