Business leaders welcome BBC investment in Birmingham

THE decision by the BBC to pledge more resources to Birmingham has been welcomed by business leaders and the city’s inward investment body.

The Corporation is set to base the commissioning and publishing arm of BBC Three at the Mailbox as part of its restructuring.

Some of the online channel’s short-form content will also move to the city in the transition, which is scheduled for 2018.

Birmingham will also host a new youth team within BBC News, which will be the main supplier of the key news content for BBC Three’s Daily Drop.

Tony Hall, BBC Director General, said: “We’re putting Birmingham at the heart of our innovation with BBC Three and making it home to a new youth team for BBC News. The city’s incredible diversity also means it’s the perfect place to lead our work to ensure we reflect the changing face of Britain.
 
“This package is good news for Birmingham and good news for the BBC.”
 
Neil Rami, Chief Executive of Marketing Birmingham, which operates inward investment agency Business Birmingham, said: “The BBC’s investment into Birmingham is a major boost to one of the UK’s best performing digital economies, further demonstrating that this region is being taken seriously as an exciting, tech-friendly location to set up and expand.”
 
Greater Birmingham’s digital sector is estimated to include more than 6,000 firms; more than any other core city in the UK. They employ around 36,000 people, delivering £1.6bn to the local economy.

There are also 1,000 students currently studying film, TV, media and animation in the city, while the region is also home to more than a quarter of the UK’s games workforce.
 
Digbeth is considered the epicentre of the city’s tech scene. The former industrial area is home to important hubs such as Innovation Birmingham Campus and the Custard Factory, where 400 businesses employ 2,000 people within the creative and digital sectors.
 
Lucan Gray, owner of the Custard Factory, said: “BBC Three coming to Birmingham is another bit of fantastic news for the digital and creative economy of the city.
 
“Birmingham, and Digbeth in particular, is strengthening its position as a nationally recognised location for creative and digital businesses and organisations.

“The thriving eco-system of entrepreneurial start-ups has been strengthened by world beating organisations over the last couple of years, including the BBC, Asos and Codemasters. The city has much to offer and this is now being recognised.”