Case studies :

BBC: It’s your data!

The experience of personal data

One to one

Technology has completely transformed broadcast media over the last few years and has revolutionised the way in which people watch and listen to television and radio. When the BBC first approached live|work in 2005 it was a broadcaster used to a ‘one to many’ media model. The BBC now needed to understand the issues presented by the growing number of one-to-one interactions with its audience and respond to the opportunities.

These new interactions meant that the BBC could build up a huge amount of audience data collected when individuals subscribed to its services: a text message to a radio DJ, a vote on a reality show, a download from BBC iPlayer. This data will be far more accurate and detailed than previous methods of capturing viewing habits.

What could the BBC – as a public service provider – do with all this data?

The future…

The unanimous decision was that the BBC shouldn’t use personal data solely as a source for marketing information, but that they had a responsibility to enable the public, as individuals, to own, and get value from, the data trails we all leave behind. Working with BBC Research & Innovation, live|work brought an understanding of how personal data is changing services in other sectors, to develop concepts for future BBC services. By conducting our own research into the habits of key BBC audience groups, we showed how the BBC could engage with people in very different, and more participatory ways.

Our scenarios are tangible and visual articulations of possible futures:

1. Maybe every BBC user would have a personal account on-line where they could access their own detailed viewing patterns? These profiles could then in turn be used to share special interests with other people.

2. Perhaps the BBC could define personal data as something that belongs to the viewer, as much as to the BBC? This “personal annual viewing report” could give data back to the audience in a way that would make it feel personal, precious and valuable.

3. The BBC could also make it easy for people to erase or change their personal data. Unlike most other organisations, this would enable the BBC’s audience to feel comfortable that their data profile wouldn’t reveal false information or portray them in an undesirable way.

Strategic value

Our work has been used to stimulate discussions and challenge established points of view at board level in the BBC. It has led to a number of projects that develop CRM (customer relationship management) strategy. More specifically, this work has helped BBC Technical and Future Media teams to agree on the technologies that need to be developed to deliver the ‘It’s your data’ proposition. Finally, the project has helped the BBC develop a distinct and unique ‘public service’ vision for audience data.

2005

Contact: Chris Downs on 020 7377 9620

www.bbc.co.uk

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