BBC - Commissioning TV - Transmission essentials

Production and Delivery

Transmission essentials

You must submit the relevant forms with your programme — Compliance Form, OfCom Compliance Form, TX form, found in the Paperwork section — and the tape itself must comply with the BBC technical standards as detailed on this page.

Transmission Tape/Package

The master tape you supply for transmission:

must be accompanied by a recording report.
must be editorially and technically compliant before delivery

Technical Standards and Requirements

Check below for Technical Standards/Tech review
All new programmes must deliver on HD CAM SR Stereo
Archive (repeat) 4:3 programmes which are on D3 can still be delivered in their original format
Beta SP is not an acceptable format
All programmes transmit off server, therefore it is imperative that the clock shows the correct programme versions, and that the VHS is an exact clone of the master tape
Special attention should be given to clearly document the aspect ratio, as the delivery format will no longer imply this

When do you deliver the tapes/tape package?

Type of Programme:	When Required:
Non-topical & Open University programmes	Required by 1700 on the contracted Delivery Date at the latest
Week Topical Programmes	Required by 1700 on the contracted Delivery Date which is 5 days before transmission
Late Commissions	Required at the contracted Delivery Date and communicated Delivery Time
Day Before Topical Programmes	Required at the contracted Delivery Date and communicated Delivery Time which is 24 hours before transmission
On Day Topical Programmes	Required at the contracted Delivery Date and communicated Delivery Time which is 2 hours before transmission

Where and how do you delivery the tapes?

BBC In-house deliver to VT despatch

Independent Suppliers delivery to Drama, CBBC or the Genre Delivery Unit.

Notes

1.Pre-Tech Review
Stand-by, Interactive and back-up clone tapes should be delivered to the same location as the master transmission tapes.

2. Late Deliveries
Tapes delivered after 1730 for Technical Review on the day of transmission / on Friday for weekend transmission / or the last working day before a public holiday, must be personally accompanied by a member of the production team, to both the technical review and then to the MIA (Media Intake Area).

3. Tapes from Nations and Regions

N&R programme tapes requiring Tech Review in London:

Tapes should be sent FAO Current Operations, Stage 5 Film Despatch, BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush W12 7RJ.
Clearly state that the tape is for Tech Review, noting the date, time and location of the review booking.
Provide documentation in the package noting your out of hours contact numbers, the transmission date, time and channel.
If the tape does not have a BBC tape number on it, include a note in the package requesting that the tape be allocated a BBC tape number.

N&R programme tapes which have already passed Tech Review and are ready for TX:

Packages must be sent to the MIA (Media Intake Area),
The address must be written as above, including the phone number and be marked URGENT FOR TRANSMISSION, noting the date and channel.
Clones should not be sent to RED BEE MEDIA but should be retained locally or sent to I&A for filing. The 'Person Responsible' (as nominated in the Contact Details section of the TX form) must be aware of the location of the clone copy pre transmission. [NB Clones are no longer required by Red Bee Playout as all TX tapes are now cached to multiple servers pre transmission, providing additional resilience during broadcast].

Multiplatform clips

Short form video content is a central part of BBC Vision's online offer. As well as programme clips, short form video may include additional material, web originations and archive clips.

An extract clip is now a standard deliverable for every commissioned programme, excluding news and sports programmes.

The clip will sit on the relevant page on bbc.co.uk/programmes and may be used elsewhere on bbc.co.uk or on 3rd party sites such as YouTube.

Deliverables

The following need to be delivered to the Repeats & Reversioning Unit (R&R):

1. The video file
2. The Short Form Content Compliance Form
3. The metadata form

* You can also read about guidance on compliance of short form video for web and mobile.

Contact R&R for delivery details, forms and support. Delivery should be made at the same time as Tape Delivery of the Programme.

1. Video file

Clip content and duration

It is the producer's role to select the clip, which should present a highlight that is attention grabbing and self-contained.

The purpose of the clip is to

• raise awareness of your programme
• deliver value in its own right
• be a permanent record of your programme around which users will interact with comments, links, recommendations etc
• build visibility of and enduring value around your programme on the web

Clips – Dos and don’ts

• do not need to be Pre-Watershed
• should be made bearing in mind the BBC's obligations to its audience on taste and decency. See Compliance section below
• should not include title sequences or credit sequences.
• You do not need to add a clock at the front of your clip.
• You do not need to add any black at the front or end of your clip.
• Care should be taken to edit clear and tidy in and out points to the video and audio on your clip. Keep in mind that your clip will not be edited again once you have delivered it. It will be uploaded and BBC branding will be added to it automatically.
• Avoid using stings, endcards or appointment to view information on the clip.

Clips should be short, attention grabbing from the start and maintain interest throughout. A duration of 1-4 minutes is typical but the exact length will depend on editorial judgment and rights. See Rights and Clearances below for more information.

Format

The preferred format, unless otherwise advised by your Business Affairs Manager, is:

DV25 compliant MOV
Container format: .mov
Video:

Bit rate / Quality: 100%
Codec: Quicktime DV
Frame size: 720x576 (16:9 or 4:3)
Frames per second: 25 (interlaced or progressive scan)

Audio:

Codec: Uncompressed (PCM)
Channels: Stereo
Sample rate: 48 KHz
Sample depth: 16 bit

2. Compliance form

All short form video must be complied by a BBC Exec and a signed-off form submitted before being delivered for publication.

Clips containing post-watershed or upsetting content may require a ‘G for Guidance’ label. The Repeats & Reversioning Unit (details below) can provide help on which guidance label to use.

Short Form Content Compliance forms (see downloads section on this page) must be delivered with the content. Please make sure you have read the Short Form Compliance Guidelines (see downloads) before you fill in the compliance form.

3. Metadata form

Clip metadata is the text that describes the clip and includes a title and description copy.
Good metadata encourages people to play the clip and is key to how people find the clip through search engines. It’s important to think about what words people would search for to find your clip and use them in the title and description.
Some useful tips:

Include full character, contributor and location names
Sell the content of the clip and not the programme
Use ‘real world’ terms and not production terms

Rights and clearances

Your production agreement with the BBC requires you to clear clips for public service rights as defined in the agreement.

COMMERCIAL MUSIC from the TX which has been cleared under the BBC's music blanket agreements, can be used on bbc.co.uk and on the BBC's YouTube channel with no additional clearance.
ACQUIRED MATERIAL – Online rights must be cleared separately for material from another programme or bought in footage
COMEDY and DRAMA clips are restricted to a maximum of 2 clips per episode with strict limits on duration due to the relevant underlying rights frameworks.
If you need any assistance in relation to clearance of content, specific advice on short form video or music rights etc, please refer in the first instance to your Business Affairs Manager (BAM).

Help and advice

The Repeats & Reversioning Unit will be able to help with

type of clip that should be chosen
what to do if your programme is live, or delivered close to transmission
guidance on labelling
format options
delivery methods

Tape Cloning Policy

All recorded BBC HD productions are required to deliver a transmission master and a clone in the same format (HD Cam SR).

All peak-time, recorded BBC programmes on BBC One & Two(ie those scheduled for TX after 1730) are required to deliver a transmission master and a clone in the same format.

Independent Productions should make and retain a clone of all transmission tapes delivered to the BBC.

Notes
A clone must always be made where the programme is a co-commission between either BBC One BBC Two and another BBC channel.

BBC Post Production can make the clone as part of the programme’s Technical Review if requested.

If the transmission master is subsequently edited the clone should be as well, so that both are identical.

All TX tape clones should be sent direct to I&A for archiving (they should not be sent to RED BEE MEDIA).

The 'Person Responsible' (as nominated in the Contact Details section of the TX Form) must be aware of the exact location of the clone copy pre-transmission in case the master tape goes missing during delivery.

Exclusions:

A clone is not required for the following output:

All Programme Acquisitions output
Learning Zone output
Recorded Sports programmes (e.g. highlights from earlier, live action)

Standby Programmes

We may request a standby programme (with recording report) for any programme with potentially sensitive content (e.g. programmes including plane crashes).
This may be agreed at the point of commissioning or at a later stage, closer to transmission.
Standby programmes may also be required for live and quick turnaround programmes, and for all programmes not transmitting from the Broadcast Centre Playout area (network programmes) or Scot TX (BBC Scotland programmes).
Standbys must be approved by TV Planning & Scheduling (or Commissioning & Scheduling for BBC Scotland programmes), and delivered as a non-topical programme.

Production Script

Providing Production Scripts, Running Orders, or other documents that could be useful to subtitlers in advance greatly helps the subtitling process.

Please inform Access Services whether an electronic script will be available even if it is not available immediately. When available, please e-mail documents to Access Services (no later than the delivery date and ideally as early as possible).

If there are no electronic scripts available, paper documents provide an acceptable substitute.

Technical Review

Programmes for broadcast must meet the BBC's technical standards so a Technical Review will be carried out to assess this.

The Technical Review should only take place once the programme is ready for transmission, with no further editing required.

The programme should be accompanied by a recording report which includes any information that will help the reviewer in their assessment of the material. eg reference to incoming faults, use of archive.

The review process assesses the programme against the technical standards, so it does not usually highlight any contractual or editorial issues.

Independent Productions should liaise with their BBC delivery contact who will arrange technical review.

Reviews to be carried out by BBC Studio Productions and Post Production in London should be booked online via the BBC intranet Gateway (*in-house users only) on the Technical Review Bookings site.

Further details of this system are available on the Post Production Review site on the BBC intranet Gateway (*in-house users only).

The system allows the user to keep track of the status of the review including a pass/fail result; for further details and advice following a fail please contact the Review Centre.

Common reasons for failing the Technical Review

Some common faults which cause programmes to fail the review include:

Captions out of Caption Safe area
PSE issues (strobing or patterning that fails the Harding check)
Aspect ratio errors
Grading errors
Gamut errors/high luminance/sub blacks
vision or audio disturbance/concealing
Blanking errors
Missing/incorrect VITC
flash frames
unrendered/unconformed material
Audio holes, very wide dynamic range/level issues, distortion
Dolby E errors
Audio track allocation errors
Information mismatch with tape box/paperwork e.g. differing UIDs; excessive tech info on clock
Absence of recording report

Independents making Open University programmes should book a BBC Technical Review via the allocated Broadcast Project Co-ordinator.

Delivery of Tapes for Review in London

Tapes should be taken/ sent to I&A Current Operations marked with the booking reference number (Q ref) by 19:00 the day before the review, unless you have booked a timeslot, attended or topical review and are delivering on the day.

Current Ops hours are 08:00-21:00 seven days a week.

Outside of these hours tapes can be delivered via Dodds Yard marked for the urgent attention of Current Ops. Or call Post Production duty managers on 0208 576 4051 if you wish to hand over a tape at Main Reception.

VHS Copies

A vhs for Programme Access Services (for subtitling) will be made at the review.

At the review, 1 x VHS with programme timecode in vision will be made for Access Services, for Subtitling. The exception to this, is for On Day Topical programmes for public service channels, where production are responsible for delivering the VHS to Access Services after the technical review.
If the technical review of your network programme is outside London then you should ensure the VHS is sent to Access Services in London
If you require a Production VHS copy with timecode, you must request this when you make your booking.

BBC - Commissioning - Transmission essentials