91Èȱ¬

Jana Bennett will today set out her future vision and priorities for 91Èȱ¬ Worldwide’s network of international channels and announce that a major international season of programming about London is to be taken to TV screens around the world.

In her first major speech as President of Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer, she will also announce that 91Èȱ¬ Worldwide is deepening its development of original Lonely Planet programming that will bring the best of its travel expertise to 91Èȱ¬ Worldwide’s international channels. These 'branded blocks' will be broadcast on 91Èȱ¬ Knowledge channels which are shown in 14 countries around the world. Bennett will also outline her plans to launch a full 91Èȱ¬ Earth channel following the success of the branded block on 91Èȱ¬ Knowledge in some territories.

As part of her aim to export more of the best of British creativity and culture around the world, she will also announce a major international TV season called 'London Calling', which will provide a month of programming across genres including drama, factual, history, culture and music.

In the run up to the Olympic Games, 91Èȱ¬ Worldwide Channels including 91Èȱ¬ Knowledge and 91Èȱ¬ Entertainment will air this season to highlight London as the capital of creativity – it will celebrate the people, music, fashion, art, culture and history of the British capital with a wide range of programming.

Jana Bennett will say: "In the 1960's, Carnaby Street, Mary Quant and David Bailey put London at the heart of the Swinging Sixties; fifteen years ago there was Cool Britannia, and we predict that in 2012 the spotlight will focus firmly on London again. The 91Èȱ¬ will be there, telling the story of a world-class city to a global audience."

In the wide-ranging speech to the Banff World Media Festival conference in Canada, she will also set out her future vision for the 91Èȱ¬'s global network of channels, announcing a number of strategic priorities. These are:

• More global viewing events: The first of these priorities will be a promise to broadcast more major events that can bring audiences worldwide together around great British events, starting with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. The move follows the success of the Royal Wedding in April which saw the network synchronise its local schedules for the first time, and the announcement of the ‘London Calling’ season. 91Èȱ¬ Worldwide Channels is also planning a wider partnership with Sport Relief to make the campaign a global event in 2012. Following on from the successful regional collaboration in Africa in 2010, the business hopes to develop the model across its global portfolio next year, to raise money for good causes around the world while providing great entertainment.
  
  
• A commitment to growing the slate of original programming with commissions from both UK and international producers. This follows the recently announced Australian originations Free Rein from Lonely Planet TV& Freehand, and The Kangaroo Gang: Thieves by Appointment from The Full Box Productions.
  
  
• New branded channels: Bennett will expand on plans to grow 91Èȱ¬ Worldwide's existing portfolio with new branded channels, first turning her attention to 91Èȱ¬ Earth, the umbrella brand for the 91Èȱ¬'s flagship natural history content and giving the audience a glimpse of what a standalone channel would look like. Bennett will mention plans to launch a new, premium HD service in a number of territories, using the new channel as a home for first-run scripted and landmark factual programmes.
  
  
• New channel launches: Bennett will also confirm plans to launch a localised feed of 91Èȱ¬ HD in Latin America within the year. This channel will follow in the footsteps of 91Èȱ¬ HD versions in Scandinavia, Poland and Turkey and will feature the best drama, comedy, science, natural history, music and performance programming all in glorious HD and 5.1 surround sound. The new channel will complement 91Èȱ¬ Entertainment and CBeebies, which are already available across Latin America.

She will also talk about her vision for the global 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer, saying that it will create editorially curated collections across genres like music, comedy, factual, natural history, children's programmes and other genres.

She will reiterate that the service will launch as 'very much a pilot', initially as an app on Apple's iPad. She will underline it will be rolled-out ‘in a careful and measured way’, adding: "We want the global 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer to imaginatively engage an on-demand audience with the best classic and contemporary British shows."

She will confirm that it will be a multi-territory roll-out, with Western European countries likely to be in the first wave, as part of a staggered launch. She will also explain how all the evidence shows it will complement (not cannibalise) the schedules of our channels and those of our customers.

She will explain the global 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer will be 'a different proposition’ from the UK 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer, saying: "The freedom from catch-up means that we've got a lot more flexibility in terms of what we put on there and how we present it. In overseas markets where the whole gamut of the 91Èȱ¬'s linear broadcast isn't available then applying the on-demand model we have in the UK doesn’t make sense."

She will add: "Whilst it won't happen overnight, our ambition is to present a timeless mix of classic and contemporary UK creativity, showcasing the best of British content from the 1950s to the present day. Vintage British creativity but fresh and for the future."

Harriet Otoo (Channels)
Alex Fulton (iPlayer)