Smith: Worldwide can boost BBC finances

BBC Worldwide chief executive John Smith has said that increased profits at the corporation's commercial arm should help the BBC's UK public service operations over the course of this licence fee round.

In an interview for the Royal Television Society's Television magazine, Smith explained: "We would like to think that the more successful we are, the more we can make up for the kind of financial difficulties they are facing."

He cited recent developments such as the acquisition of Lonely Planet and the launch of 30 new channels around the world as drivers behind Worldwide's growth.

Smith also indicated that the BBC's commercial arm plans to build on its legacy as a magazine publisher to develop "passion-based" social networking websites for strong-selling shows such as Top Gear.

"We think we may end up with a dozen passion-based sites by the time we are finished. They won't be as big as MySpace or Facebook but in their niche you would have the benefit of securing people."