BBC commercial operations : further report, seventh report of session 2008-09, report, together with formal minutes

"BBC Commercial Operations: Further Report (HC 968)" includes and comments upon the BBC Trust's response to its earlier report into the commercial operations of the BBC, "BBC Commercial Operations (HC 24)", available below.

The Committee notes the BBC Trust's statement that as a result of continuing uncertainty over the models for the future of BBC Worldwide, which it had hoped would be reconciled as part of the Digital Britain Report, it is not able to respond to all of the Committee's recommendations.

Whilst recognising the ongoing review by the Trust, the Committee is disappointed that it appears to have used this as an excuse to avoid responding to a number of wider recommendations.

As a consequence, the BBC Trust's response cannot be regarded as a coherent response to the Committee's report. The Committee also comments critically on the: commercial activity not being clearly linked to core BBC programming; purchase of the Lonely Planet guides - an expansion into an area where the BBC had little or no existing interest; adverse effect on a competitor of the Lonely Planet magazine despite assurances this would not occur; Trust's rejection of the use of a Public Value Test in developing new licence-fee funded services; and, Trust's apparent belief that it has no case to answer and its failure to respond to a number of specific recommendations. "BBC Commercial Operations (HC 24), Fifth Report, Session 2008-09", ISBN 9780215529589 from the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee is available to buy separately.