Guidance: Ticketing for BBC events and programmes

Editorial Guidelines issues

This guidance note relates to the following Editorial Guidelines:

External Relationships and Funding

See Editorial Guidelines Section 16 External Relationships and Funding

Key points

The BBC may charge for tickets to BBC concerts, concert series or BBC events held at outside venues. The BBC should not charge for admission to regular recordings of other programme
The money from ticket sales must not be used for broadcast costs
Clearly separated accounts must be drawn up which clearly delineate event costs and broadcast costs. Separate records must be kept of all ticket revenue going to the BBC or going via the BBC
We should only charge entry for events held at an outside venue, not events held in BBC studios. However, we may charge for tickets to events held in a BBC concert hall with prior approval from Editorial Policy. We may also charge for tickets to BBC concerts held in the regular venues of the BBC performing groups
In other, exceptional, circumstances if there is any proposal to sell tickets to any other BBC event on BBC premises, such as an event to raise money for a BBC charitable initiative, the proposal must be approved in advance by Editorial Policy
Proceeds from ticket sales may only be used to pay for events or for a series of events costs and should not be designed to generate further income, unless the sales raise money for a BBC charitable initiative and this has been approved by Editorial Policy and the relevant charity
BBC Audience Services has a set of Guidelines for free ticketing for BBC programmes recorded or transmitted live from BBC studios or other studios. All ticketing companies used by the BBC or Independents for BBC programmes in BBC studios should meet the standards set out in this Code of Conduct.
All proposals to charge for tickets for BBC events must accord with the Statement of Policy on Use of Alternative Finance in BBC Content (Clause 49 (4) of the BBC Framework Agreement 2016).

Guidance in full

Types of BBC broadcast events that may charge for tickets

The BBC may charge for tickets to BBC concerts, concert series or other BBC events held at outside venues. The BBC should not charge for admission to regular recordings of other programmes.

We should only charge entry for events held at an outside venue, not events held in BBC studios. However, we may charge for tickets to events held in a BBC concert hall with approval from Editorial Policy. We may also charge for tickets to BBC concerts held in the regular venues of the BBC performing groups. Some BBC concert halls, are used both for orchestral concerts and also to record regular BBC programmes. It is not appropriate to charge for tickets for the regular programme recordings.

In other, very exceptional, circumstances if there is any proposal to sell tickets to any other BBC event on BBC premises, such as an event to raise money for a BBC charitable initiative, the proposal must be approved in advance by Editorial Policy.

Proposals to ticket a BBC event, which is part of a third party event that will require the public to pay an entry fee, should be referred to Editorial Policy.

Occasionally an outside organisation, for example a gardening club, may invite the BBC to hold an outside broadcast programme at their premises. In these cases, with the advance approval of Editorial Policy, it may sometimes be acceptable for the location to charge a modest fee to the audience that they invite, in order to cover their costs. The amount charged must be agreed with the BBC beforehand to ensure the fee is fair and is not set at a rate that is designed to make a profit.

Sometimes a programme which is regularly recorded in a BBC studio puts on an event at an outside location. For example a radio comedy sometimes appears at the Edinburgh Festival. In such cases it may be appropriate to charge for tickets to the special outside broadcast show.

Proceeds from ticket sales and cost of tickets

Proceeds from ticket sales may only be used to pay for events or for a series of events costs and should not be designed to generate further income, unless the sales raise money for a BBC charitable initiative, such as Children in Need or Comic Relief and this has been approved by Editorial Policy and the relevant charity. The money from ticket sales must not be used for production costs.

In order to ensure that proposals for ticketing events and/or setting up new events meet the Statement of Policy on use of alternative finance in BBC content. Contact the Fair Trading team.

Please see also Policy for Ticketing PS Events NB There is a process in place requiring the charging of tickets to be approved by the Regulation team in BBC Policy.

Event Costs

While ticket revenue may be used for event costs, the BBC must pay for all broadcast costs.

Event costs will include elements such as security at the event, seating, ticketing, the hire of the venue, hospitality, transport, toilet facilities, audience information services, refreshments, additional staging required because the public is attending, including screens at the venue for the event audience. It is essential that event costs only include costs which would be incurred even if the event were not broadcast.
Broadcast costs are any costs required for the radio or television broadcast coverage and transmission of the event and may include for example cameras/mikes, rigging, transmission equipment, lines, programme presenters and reporters, programme lighting required for broadcasting the event, production staff, the production on site offices, scanners, graphics, VT or audio packages to be played in during the event and shown on air.

Ticketing for public displays of BBC programmes

Occasionally there are requests from festivals, such as film festivals, to display a recorded programme, either prior to transmission or post- transmission. Approvals for this should come from the Head of Marketing

It is not normally appropriate for a separate charge to be made to see the BBC material. However it may be acceptable for there to be an over-all entry charge to the whole event, if it includes a substantial amount of non-BBC content, for example when showcasing BBC content at a third party event such as a public festival .

Ticketing Arrangements

For BBC Programmes in BBC studios or other studios

BBC Audience Services has a set of guidelines for free ticketing for BBC programmes, made inhouse or by Independents and recorded or transmitted live from BBC studios or other studios. All ticketing companies used by the BBC or Independents for BBC programmes in BBC studios must meet the guidelines set out in this Code of Conduct. These minimum standards have been established to ensure:

No audience members are charged for attending BBC recordings of regular programmes.
Audience members are treated fairly and not discriminated against.
Any “over issues” policy is sensible and clearly stated to audiences. The supplier must only issue the minimum number of additional free tickets than there are seats available to ensure a full studio.
All information about audience members is managed in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

The Code of Conduct can be accessed via the BBC Procurement site (link to BBC internal website only).

The site lists suppliers who have agreed to the terms in the Code of Conduct. The list includes BBC Audience Services who supply audiences for many TV and radio programmes and some BBC events with free tickets. They advertise the availability of tickets on the BBC Tickets site.

Should a production wish to use a supplier who has not yet signed the Code of Conduct, they should check on the Procurement site (link above) for the link to the Code of Conduct and BBC standard terms of trade that the company is required to sign. They should also establish that the company is reputable – no external organisation that the BBC becomes involved with should bring the BBC into disrepute. It is advisable to check that that there is no controversy associated with the company and that they are reliable in sending out tickets.

For BBC broadcast events

Ticketing for BBC broadcast events held at an outside venue may be handled by the BBC, by the external venue or by a ticketing company which has been contracted by the BBC or by the external venue, such as the box office at a concert hall.

You must complete the Events form for all new and significantly changed Public Service ticketed events:

Approval for BBC public service events charging for tickets

Online linking to ticketing sites

For a BBC event a direct link to the ticketing site is likely to be editorially justifiable. It should be clear that the public is leaving the BBC site to get to the source of the tickets.

It is important that the primary purpose of the site that is linked to is the selling of public tickets. It would not be appropriate, for example, to link to a site whose primary purpose was to sell corporate hospitality to a BBC event.

However it may be acceptable to link to a site selling public tickets for a BBC event as its primary purpose, which also sells added extras to the event (such as corporate hospitality), if there is appropriate separation between the main function and the subsidiary ones.

On all external ticketing sites there should also be adequate separation between the use of BBC brands and third party brands. If in doubt, contact the Fair Trading department for further advice.

On Air references to tickets

Third party ticketing sites providing tickets for BBC events should not normally be referred to in on air trails. Usually an acceptable route is to point to the programme or channel website and link to external sites from there (for example to a ticketing site or an event/festival site).

When a BBC programme or BBC event, such as Sports Personality of the Year, is ticketed, availability of the tickets may be trailed on air. Care should be taken if availability of tickets for events organised by third parties are mentioned.

It is not usually appropriate to trail tickets on air or online for third party events. In some exceptional cases it may be acceptable, for example where a BBC orchestra is performing at an event. Advice should be sought from Editorial Policy.

Separate accounting for ticket sales

All ticketing arrangements must stand up to scrutiny and be clearly auditable.

It is very important to ensure that event costs are calculated separately from the broadcast costs.

Clearly separated accounts must be drawn up which clearly delineate

event costs and broadcast costs. Separate records must be kept of all ticket revenue going to the BBC or going via the BBC.

The accounts must demonstrate that any ticketing money raised has only gone into the event and not into any aspect of the programme covering it.

Last updated July 2019

Where next?

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