“It’s challenging out there,” BBC Studios Productions’ Zai Bennett, the CEO and chief creative officer of the production unit of the BBC Studios commercial arm of U.K. public broadcaster BBC, told an industry gathering in London on Tuesday about the state of the TV industry. He pointed out that the middle is being squeezed across genres, for example. But he expressed confidence in his business’ scale, quality and continued success.
Highlighting that BBC Studios Productions is working with partners across the industry, Bennett said: “Essentially, we are champions of creativity, producing the best creativity and exporting it. We make television and make audio in every single genre and sub-genre.” And he emphasized: “We are the BBC’s biggest supplier, but actually about half of what we make is for them. Half is for everybody else.”
The exec lauded some big successes. U.S. hit show Dancing With the Stars, based on the U.K. Strictly Come Dancing format, for example, has attracted younger audiences for ABC thanks to the inclusion of TikTokers and making intriguing digital content for the likes of YouTube. “Now, for Disney, this is an incredibly important show,” Bennett touted, signaling his team was looking to replicate that success on other shows.
During a “Future Visions” keynote at Content London, Bennett, one year into his role, also discussed the importance of intellectual property (IP) as part of his creative vision for BBC Studios as a global content studio that spans scripted, unscripted, kids and family, and audio productions. The exec highlighted the success of Ghosts and how it has been remade in the U.S. for CBS, along with Australian and other versions in international markets. His team is happy to find British storytelling formats that can cross borders, explaining: “Ghosts is a good example of that.”
Bennett was also asked about digital creators, replying that his team wants to work with members of the creators’ economy where it makes sense.
One of the BBC Studios Productions hit franchises, in partnership with Bad Wolf, that has come under scrutiny is Doctor Who, at least since Disney+ exited its BBC partnership on the show, which had previously made the streamer the worldwide home of the sci-fi series outside of the U.K. and Ireland.
The BBC has said, though, that it was committed to continuing the show, with the next installment set to be a 2026 Christmas special. “We’d like to thank Disney+ for being terrific global partners and collaborators over the past two seasons, and for the upcoming [spinoff series] The War Between the Land and the Sea,” said Lindsay Salt, director of drama at the BBC, at the end of October. “The BBC remains fully committed to Doctor Who, which continues to be one of our most loved dramas, and we are delighted that Russell T. Davies has agreed to write us another spectacular Christmas special for 2026. We can assure fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course, which will ensure the TARDIS remains at the heart of the BBC.”
