BBC Worldwide has confirmed it is seeking private equity funds for potential acquisitions.

It follows reports it is in talks with investors and other content firms to borrow up to £1bn.

The BBC commercial division is said to be keen to buy content producers but is subject to a £350m statutory borrowing limit.

A private equity source told the Financial Times: "They're at the very early stages of exploring what they could do with third parties and private equity."

He warned Worldwide's expansion plans could be hampered by "the thousand layers of bureaucracy" of the corporation and the BBC Trust.

A BBC Worldwide spokesman said discussions with equity firms were "nothing new" and added: "It is part of ongoing conversations we've been having for some time."