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The BBC Trust has rejected calls for BBC Worldwide to sell Lonely Planet, but has acknowledged it would not consider a deal of this nature in the future.
The BBC Trust today (24th November) set out a series of changes to the future remit for the BBC's commercial arm, following an 18 month review of the mandate, strategy and governance arrangements, initiated by the Trust.
A statement from the BBC Trust said: "As a specific point, the Trust would not expect to consider a commercial deal of the scale and nature of the Lonely Planet acquisition in future." It added the Trust wanted to "ensure that BBC Worldwide's plans for it secure the best value for licence fee payers and will keep its long-term future under review".
The Trust said it would not be involved in any further mergers or acquisitions "unless there are exceptional circumstances". There must also be an exit from activity that is not in keeping with the BBC brand, the organisation said. The Trust stressed there should be a "clearer focus" on securing value from the BBC's own intellectual property.
Sir Michael Lyons, chairman of the Trust, said: "Worldwide is a successful business which brings both significant financial benefits for the licence fee payer and a tangible boost to the creative economy. But the Trust and the Executive both acknowledge that the boundaries for Worldwide activity need to be clearer.
"Our commercial operations are not exempt from the BBC's public mission. They must keep the public purposes at their heart, engaging carefully with markets globally to help 'bring the UK to the world and the world to the UK', whilst protecting and promoting the BBC's brand and reputation.
"We're satisfied that these changes will provide much-needed clarity and a greater alignment with the BBC's public purposes, without stifling Worldwide's ability to perform as a thriving and profitable entity."
The 2007 acquisition of 75% of the travel publisher for £89m was met by anger from rival publishers. A Commons select committee branded it "the most egregious example" of the company's expansion beyond its existing remit.