Service licences and reviews
Here you will find links to the service licences for each BBC service and the service reviews we have carried out.
Service licences
We issue each BBC service a Service Licence, setting out what we expect it to achieve and how much it can spend.
Service Licences help the Trust govern the BBC's activities. They provide an open account of each BBC service's remit, scope, budget, aims and objectives, any essential activities (known as conditions), and a description of how the Trust will assess their performance.
The Trust's objective has been to maintain a Service Licences framework that is effective through:
- A focus on the things that matter
- Consistent use of commitments and conditions
- Objective assessment against the Licence terms.
Television
Service licences for BBC television services
- BBC One
- BBC Two
- BBC Three
- BBC Four
- BBC HD
- CBBC
- CBeebies
- BBC News
- BBC Parliament
- BBC Red Button
- BBC Alba
Radio
Service licences for BBC radio services
- BBC Radio 1
- BBC Radio 2
- BBC Radio 3
- BBC Radio 4
- BBC Radio 4 Extra
- BBC Radio 5 live
- BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
- BBC Radio 5 live Olympics Extra
- 1Xtra
- BBC 6 Music
- BBC Asian Network
- BBC Local Radio
- BBC Radio Scotland
- BBC Radio nan Gaidheal
- BBC Radio Wales
- BBC Radio Cymru
- BBC Radio Ulster/BBC Radio Foyle
Online and Mobile
Service licences for BBC online and mobile services
BBC Jam
The service licence for BBC Jam expired on 30 September 2008, in line with the service's original terms of approval. We have removed the service licence from this site as it is no longer effective.
BBC Jam was suspended in March 2007 and the Trust issued this further statement in February 2008.
Service reviews
Review of BBC Local Radio
16 May 2012
Our service review had three aims: to assess how well BBC Local Radio is performing against its service licence; to consider the stations' future direction; and to decide whether any amendments to the service licence are required.
Review of BBC Asian Network
16 May 2012
The Trust has published its review of BBC Asian Network. Our service review had three aims: to assess how well Asian Network is performing against its service licence; to consider the station's future direction; and to decide whether any amendments to the service licence are required.
Review of BBC Parliament and the BBC News Channel
08 February 2012
The Trust has published its review of BBC Parliament and the BBC News Channel. Our aims were to assess how well the channels are performing against their service licences; to consider the channels' future direction and to determine whether amendments to their service licences are required.
Review of BBC Parliament and BBC News Channel
Review of BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
30 January 2012
The Trust has published its review of BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. Our aims were to assess how well the stations are performing against their service licences; to consider the stations' future direction and to determine whether amendments to the licences are required.
Review of BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
Review of the BBC's radio services in the devolved nations
20 September 2011
The Trust has published its review of the BBC's radio stations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The review sets out the findings for each station, along with action points. It also includes BBC management's strategy for each station.
Review of the BBC's radio services in the devolved nations
Review of BBC Radios 3, 4 and 7
08 February 2011
The Trust has published its service review of BBC Radios 3, 4 and 7. The review had three broad aims: first, to assesses how well the stations are performing against commitments set out in their service licences; seecond, to consider the stations' future direction and third, to determine whether amendments to the licences are required.
Review of BBC Radios 3, 4 and 7
Review of BBC Red Button
11 November 2010
The Trust has published its service review of BBC Red Button. The review looks firstly at how well BBC Red Button is performing against the commitments set out in its service licence, and secondly to consider the service's future direction and determine whether any changes to the licence are required./p>
Review of BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four
08 November 2010
The Trust has published its service review of BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four. The review set out firstly to assess how well these channels are performing against the commitments set out in their service licences, and secondly to consider their future direction and determine whether any changes to the licences are required.
Review of BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four
Review of BBC on-demand offerings
25 May 2010
When we approved four new on-demand offerings from the BBC in 2007, we promised to review their performance two years after launch. A public consultation on the review closed on 12 March 2010 and the Trust has now published its findings.
Review of BBC on-demand offerings
Review of Radio 2 and 6 Music
15 February 2010
The Trust reviewed Radio 2 and its sister station 6 Music, looking at the performance of these stations - including usage, quality, distinctiveness and value for money.
Review of services for younger audiences
10 June 2009
The Trust reviewed the BBC services specifically targeted at young people - BBC Three, Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra, and looked at how well the BBC serves younger audiences across all of its TV, radio, and online services.
Review of services for younger audiences
Review of services for children
10 February 2009
The Trust looked at the BBC's content for children aged 12 and under. This includes the CBBC and CBeebies channels, the CBBC and CBeebies branded content on BBC One, BBC Two, radio and online, as well as content to support formal learning for primary school children.
Review of services for children
Review of bbc.co.uk
29 May 2008
The Trust considered how bbc.co.uk performed against its service licence, the service's governance and accountability and whether its service licence needed to be developed in order to reflect changes in the market and users' needs.
