I called the BBC the Titanic

So I was in The Guardian last Wednesday.

And I basically told the BBC they're heading towards an iceberg.

Look, I want to be clear about something first - I want the BBC to succeed.

They produce great entertainment.

They've been a cultural institution for generations.

But they're showing this defeatist mentality by demanding new rules forcing platforms like YouTube to give their content prominence.

And that's not going to save them.

The Titanic analogy

I told The Guardian: "It's a Titanic. That's not to say that it's going to crash today, but it's so big and it's so unfit for purpose in relation to these big changes that are far bigger than them."

The way that consumption habits have shifted over the last five years is almost more drastic than it was in the previous 50 years.

You have a pre-TikTok and post-TikTok split in the way that consumption was felt and experienced by people.

That existential question is a big one.

Because I don't think it's going to be an answer that the BBC likes, with a young audience that simply doesn't see it.

They see a global competitive market of content and options.

Why am I forced to pay?

The brutal truth

Is it the Sidemen or the BBC who has more relevance amongst gen Z?

It's the Sidemen all day, every day.

And they're just one creator group.

My sense is that they do know this is happening and they do understand it, but it's so seismic, it's so existential.

They're not coming back until those assumptions shift for this new world, which is very different.

Patricia Hidalgo, the director of children and education at the BBC, told The Guardian that the amount of American content children consumed on YouTube risked weakening their connection to British culture and language.

She said YouTube's algorithm was pushing US content like Ms Rachel and Blippi towards British children.

But here's what I said in response:

The answer is not to "cheat and bend the rules."

It's actually about leaning in to the distribution kids today want, and the type of content they want in the places they want it, in the format that they're liking and enjoying.

That might look and feel different to Blue Peter or look and feel different to the rules that we're used to.

My frustration is that it's this defeatist mentality which exists in a lot of big institutional broadcasters - that we're up against this all-consuming behemoth of global US and Chinese technology that we're never going to beat.

The disconnect

There's a disconnect between where attention is moving and where the executives who are running the industry are themselves.

A lot of people I speak to aren't actually active on these platforms.

They're not consuming content the way their audiences are.

How can you make decisions about reaching gen Z when you're not in the trenches with them?

What they should do instead

The BBC should act as an investor in the next generation of up-and-coming content creators.

Not force prominence on platforms.

Not demand that algorithms favour them.

Actually invest in the future.

Lean into the distribution kids want today.

Make content in the format they're enjoying.

Meet them where they are, not where you wish they were.

Why this matters for you

If the BBC - with all their resources, history, and cultural relevance - is struggling to adapt to this new world, what does that mean for your business?

It means you can't afford to be precious about "how things used to work."

You can't demand that your audience comes to you.

You have to go to them.

In the formats they want.

On the platforms they use.

With the type of content they enjoy.

Otherwise, you're building your own Titanic.

And trust me, you really don't want.

You can read the full Guardian article here →

Remember, the creator mindset is all you need to grow 🌱

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