Online Journalism News

No decision yet on BBC.com ads plan

The BBC Trust has again deferred the decision on whether or not to carry advertising on BBC.com.

During a meeting yesterday a progress update was delivered by BBC management on the Trust's requests for more information about how potential revenues would be reinvested.

BBC management did not use the opportunity to seek a decision from the Trust on whether ads could be carried on non-British facing elements of the site - and the Trust reiterated the sentiment, made during its February meeting, that a decision was likely later in the spring.

At the meeting last month the Trust requested that management provide further information on how money gleaned from advertising would be reinvested in BBC Global News and the BBC's UK public services for the benefit of licence fee payers.

The Trust did agree yesterday that it would publish information on how it has assessed the proposition against the public value criteria once it arrives at its final decision.

Before last month's meeting 45 MPs signed an early day motion, tabled by the National Union of Journalist's parliamentary group, urging the BBC to abandon the plans. Some also signed and sent to the national press an open letter against the plan.

Those actions followed a campaign and a petition signed by more than 200 BBC editorial staff and calls from areas of the commercial British media for the BBC to forget the plan.

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