BBC’s Tim Davie backs IP switchover plan for 2030s

In a speech at MediaCity in Salford this week, Davie also said the BBC is examining proposals for a new streaming media device to deliver PSB content.

The announcements came as Davie set out a vision for the BBC as a catalyst for building trust. He warned that the UK must make a series of bold, urgent choices to reverse the erosion of societal trust, and said the BBC should play a central role in this renewal.

He told the audience that the public service broadcaster can become “an institution that builds social capital and stimulates growth in the online, AI age.”

Among the ideas floated, he said the BBC is exploring a national plan for IP switchover in the 2030s. “We believe the BBC can play a vital role in helping to support audiences to transition to digital in a way that’s fair and equitable, where access is guaranteed and no one is left behind.”

“To help, we want to double down on Freely as a universal free service to deliver live TV over broadband. And we are considering a streaming media device with Freely capabilities built in, with a radically simplified user interface specifically designed to help those yet to benefit from IP services.”

Davie also pledged to dramatically increase the presence of BBC News on platforms like YouTube and TikTok to “ensure we have a stronger position amidst the noise,” and to deploy AI “responsibly alongside trusted BBC journalism to create a new, gold standard fact-checking tool.”

He also said the BBC is exploring whether educational initiative BBC Bitesize and agentic AI could create a personal learning companion for every single child aged 7-16.