BBC veteran Richard Pattinson elevated to head of global editorial partnerships at BBCS

Long-serving BBC executive Richard Pattinson has been upped to the newly created role of head of global editorial partnerships within the global media and streaming team at BBC Studios (BBCS) in the UK.

Richard Pattinson

He has been promoted from his previous role as senior VP of BBC StoryWorks, BBC Studios’ commercial content studio which works with brands.

Pattinson joined the BBC as a producer on Newsnight in 2004, going on to become programme editor of This Week. He has also served as commissioning editor of BBC Global News and editor of global partnerships for BBC World Service.

In his newly created role at BBCS, Pattinson will work across the editorial and commercial teams, ensuring alignment and collaboration in supporting the growth of BBC.com with audiences and partners worldwide.

Pattinson said: “I’ll be working across editorial teams in support of creating an even better experience for our audiences around the world.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to lead the amazingly talented BBC StoryWorks team over the past decade. I am so proud of their achievements and delighted to be able to continue to work alongside them in supporting BBCS’ ambitious commercial objectives, built on the strongest possible content offer.”

It comes after BBCS and BBC News last month launched the first phase of a pay model for BBC.com visitors in the US.

In the initial phase of the launch, users can pay US$49.99 a year or US$8.99 a month to get unlimited access to the BBC’s news articles, feature stories and the 24/7 livestream of the BBC News channel.

In the coming months, ad-free documentary series and films, including the full BBC Select documentary catalogue, plus podcasts and exclusive newsletters, will be included in the offer.

The pay model launch supports BBCS ongoing effort to grow international commercial revenue to help fund the BBC. The BBC said there are no current plans to introduce a pay model outside of North America.

Visitors who choose not to pay will still have access to select global breaking news stories, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service radio livestreams, BBC World Service Languages sites, and a variety of free newsletters and podcasts, while the site will remain ad-supported.