The BBC has hit its £100M ($130M) three-year diversity content committment with one year to spare, according to the corporation.
The public broadcaster said it has spent around £120M over two years on shows that qualify under the commitment, which was forged in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. It is also ahead on radio content spend, according to the BBC Diversity Commissioning Code of Practice Progress Report.
The three-year commitment only counts shows that qualify under two of the following three criteria: diverse stories and portrayals, diverse production leadership and diverse company leadership. The criteria are discussed when a show is commissioned and then measured at transmission. Recent examples of shows that would have met the criteria include Big Deal Films/A24 comedy Dreaming Whilst Black and Candice Carty-Williams adaptation Champion.
“We’ve always said the investment was a starting point,” said new Diversity & Inclusion Director Chinny Okolidoh. “Diversity and inclusion is an absolute priority for the BBC and we’re fully committed to reflecting our audiences and improving representation, inclusion and accessibility even further across our content.”
The news comes following the high-profile departure of the BBC’s Head of Creative Diversity Joanna Abeyie, and hitting the commitment with a year to spare will be a boon for a BBC diversity department under a bit of pressure.
The Commitment has been criticized in the past for not benchmarking the level of spend prior to it being launched, but the news will nevertheless be welcomed.
