Technical delivery standards
The BBC requires all Network television programmes to be delivered as AS-11 DPP files.
All programmes delivered to the BBC must be fully editorially and technically checked and ready for transmission prior to delivery. This includes ensuring sound and picture quality are consistent throughout and there are no problems that will harm a viewers’ enjoyment of the programme, usually determined by the eyeball QC check. Crucially productions must ensure dialogue is clear and understandable by a first-time viewer. It is the responsibility of the supplier to ensure programmes meet the editorial and technical requirements of the commission. See sections one - four of the BBC specific technical delivery standards document (dropbox).
Please see the Live and close to transmission page, the Red Button page or the Open University delivery page for relevant requirements.
Contact details
- Independent production companies must contact their relevant BBC delivery contact for all questions relating to delivery.
- BBC Studios should seek advice from the relevant delivery contact within Studios.
- For all technical questions relating to file delivery, Live or Close to Transmission programmes please contact Andrew Dunne (visit the contacts page - 'technical delivery' section for details).
- For problems with file uploads please contact Content Delivery Operations.
Sound best practice
Sound quality plays a vital role in our audience’s enjoyment of BBC programmes. We don’t want viewers switching off because the sound is poorly mixed.
The BBC has therefore produced a best practice guide for sound mixing for use by productions.
This covers elements such as background music, volume surfing and loudness range reporting and gives examples of successful audio mixes across different programme types.
It is recommended that all producers delivering television programmes to the BBC follow the advice set out in this document.
Re-edits and re-versions
If a file delivered programme requires re-editing after it has been accepted by the BBC it will always be a new version and require a new version number.
To obtain a new version number independent production companies should contact their delivery coordinator at the Indie delivery Unit or the relevant Children's delivery contact who will issue a new version number. BBC Studios should speak to the relevant channel contact for re-edits and re-versions.
Outside of normal office hours and only for programmes required for immediate transmission, please contact the Playout Editors for a new version number.
Close to transmission
Programmes commissioned to deliver ‘close to transmission’ or delivering after the TX-9 deadline will be required call Content Delivery Operation to discuss file delivery and will be required to have a lines booking (‘lines recording’ or ‘lines to air’) in place as an contingency.
For further information please see the How to deliver live and close to transmission page to download the full technical specifications.
Independent production companies should contact their BBC delivery contact to discuss delivery. BBC Studios should seek advice from the relevant delivery contact within Studios.
Live
Live programmes are subject to special requirements. For further information please see the How to deliver live and close to transmission page to download the technical specifications for the delivery of live television programmes.
Independent production companies should contact their BBC delivery contact to discuss delivery. BBC Studios should seek advice from the relevant delivery contact within Studios.
Programme copy policy
The BBC Archive is required to keep all transmitted programmes for a minimum of five years for research, re-use value and for critical business reasons such as legal traceability and ensuring the correct version of a programme is transmitted.
All independent productions (including those producing content for CBBC and CBeebies) must submit one master copy to BBC Archive and must retain an exact copy of the delivered master for their own records, this copy may need to be required/referred to in the event of an issue prior to transmission.
Note: Where an independent production has been delivered on tape, it is acceptable to store the copy as an AS-11 file or in any File Mastering Format provided a new tape copy or an AS-11 UK DPP HD V1.1 file can be made and delivered to the BBC if required.
BBC Studios should seek advice from the relevant delivery contact within Studios.
BBC Nations and Regions programming may be logged and stored locally but recorded in the central database.
In addition, a clone is not required for the following output:
- programme acquisitions output
- recorded Sports programmes (eg highlights from earlier, live action)
Topicality status
The delivery date will usually be determined by the programme's topicality status which is determined by the editorial nature of its content. A 'topical' status will be awarded only to those programmes which relate directly to live or current events and therefore require some last-minute production. Topicality status classifications are used throughout BBC Television. The definitions below are additionally used to define the requirements for live and late feeds and outside broadcasts (OBs).
Any variation to the contracted delivery date must be formally agreed (by writing or email with your business affairs manager).
| Topicality Status | Programme Type | When Required |
| Non-topical and Open University programmes | All non-topical programmes | Required by 5pm on the contracted delivery date at the latest |
| Week topical programmes | - a programme with 'week specific' elements within its content - people of the week chat shows | Required by 5pm on the contracted delivery date which is five days before transmission |
| Day before topical | - a programme with a 'news' element within it- weekly review programmes- spin-offs linked to live shows | Required by 10am on the contracted delivery date on the day before transmission |
| On day topical programmes | - a news programme (but not other factual documentary series unless another criterion is met)- highlights programmes connected to earlier sport or other live event | Required by TX-9 hours from transmission on the contracted delivery date. |
| Quick turnaround/ late edit programmes | Programmes which, because of essential last-minute preparation and/or location of the editing/recording facility, cannot deliver the programme to Playout, e.g.sports or events highlights edited and transmitted from OB facilities | A date and time specified on commissioning documentation |
| Live programmes | Live feeds/whole programmes played from a live source eg OB, a studio, abroad. | A date and time specified on commissioning documentation |
| Off-site programmes | Programmes which are not delivering to the London Playout area. This could include programmes transmitting from a Nation or region, an outside facilities house, another BBC building or an edit suite. |
- Strands will be commissioned with their appropriate least topical status, and production departments will need to agree any necessary changes to this status for individual programmes as above.
- Live and quick turnaround programmes are subject to special requirements – see How to deliver live and close to transmission page for more information.
Programme duration
The commissioning documentation will specify a slot duration for the programme. However, the physical programme that is delivered must conform to the actual duration requirements shown below.
Slot duration: the length of the slot in which the programme transmits eg for EastEnders this will normally be 30 minutes (7.30 - 8pm).
Actual duration: the running time at which the programme should be delivered. The actual duration is less than the slot duration to allow for promotions and previews eg for EastEnders this would be one minute less than the slot duration (29 minutes).
|
Channel |
Slot Duration |
Actual Duration |
|
BBC One Peak time |
60 minutes |
58 minutes |
|
All other durations |
One minute less than slot duration |
|
|
BBC One Daytime
|
15 minutes |
13 mins 45 secs |
|
30 minutes |
28 mins 45 secs |
|
|
45 minutes |
43 mins 45 secs |
|
|
60 minutes |
58 minutes |
|
|
Other slots |
To be advised |
|
|
BBC Two |
All durations |
One minute less than slot duration |
|
BBC Three
|
15 minutes |
14 minutes |
|
30 minutes |
29 minutes |
|
|
45 minutes |
44 minutes |
|
|
60 minutes |
58 minutes |
|
|
Other slots |
To be advised |
|
|
BBC Four |
All durations |
One minute less than slot duration |
|
CBBC and CBeebies
|
5 minutes |
3 - 5 minutes (to be agreed with head of scheduling) |
|
10 minutes |
10 minutes |
|
|
15 minutes |
14 minutes |
|
|
20 minutes |
19 minutes |
|
|
25 minutes |
24 minutes |
|
|
30 minutes |
28 minutes |
|
|
45 minutes |
44 minutes |
|
|
60 minutes |
58 minutes |
Notes:
- The actual durations quoted include opening and closing titles.
- Occasionally the actual duration of the programme may need to vary from the guidelines above. In this case the commissioning executive, or for Children’s content the Children's MediaHub, will advise the production of the actual duration to which it should be delivered.
- Any variation to the agreed duration must be formally agreed with the BBC commissioning editor or for Children’s content the Children's MediaHub.
- Children’s programmes have a 15 second allowance either side of these durations.
It is essential that programmes be delivered to the correct duration to ensure that schedules work to time. Programmes with incorrect durations will require re-editing and re-delivery at productions expense.
Programme UIDs
Every BBC programme episode version has its own UID number which follows the episode throughout its life and is used for all filing, documentation, music reporting, archive and retrieval. This replaces the Prog ID/Clock number.
The UID is made up of two parts:
- The core number: identifies the programme down to episode level: DRA A479U
- The version number (suffix): identifies the version of the episode: /01, /02 (start at /01 and run to /49)
Together they make the UID: DRA A479U/01
UID numbers are available via the following routes:
- Independent suppliers: Indie Delivery Unit
- BBC Studios productions: the relevant channel contact
- Children’s content: Childrens’s MediaHub
- Programmes requiring re-edits for repeat transmission: TV and Media Operations (TMO)
Note: Red Bee Media and BBC Archives cannot supply these numbers.
Productions must not increment version numbers. If a new version of the programme needs to be delivered, contact the UID issuer for a new version number.
For programme acquisitions only:
- The first transfer of an acquired programme should be numbered /01 but the source will be entered as /99
- Any subsequent transfer will be numbered /02 etc
Reversioning old format numbers:
Programmes with old format number will keep that number. If a programme with an old format number is now reversioned then the version element will now increment to a /01 ie a reversion of a /71 version will be a /01.
The new rule is as follows:
If there is no version code below /50 for the episode
- For independent productions the indie delivery team will allocate the new version with a /01 suffix.
- BBC Studios should seek advice from the relevant delivery contact within Studios.
Example: three versions of an episode exist with the following numbers DRIA413B/71, DRIA413B/72, DRIA413B/73. If this programme is reversioned again it will be given the number DRIA413B/01.
If there is a version code below /50 for the episode then the new version will get the next highest version number.
Example: there are three versions of an episode as follows: DRIA416J/71, DRIA416J/01 and DRIA416J/02. If this programme is reversioned again it will be given the number DRIA416J/03.