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2nd December 2008

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BBC Worldwide 'should' be broken up

01.09.08

"I think the BBC is fantastic. But I think that BBC Worldwide should be broken up," Time Out founder Tony Elliott tells the Guardian, after his speech at the Edinburgh Television Festival last week during which he attacked the organisation. "I think that things that they do which are a logical extension of the broadcasting side - selling the programmes or formats - should continue to exist and be part of the BBC, but all the other stuff should be sold off. My gut feeling is that may well end up having to happen."

The catalyst, he hopes, will be the upcoming investigation into the BBC's commercial operations by the culture, media and sport select committee.

Some within the BBC privately believe Elliott's anger is due to the fact that he had been in on-off talks for several years about making Time Out's listings available to the corporation. Elliott admits that he always felt the BBC would be a "perfect partner" for Time Out. "Really what they wanted, in the two or three times we talked about it seriously, was to own the business and I was not interested in selling the business. We just never got anywhere and then they went off and bought Lonely Planet, which pissed us off to say the least."





Guardian

BBC Lonely Planet BBC Worldwide travel guides Time Out Tony Elliott