91Èȱ¬

We aim to select the best ideas which deliver the biggest impact, the broadest range and the most value for our audiences. On this page we outline how we commission content, how to pitch ideas to us, our strategic priorities and how we ensure fairness and transparency. Find out more about how we've performed in our latest Commissioning supply report (pdf).

Who we are

How we commission content

We commission Network TV programmes from UK-based production companies. Individuals not connected to a production company should visit the skills and training section to find other ways to work with us.

Production companies can send our commissioners ideas for new programmes at any time, which we call a rolling commissioning process.

Occasionally we may also issue an invitation to pitch for a specific programme or subject area, or hold a competitive tendering process where production companies can pitch to make an existing series on a ‘work for hire’ basis. Both types of opportunity are advertised on this website.

Our commissioners are organised into specific genre teams based on the type of programmes they commission - scripted: comedy and drama, and unscripted: daytime, entertainment and factual. Factual is also divided into individual sub-genre teams, such as documentaries, history, arts, factual entertainment, etc.

Information about what each genre wants to commission (their genre brief) and who the commissioners are within that team can be found on the genre pages of this website. Producers should check these genre briefs before they send their ideas, to ensure they match our editorial strategy. Commissioners only meet with individual companies to discuss the programme ideas they’ve received, not to brief on what they want.

Programme ideas are sent to a commissioner within the appropriate genre team via our online submission system PiCoS. PiCoS helps us manage the huge volume of ideas we receive, ensure fairness, comply with our commitments, and keep track of the progress of individual ideas. All ideas are handled according to and treated as confidential.

If a commissioner thinks an idea has potential they will work with the production company to develop it, with the aim of a commission. 

We decide what programmes to commission based on the strength of the idea, its fit with our strategy and the production company’s ability to deliver the show to screen. Final decisions on what gets commissioned are made collaboratively between the genre teams, the channels and iPlayer.

As a public service broadcaster we also have a number of formal which impact what we commission, including requirements on the amount of content made by qualifying independent producers and levels of production from the Nations and English regions. Some of these are set out in and the . We have also committed to ring-fence spend for diverse content. We have an annual plan to make sure commissioning decisions match these commitments. 

We are committed to treating ideas fairly, transparently and on merit, regardless of which supplier submits them. Our sets out our commitments and how we achieve them and our ensures relations between the 91Èȱ¬ and independent producers are fair and transparent.

We report on how we achieve our ambitions and commitments each year in our commissioning supply report (pdf).

Working with other areas of the 91Èȱ¬

Other parts of the 91Èȱ¬ commission and procure content, goods and services using different processes. Find out more about these on the links below.

How to send us your ideas

Programme ideas for 91Èȱ¬ television are submitted via the online proposal system PiCoS. PiCoS helps us comply with our commitments, manage proposals in one place and track the progress of individual ideas. We treat all ideas as confidential.

Unfortunately, due to the in-depth processes involved in making and delivering a TV programme we do not accept content ideas from members of the public or individuals not attached to a production company. However, there are many other ways that you can work with the 91Èȱ¬ and develop your career in the broadcasting industry. Visit our skills and training page to find out more.

Contracting programmes

Visit the  of the Production and delivery website for full information about our business framework, programme production agreements, the commissioning specification, development agreements, the schedule of residuals, programme prices and tariff ranges and for contact with 91Èȱ¬ legal and rights teams.

Making and delivering programmes

Visit the Production and delivery website for information about making 91Èȱ¬ programmes, including technical specifications and paperwork requirements.

Working with you to achieve our strategic priorities

Suppliers that support our strategy and goals and reflect them in the ideas they pitch stand the greatest chance of being commissioned. 

Our strategic priorities include:

• To support the supply of distinctive, British ideas to the 91Èȱ¬ from across the UK
• To strengthen production ecologies, talent and the creative pipeline outside London
• To maintain a range of supply in the UK enabling smaller producers to survive and grow
• To strengthen progress on diversity and representation both on and off screen
• To strengthen progress towards environmentally sustainable production in the UK

Find out how we achieve these below.

Our Nations and English regions strategy

Our ambition is to strengthen ideas, talent and companies of scale in the Nations and English regions – to ensure we have a vibrant pipeline of stories which represent audiences across all four Nations - and increase the sustainability and economic impact of production outside London.

Our operating license outlines that 50% of our Network spend and hours must be out of London, but we consider that a floor, not a ceiling – and we aim to do more. We are committed to spending at least 60% of our Network commissioning budget in the Nations and English regions by 2027, providing a valuable boost to the production economy across the UK. This includes two-thirds of 91Èȱ¬ Three’s spend, so we can authentically reflect the voices of younger people wherever they live.

We drive increased portrayal and better value for money via co-commissions between Network and Nations teams. We are aiming to double our investment in co-commissions over the next three years - to deliver the next generation of returning brands from all four Nations, across factual, drama and comedy. Our Network and Nations teams work closely to ensure we are editorially aligned, supporting the most exciting producers, and commissioning the most ambitious programmes that reflect audiences across the length and breadth of the UK.

We are aiming to increase our commissioning footprint outside London with a truly pan-UK commissioning model – growing the next generation of commissioners in the Nations and English regions and investing in 91Èȱ¬ Writers bases and initiatives in all four Nations, to develop new voices and stories from right across the UK.

We will continue to actively work with partners who share our commitment to nurturing new talent from the Nations and English regions, and invest strategically to strengthen skills development where we need to. We currently have partnerships with , , , , and .

Support and further information

We have a number of ways we can support producers in the Nations and English regions including specific commissioning contacts in each region and financial investment. See the support for indies in the Nations and English regions page for further information and contacts. 

Find out more about our and our on best practice in meeting Ofcom’s out of London definitions. All our suppliers are required to submit information about regional portrayal at the end of a production to show how they have met the Ofcom criteria.

For information about non-Network commissioning in the Nations and English regions please visit the commissioning websites for , and .

Our diversity, representation and inclusion strategy

Diversity and inclusion is a creative imperative for the 91Èȱ¬. We have pledged to hardwire diversity into everything we do, both internally and in the way we work with programme makers.

We expect content makers to come to us with ideas that have diversity, representation and inclusion built into their development, and all producers will be expected to engage in a meaningful dialogue with commissioners about this at the start of the creative process. We want to work with producers who share our values.

We are committed to growing diversity across the industry via the programmes we commission and the teams who make them. To help achieve our ambitions we have made a number of commitments:

• Spend a minimum of £80 million per year of our overall commissioning budget across television and radio on diverse content that meets our creative diversity criteria. Crucially this investment will focus on programmes where diverse portrayal, topics and storytelling on-screen are aligned with stronger representation within the company’s leadership and senior production roles, to ensure that the stories told are authentically reflective of audiences across the UK.
• Grow off-screen representation by asking all our producers to ensure 25% of their production team are from underrepresented groups and adopt our inclusive production principles to foster an inclusive culture all our productions
• Improve the representation of Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people in Network television

Our environmental sustainability strategy

We have a duty to ensure we are keeping our environmental impact to a minimum, so it’s vital that environmental and sustainability considerations are embedded in the way our producers work and how we work with them. We also know our audience are increasingly aware of their environmental impact and it’s important we reflect these concerns and experiences in the content we make.

We ensure sustainability is baked into our commissioning process in the following ways:

• All commissions are required to achieve albert certification so we can reduce the environmental impact of our productions wherever possible. This includes completing and submitting an albert carbon footprint.
• Before we commission, a formal conversation must take place about how environmental concerns can be considered or reflected in the editorial of every project. This encompasses the mindful choices that can be made around sustainable settings or behaviours on screen as well as the subjects or themes of a production where relevant.

We aim to share, collaborate and contribute to a more sustainable broadcasting industry through our continued collaboration with the Bafta albert consortium and by partnering with other broadcasters and organisations to share best practice, promote efficiency and stimulate demand for greener products and services.

Commissioning timescales

We aim to make commissioning decisions as fast as possible: entering into a dynamic, creative dialogue with producers and managed by the relevant commissioning genre.

Every idea has different considerations, but generally 91Èȱ¬ television aims to work to the following timescales:

• acknowledge receipt of new ideas submitted to PiCoS within one week.
• make an initial decision to reject an idea or take discussions further within six weeks of submission to PiCoS.
• aim to make a final decision to commission an idea within 20 weeks of submission to PiCoS* (unless the project is taken into paid development or part of a formal tender process where timelines will be specified).
• if a project is in paid development and the producer is waiting for a decision, producers will be kept updated on progress.
• following a commissioning decision, contract negotiation and completion will be undertaken as swiftly as possible.

*These timescales may need to be varied on individual ideas for project specific reasons (for example due to access or talent availability). The producer will be kept updated on progress and any necessary variations will be openly identified and discussed.

Competitive tenders

A competitive tender is where we invite production companies to pitch for the opportunity to make an existing returning series on a ‘work for hire’ basis.

Since 2016 the 91Èȱ¬ has been putting all new business out to competition, and tendering a number of returning network television series made by 91Èȱ¬ Studios as part of its commitments in the , which sets out that 100% of relevant television content should be open to competition by the end of 2027.

These opportunities will be open to any independent production company who meet the eligibility criteria, along with 91Èȱ¬ Studios. The criteria will vary by programme, depending on the requirements of the show.

Tendered titles are chosen by 91Èȱ¬ commissioners based on a range of considerations, taking into account production and transmission schedules, value for money and the opportunity for editorial review. The 91Èȱ¬ will retain the intellectual property rights (IP) to each of the programmes and will set out by title what the location requirements are.

In addition to tendered opportunities, hundreds of additional hours of programming have been made available for producers to pitch for as part of the normal commissioning process.

Find out more about .

Re-tendering

Titles are not automatically re-tendered, but we may do so if there is a clear value for money or audience benefit or if the producer is no longer able to meet the requirements.

Complaints

If a producer is unhappy with how they or their idea has been treated they should raise this with the relevant genre in the first instance.

If the producer feels the concern about the commissioning process has not been fully addressed, and involves a breach of our published commitments, they have the opportunity to make a complaint. 

All complaints should in the first instance, be sent to the 91Èȱ¬ Content Complaints team as detailed in the three stage guidance document below.

If a producer has chosen not to use PiCoS to submit ideas this will be taken into consideration should a producer pursue a complaint against the 91Èȱ¬ regarding the commissioning process.

Where the complaint is about the running of a competitive tender, how the 91Èȱ¬ implements its Charter commitments or about 91Èȱ¬ Studios and its relationship with 91Èȱ¬ Public Service, these complaints will be referred to the Executive Complaints Unit for investigation.

Visit the Production and delivery website to read our respect at work guidance for production companies making programmes for the 91Èȱ¬, including our expectations, best practice guidance and support and contacts for productions and individuals. 

Please note: members of the public with complaints or comments about 91Èȱ¬ services should see the 91Èȱ¬ Help and Feedback website for ways to get in touch.

Please note the 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external websites.