2016 Summary of BBC Taster

1. TV Review

2. Why does
Taster exist?

3. We are fighting for the currency of attention
The BBC operates in a
very crowded market
place (especially
online), competing with
a wide range of
services for audiences’
time

4. In a very competitive environment
1 - Technical
innovation
Social platforms are
innovating technically,
Facebook Live, 360
video (YT, Facebook)
and conversation
style services are
growing at speed.
2 - Editorial
innovation
The rise of self
publishing with
Youtube, Kickstarter,
Phundee. In VOD
Amazon, Hulu, Netflix
lead with data driven
decision making.
3 - Talent
development
Huge increase of
social talent,
influencers and the
people who manage
social talent such as
Gleam.
4 - Hard to reach
audiences
These audiences are
congregating on social
platforms and services
such as Vice and
Buzzfeed which the
BBC struggle to
compete with.

5. With increasing Budget pressures
• With less money available getting audience insight
early on helps us reduce risk.
• Taster is a development tool that can inform data
based decision making. (it has some of the best
analytics tools available at the BBC)
• Taster can help with business cases or proposals
and to inform budget and planning

6. Where we need to, fail fast, succeed quicker and remain
distinctive
“We are going to do some of
the greatest, boldest, most
imaginitive work of our lives…
...A new product that blew me
away was developed by a
team of four. They have a
“fast fail” culture – much better
to kill off what had seemed
like a good idea, and be
upfront about it, than to work
on it, hoping it might come
good.”
“The BBC must be the risk capital
for the UK’s creative industries”
“Innovation has been a part of the
BBC from its very foundation. You
have to refresh, to regenerate. I
suppose you can't be the home of
Doctor Who for 50 years without
learning something about
regeneration.”
Tony Hall, 2013

7. What is Taster?

8. Taster is a home for new ideas
A website that’s a
home for our new
ideas
A badgefor content on
and off the BBC that is
experimental &
innovative
A place for our
audiences to try, rate &
share something new

9. Other organisations have “Tasters” too

10. We Use Taster to….
Beta test new tech
like Seenit before
deciding if the BBC
can scale this up.
De-risk BAU –
Ideas and Talent
Development – ie
BAME drama
initiave or new
social talent for
BBC Three.
Develop New Digital
Formats – ie
personalised history
engine ”Your Story”

11. And to noticeably innovate, experiment & disrupt.
Winning since Jan 2015….

12. Where do the pilots come from?
Titles: 184 pilots launched since Jan 2015
Depts/Genres : NHU/Digital Storytelling/Digital
Guerrilla’s/ Sport/ News/Learning/ Comedy
/Drama/Arts/M&A/Radio & BBC R&D all active
users of Taster Resource .

13. Impact – pilots with an onward journey in TV
Interactive video tools –
implementing use of
Interlude/Touchcast/Wirewax
pan BBC.
BAME Drama Shorts “The
Break” – Writers Room Drama
Shorts published by BBC Three &
re-commissioned by BBC Drama
Commissioning.
Once Upon A Tweet: – Piloted
on Taster and subsequently
commissioned by BBC Three
Interactive Brain Crash Doc –
Led to Development/Commission
of Life & Death Row: Love
Triangle for BBC Three
SeenIt – UGC uploading
tool adopted pan BBC
(News/Sport/TV) now
informing D&E uploader
requirements in 17/18

14. Impact
Your Story Engine – personalised
history engine subsequently re-
commissioned by M&A & BBC
Factual Commissioning
Movie Quiz – engine being re-used
by Factual TV Commssioning for
“Shop Well For Less” & other TV
shows in 16/17
The Voice VR /Strictly VR
Attenborough VR/ Rome VR –
leading TV understanding around the
growth of VR in Broadcast.
Story Explorer – re- used by M&A
for promotion of Peaky Blinders
series 3 on BBC2 2016
WeatherBot – re-used on BBC TV
General Election Coverage 2015

15. 2016 TV Factual Commissioning Pilot - exploring new digital
formats with TV Commissioning
Social Formats Immersive Formats
Personalised Formats

16. 2016 In Production
Your Black & British Moments
personalised history engine for BBC
2 Black & British Season Nov 2016
Let It Shine – UGC tool SeenIt
adopted by M&A & TV production for
use on Let It Shine BBC 1 Jan 2017
Big Life Fix , social media
innovation & social first content
produced for BBC2 Jan 2017
Secret Life of Poaching – social
media innovation for BBC 1 Factual
TV Content cc Nov 2016
Strictly Come Dancing - Own The
Stage – M&A UGC Collaboration cc
Nov 2016

17. Thank you