BBC rules out ever hosting online adverts in the UK
The BBC has reaffirmed its blanket ban on hosting adverts online in the UK after acknowledging that to do so would harm commercial competitors.
Director general Tony Hall confirmed the stance under questioning during a special session of the public accounts committee when he said: “The problem is if we started taking advertising online, we would be doing something we said we won’t do.
“There are others out there whose funding model – we are privileged to be funded by license fee – there are others who are trying to do other jobs in information and all sorts of other ways funded by advertising and I wouldn’t want to harm their market; and they sometimes think we do harm their market.”
Such a ban does not extend to international services however with broadcast and online adverts regularly appearing on BBC services published elsewhere around the globe.