SPEECH

“Making the case for the global value of the BBC”

17 September 2026

In a speech, the BBC’s deputy director-general outlines the ways in which the corporation has impact across the world.

At an event in London on Monday 14 September, titled “Beyond Britain: The Global Value of the BBC”, the organisation’s deputy director-general, Rhodri Talfan Davies delivered a keynote speech, reflecting on how the BBC provides value around the world. From the World Service’s delivery of trusted and accurate news and information to worldwide audiences, to the BBC’s work in developing the next generation of homegrown journalists around the world – Davies iterated the ways in which their international impact also benefits UK audiences.

The event was organised by the Public Media Alliance in partnership with the Centre for Journalism and Democracy, and hosted by City St George’s, University of London. It was held as the BBC continues its negotiations with the government over a new Royal Charter.

The speech is published in full below.

Speech by Rhodri Talfan Davies, Deputy Director-General, BBC & Chair, BBC Media Action

Good afternoon,

Thanks so much for the invitation to be here today – to reflect on the global impact and value of the BBC as we face a defining moment for our organisation and the role it plays internationally.

The BBC was of course a founding member of the PMA back in 1945 – and your advocacy and support over the decades has been vital, as I’m certain it will be during this current debate.

And it’s a debate that’s gaining momentum.

Right now, the key questions that must be answered as part of the BBC’s Charter Renewal are being weighed, and our role on the world stage – and what that will mean for partners and audiences – is one of the central pillars of the negotiations.

That’s why I want to spend some time today focussing on that global public service media role – how we’ve got to where we are; why it matters in an evolving and uncertain world; and what’s needed to safeguard and strengthen it for the future.

Looking back: A historic achievement

Let me take that first point – and I hope you’ll indulge me for briefly casting back into our history.

As the evidence shows – and as we’re acutely aware – what the BBC has done over the past century, matters. Not just for the media world, but for communities and societies around the globe.

Firstly, the BBC as a model to follow – whether it’s the very concept of public service broadcasting and the values that underpin it; the introduction of the Licence Fee, a core funding model adopted by other nations; or leading the digital on-demand revolution, such as launching iPlayer.

Or, the BBC as a partner – shaping our industry by helping to found bodies like the PMA and EBU to advance media policy and regulation; or creating the world’s first regularly scheduled high-definition television service.

And, most critically, the BBC as a beacon for truth – providing trusted and impartial news and information through the BBC World Service, launched in 1932; foreign language broadcasting into occupied Europe; and ultimately becoming a global standard for news broadcasting.

The BBC’s founders were bold – ‘Nation Shall Speak Peace Unto Nation’, they said. And, in pursuit of this noble goal, the BBC has led, pioneered, innovated, and – alongside our partners – created a media ecosystem that serves and supports an informed public, free from political, partisan, or commercial influence. 

It is an exceptional and precious achievement.

Looking ahead: Our goal for the future

All that said, we do now find ourselves at an inflection point. The future of the BBC – and our impact at home and abroad – cannot be taken for granted.

The BBC’s global reputation and standing has not been built overnight. It is the result of decades spent earning the trust of audiences around the globe.

Making the wrong choices now could erode those hard-won benefits. And far from neglecting our international operations, we’ve been very clear that this Charter Review is the moment to reinvent the whole of the BBC for today and tomorrow.

That includes how we work with our international partners to stand up for and strengthen the role and impact of public media worldwide.

And it includes the World Service, where we must be more ambitious to meet increasing global threats. To that end, we’ve been calling on the UK Government to take back full funding of the service, just as it did for the first 80 years of its existence.

Because we know we can do so much more.

But it requires a long-term sustainable funding model that provides us with predictable and stable funding. And that’s a big part of the case we are making in this Charter Review process.

As that process reaches its conclusion in the next few months, we’ll continue to listen to the voices of the public and everyone who believes in the value of what the BBC delivers.

We hope, where possible, that you will continue to be our champion and advocate, helping to make the case for a world-leading public service media organisation in the platform age – as part of a critical public media ecosystem.

I believe the global role of the BBC in these uncertain times has never been more needed. But it has also never been more important that we join together to fight for our collective future. If not now, when?