BBC STUDIOS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED

Formerly known as BBC Worldwide, this company operates as the commercial international distribution arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation, selling and distributing television content globally.

#01420028 · Active · Incorporated 1979-05-15 (47y 3m) · Last filing 2026-07-26 (1mo ago)

Consumer Discretionary · SIC 59113 · J Information & Communication · Full accounts

Accounts due 2027-12-31 (in 1y) · Confirmation due 2027-05-28 (in 9 months) · No watchouts on the register

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Cash

£152m

0% vs 2025

Net assets

£127m

+32.3% vs 2025

Employees

1,273

+0.7% highest in 3 filed years

Profit before tax

£48m

-44.2% lowest in 3 filed years

Net assets

3-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median

BBC STUDIOS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED·Consumer Discretionary median · n=223

Accounts

3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2026-03-31

Metric	2024-03-31	2025-03-31	2026-03-31	Δ vs prior
Turnover	£572,000,000	£732,000,000	£783,000,000	+7%
Operating profit	£37,000,000	£144,000,000	£103,000,000	-28.5%
Profit before tax	£63,000,000	£86,000,000	£48,000,000	-44.2%
Net profit	£64,000,000	£98,000,000	£38,000,000	-61.2%
Cash	£80,000,000	£152,000,000	£152,000,000	0%
Total assets less current liabilities	£249,000,000	£187,000,000	£227,000,000	+21.4%
Net assets	£146,000,000	£96,000,000	£127,000,000	+32.3%
Equity	£146,000,000	£96,000,000	£127,000,000	+32.3%
Average employees	1,165	1,264	1,273	+0.7%
Wages	£86,000,000	£106,000,000	£95,000,000	-10.4%
Directors' remuneration	£1,753,000	£1,403,000	£1,752,000	+24.9%

Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. About these numbers

Ratios

Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest

Ratio	2024-03-31	2025-03-31	2026-03-31
Operating margin	6.5%	19.7%	13.2%
Net margin	11.2%	13.4%	4.9%
Return on capital employed	14.9%	77.0%	45.4%
Gearing (liabilities / total assets)	90.6%	94.0%	91.6%
Current ratio	0.72x	0.48x	0.48x
Interest cover	1.95x	4.36x	2.34x

Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.

Name history

Renamed 2 times since incorporation

BBC STUDIOS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED 2018-10-01 → present
BBC WORLDWIDE LIMITED 1995-01-01 → 2018-10-01
BBC ENTERPRISES LIMITED 1979-05-15 → 1995-01-01

Audit & accounting basis

Accounting basis: FRS 101
Reporting scope: Standalone (parent only)
Auditor: National Audit Office
Audit opinion: Unqualified (clean)
Going concern: Affirmed
“The Company's financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis. The Directors remain satisfied with the Company's funding and liquidity position. The Commercial Group's forecasts and projections, taking account of reasonably possible changes in trading performance, show that the Company should be able to operate within the level of its current facilities for a period of no less than 12 months from the date of signing these accounts. An agreement has been put in place between the Company and its intermediate parent, BBC Commercial Limited, the top company in the Commercial Group, which provides a binding framework under which BBC Commercial Limited commits to financially support the Company, in the event and to the extent that the need arises, to meet its liabilities as they fall due for a period of no less than 12 months from the date of signing its accounts, in any way that BBC Commercial Limited considers appropriate.”

Group structure

BBC STUDIOS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED · parent
1. 2 Entertain Limited 100% · United Kingdom
2. A and P Productions LLC 100% · USA
3. BBC Studios Investments Limited 100% · United Kingdom
4. Baby Cow Films Limited 100% · United Kingdom

Significant events

“In December 2025, President Donald J Trump filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida against (1) the BBC, (2) BBC Studios Distribution Limited, and (3) BBC Studios Productions Limited in respect of an episode of Panorama broadcast on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in October 2024. The claim brings two causes of action: (1) defamation; and (2) violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The claim document states that up to USD $5 billion is claimed for each cause of action. In mid-March 2026, the BBC Defendants filed with the Florida court a motion to dismiss the claim, which includes a challenge to the jurisdiction of the Court. No provision has been made for this at 31 March 2026. Any further disclosure in line with IAS 37 could be seriously prejudicial to the BBC's legal case. If the claim proceeds, a date for trial has been set for February 2027.”

Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers

People

4 active · 78 resigned

Name	Role	Appointed	Born	Nationality
CORRIETTE, Anthony	Secretary	2015-01-01	—	—
FREEMAN, Martyn Edward	Director	2022-04-25	Oct 1964	British
FUSSELL, Thomas Cyrus	Director	2016-05-03	Dec 1970	British
JONES, Amanda Jane	Director	2025-09-08	Dec 1974	British

Show 78 resigned officers

Name	Role	Appointed	Resigned
ALEXANDER, Jacqueline Ann	Secretary	1992-10-01	1995-03-31
EARL, Jane	Secretary	2009-03-17	2015-01-31
FREEMAN, Martyn Edward	Secretary	2015-01-01	2017-12-20
HOLDER, Jonathan Alfred	Secretary	1997-04-02	2003-05-15
KEEBLE, John	Secretary	—	1992-10-01
PARSONS, Richard John	Secretary	2003-05-16	2003-07-22
ROSCOE, John Gareth	Secretary	1995-03-31	1997-04-01
STEVENSON, James David	Secretary	2003-07-22	2009-03-17
ALEXANDER, Jacqueline Ann	Director	—	1995-03-31
ARNOLD BAKER, Charles James	Director	—	1993-07-31
ARTHUR, Marcus Peter	Director	2008-03-31	2009-10-31
BAYLAY, Sharon	Director	2010-02-01	2010-11-26
BENNETT, Jana Eve	Director	2006-01-31	2009-09-30
BOTT, Andrew	Director	2013-12-20	2015-11-09
BULFORD, Anne Christine	Director	2013-06-24	2017-09-18
BURGESS, Lorraine Yasmin	Director	2022-04-01	2024-06-26
BURROWS, Suzanne Mary	Director	2016-01-29	2016-05-03
CHAPMAN, Nicholas John	Director	—	1997-07-31
CHECKLAND, Michael, Sir	Director	—	1992-12-31
CHILDS, Darren Michael	Director	2005-10-21	2009-10-31
CHUGANI, Neil	Director	2007-12-03	2010-06-17
CLIFT, Simon James	Director	2006-11-01	2010-10-31
COOPER, Sarah Felicity	Director	2000-03-31	2009-10-31
CROSS, Patrick Henry, Dr	Director	1999-05-28	2002-11-30
DAVIE, Timothy Douglas	Director	2012-11-11	2020-08-28
DEMPSEY, Paul Francis	Director	2012-12-01	2013-03-31
DEMPSEY, Paul Francis	Director	2008-12-19	2009-10-31
ELDRED, Nicholas John	Director	2006-01-31	2011-10-31
EMERY, Richard James	Director	1995-03-31	1998-03-31
ENTWISTLE, George Edward	Director	2012-05-25	2012-11-10
FAIRBAIRN, Carolyn	Director	1997-07-01	1999-09-10
FREEMAN, Martyn Edward	Director	2015-11-09	2016-01-29
GARVIE, Wayne, Dr	Director	2006-01-31	2009-10-31
GAVIN, Alexander Rupert, Sir	Director	1998-07-01	2004-08-25
GEITNER, Thomas	Director	2007-02-01	2010-12-31
HALL, Anthony William, Lord	Director	2013-04-01	2017-09-18
HATCH, David Edwin	Director	—	1995-10-25
HOGG, Charlotte Mary	Director	2010-09-24	2013-03-31
HORNBY, Paula	Director	2005-02-01	2008-10-17
HOWDEN, Alan	Director	—	1995-10-27
KAZA, Andrew Lee	Director	1999-11-05	2001-09-28
KEEBLE, John	Director	—	1992-11-25
KING, David John	Director	1999-03-26	2008-06-06
LINSEY, Mark Raymond	Director	2020-08-03	2022-04-01
MACALLISTER, Stephen James	Director	2007-07-23	2009-10-31
MASSEY, Robert Graham	Director	—	1994-09-30
MAYHEW, Jeremy Paul	Director	1997-07-01	2001-07-31
MCCALL, Robert Vincent	Director	2000-10-27	2005-02-01
MISTRY, Dharmash Pravin	Director	2015-02-16	2017-09-18
MOODY, David Charles	Director	2004-12-08	2009-10-31
MOSEY, Roger	Director	2012-08-20	2013-03-31
OWEN, Keith Stephen	Director	—	1994-08-31
PATEL, Zarin Homi	Director	2006-01-31	2013-06-24
PHILLIPS, Ian	Director	—	1993-02-28
PHILLIPS, Michael John	Director	1997-01-06	2006-03-31
PHILLIS, Robert Weston, Sir	Director	1993-04-30	1997-11-30
PHIPPEN, Peter Sangster	Director	1997-07-01	2009-10-31
PHIPPEN, Peter Sangster	Director	1993-09-27	1995-04-11
RICHARDS, Gary Alan	Director	1999-04-20	2004-12-31
ROSCOE, John Gareth	Director	—	1995-12-13
SMITH, John Barry	Director	2005-03-18	2012-12-31
STRINGER, Howard, Sir	Director	2015-02-16	2017-09-18
TAYLOR, Jeffrey Everard	Director	1997-07-01	2001-12-14
TEAGUE, Peter Roy	Director	1997-01-06	2002-01-06
THOMAS, John Anthony Griffiths	Director	—	1997-03-21
THOMPSON, Mark John	Director	2012-03-12	2012-09-17
TURNER, John Charles	Director	2008-08-27	2009-01-07
VILLIERS, Etienne Marquard De	Director	2006-01-31	2009-09-30
VINCENT, Philip James	Director	2010-12-01	2013-12-20
VINE, David Alan	Director	1999-05-28	2006-07-21
WEBB, Robert Stopford	Director	2009-10-01	2012-02-29
WEBB, Robert Stopford	Director	2009-10-01	2009-10-23
WELLER, Christopher Charles	Director	2002-10-23	2008-09-26
WELLER, Timothy Peter	Director	2010-04-26	2013-03-31
WRIGHT, Kenneth Norman	Director	—	1995-11-11
WYATT, Alan Will	Director	—	1996-01-04
YOUNG, Mark Christopher	Director	1995-03-31	2007-05-01
YOUNGER, James Samuel	Director	1995-12-14	1998-11-30

Ownership

Persons with significant control

Name	Kind	Nature of control	Notified	Status
Bbc Studios Limited	Corporate entity	Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors	2016-04-06	Active

Filing timeline

Last 20 of 305 total filings

Date	Type	Category	Description
2026-07-26	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full
2026-05-28	RP01CS01	confirmation-statement	Replacement filing of confirmation statement with made up date	PDF
2026-05-22	CS01	confirmation-statement	Confirmation statement with no updates	PDF
2026-05-22	PSC05	persons-with-significant-control	Change to a person with significant control	PDF
2025-09-10	AP01	officers	Appoint person director company with name date	PDF
2025-07-16	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full
2025-05-14	CS01	confirmation-statement	Confirmation statement with no updates	PDF
2024-09-11	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full
2024-06-28	TM01	officers	Termination director company with name termination date	PDF
2024-05-13	CS01	confirmation-statement	Confirmation statement with no updates	PDF
2023-12-19	CH01	officers	Change person director company with change date	PDF
2023-12-08	CH01	officers	Change person director company with change date	PDF
2023-07-20	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full
2023-05-11	CS01	confirmation-statement	Confirmation statement with no updates	PDF
2022-07-25	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full
2022-05-13	CS01	confirmation-statement	Confirmation statement with no updates	PDF
2022-04-26	AP01	officers	Appoint person director company with name date	PDF
2022-04-01	AP01	officers	Appoint person director company with name date	PDF
2022-04-01	TM01	officers	Termination director company with name termination date	PDF
2021-07-17	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full

Public-record activity

Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months

Filings: 5
Capital events: 0
Officers appointed: 1
Officers resigned: 0

Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.

Official Companies House page