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Met Office loses BBC contract


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Posted
  • Location: Swindon
  • Location: Swindon

Quite a shock! I reckon the Met Office data is the best out there. I wonder who the beeb will use now?

 

There is some good news if the BBC forecast goes down the pan though - the Met publish a regular video forecast at the bottom of the homepage. It is far more entertaining than the beeb, as the 'presenters' are clearly chosen on some sort of 'pull the short straw' system, so lack the refinement of the beeb presenters. I watch this forecast daily, for the weather forecast, and for the entertaining presenters too!

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34031785

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Posted
  • Location: Ash Vale, Surrey/Hampshire border
  • Weather Preferences: Sunny Spells or thunderstorms.
  • Location: Ash Vale, Surrey/Hampshire border

Who else could predict the weather than the met office? Nick F is always very accurate!  :D  Netweather should do it, they are far more accurate than any other forecasting team I've seen.  :)

Edited by Rain123
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Posted
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: wintry
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL

Seems barmy to me...BBC should be using most accurate and capable outfit, would be interesting to know who has got the contract and for how long...

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Posted
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield
  • Weather Preferences: Any Extreme
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield

Most accurate forecast I can see everything going down the pan from now on. Well I won't be watching their forecasts anymore.

Opportunity for netweather to grab more forecasters

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Posted
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet

ECWMF might get it I imagine.

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.

This has been in the pipeline for a good few years, This from 2010..

 

 

T4. [310910] Mr. Hugo Swire (East Devon) (Con): Has the Secretary of State made an assessment of the effect on the Met Office if it loses its contract with the BBC, and what safeguards can he give to the 1,200 employees of the Met Office who work in his own constituency?

Mr. Bradshaw: I am sure the hon. Gentleman recognises that the work of the Met Office is much broader and more comprehensive than simply the service that it provides to the BBC, although that is an important service. The BBC is required under its charter to review such contracts in terms of value for money for the licence fee payer. I am sure the Met Office, which is probably the best and most respected meteorological office anywhere in the world, in spite of recent criticisms of its long-term forecast for the winter, will have a strong chance of maintaining that contract.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100118/debtext/100118-0003.htm

Edited by Polar Maritime
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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

This is a genuine surprise to me, as I just don't know who can replace them. Despite working for a private forecasting company, I could never see anyone but the Met Office providing the forecasts. Will be interesting to see where they turn to next.

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Met office statement

 

"You may have seen reports in the media today that the Met Office won’t be the BBCs main weather provider when the current contract ends. Obviously everyone at the Met Office is disappointed that we won’t be supplying weather presenters and graphics to the BBC in the future. As a trusted British institution we work at the heart of Government, with a wide range of customers, and with emergency responders to maintain resilience and public safety. We will be working with the BBC and others to ensure the nations official weather warnings are broadcast in a consistent way; and that our advice underpins forecasts when it matters most. We are also supporting our popular team of presenters to ensure clarity on their future.

 

Steve Noyes, our Operations and Customer Services Director, said: “Nobody knows Britain’s weather better and, during our long relationship with the BBC, we’ve revolutionised weather communication to make it an integral part of British daily life. “This is disappointing news, but we will be working to make sure that vital Met Office advice continues to be a part of BBC output. “Ranked No 1 in the world for forecast accuracy, people trust our forecasts and warnings. There are lots of ways to access these both now and in the future – via the Met Office app, website, and video forecasts, as well as through television and other digital news providers.â€

 

Much of our 93 years of working with the BBC has been based solely on radio and television forecasts. The world is changing though, and nowadays people access weather information in many ways. As ever, everyone will be able to access trusted Met Office forecasts and warnings on our own digital channels like our app and mobile website, delivered as text, symbols and videos. You can embed that information easily in your own website too. We continue to provide our expert forecasts on independent television networks and there are also now many other news organisations increasingly sharing Met Office content online."

 

http://blog.metoffice.gov.uk/2015/08/23/met-office-in-the-news-bbc-weather-contract/

 

Rumors are Dutch and New Zealand firms are said to be in the running for the contract but the BBC intend to still broadcast the met office's severe weather warnings

Edited by Summer Sun
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Posted
  • Location: Horwich
  • Location: Horwich

Quite a shock! I reckon the Met Office data is the best out there. I wonder who the beeb will use now?

 

There is some good news if the BBC forecast goes down the pan though - the Met publish a regular video forecast at the bottom of the homepage. It is far more entertaining than the beeb, as the 'presenters' are clearly chosen on some sort of 'pull the short straw' system, so lack the refinement of the beeb presenters. I watch this forecast daily, for the weather forecast, and for the entertaining presenters too!

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34031785

 

 

The effect for the Met Office could be dire.  It is a government funded department, subject to all the cost cutting and hostility that entails from a Tory government.  It cannot lower its fees without encountering fierce criticism from its many enemies on the right.  With Osborne sniffing about for more privatisations to launch, the Met Office must be high on his list.  Now there is a huge hole in its budget, which the government will take as an open invitation to launch a privatisation, with all the loss of quality and service, and rise of commercial gloss and flim flam that brings with it.  I imagine the Fox is licking its lips at the prospect of such a conveniently unlocked hen-house, too...

 

Meanwhile my licence fee pays for the BBC and my taxes pay for the Met Office.  I expect to get my money's worth, which is the BBC making clear and approachable the Met Office forecasts.

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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

So what's going to happen to the presenters then?

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

So what's going to happen to the presenters then?

 

I was wondering that maybe they'll get the option to move over to the new provider

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Posted
  • Location: Runcorn, Cheshire
  • Weather Preferences: Snowy winters, hot, sunny springs and summers.
  • Location: Runcorn, Cheshire

After 93 years! Wow. What a joke.

The BBC are really starting to shape up. First Top Gear, loved by many. Now the Met Office? A necessity, a key to their forecasts.

Not sure what's going on

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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

After 93 years! Wow. What a joke.

The BBC are really starting to shape up. First Top Gear, loved by many. Now the Met Office? A necessity, a key to their forecasts.

Not sure what's going on

 

Off topic, but Top Gear still exists? They had to get rid of Clarkson as much as I loved old Top Gear.

 

Anyway, I'm interested to see where they go next. ECMWF? MeteoGroup? MetDesk? :D Netweather? :D :D

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Posted
  • Location: South Gloucestershire BS35
  • Weather Preferences: Severe weather enthusiast
  • Location: South Gloucestershire BS35

The effect for the Met Office could be dire.  It is a government funded department, subject to all the cost cutting and hostility that entails from a Tory government.  It cannot lower its fees without encountering fierce criticism from its many enemies on the right.  With Osborne sniffing about for more privatisations to launch, the Met Office must be high on his list.  Now there is a huge hole in its budget, which the government will take as an open invitation to launch a privatisation, with all the loss of quality and service, and rise of commercial gloss and flim flam that brings with it.  I imagine the Fox is licking its lips at the prospect of such a conveniently unlocked hen-house, too...

 

Meanwhile my licence fee pays for the BBC and my taxes pay for the Met Office.  I expect to get my money's worth, which is the BBC making clear and approachable the Met Office forecasts.

 

The Met Office are still a vital part of military operations. They support Joint Operational meteorologists and services used by our armed forces, as well as other countries. They also support many other Public services - health, environment agency, transport & business. They are also world renown for their climate research and recently, dipping their toes into space weather research. So yes they got plenty of work, but I would imagine losing this contract is a big loss of funding coming their way, because at the end of they day that money they bid to keep the contract will not be used and reassigned. They will then need to re-compete for other roles and bid for money from the government. 

 

It is a bit of a shock, but at the same time it isn't. It has been a gradual move towards a sole commercial entity for some time, pretty much since it stopped being part of the MoD, and moved across to the Department of Business, Innovation and skills a few years ago. I would rather see the MetO remain in the civil service, but like many other departments recently, they are shifting towards commercial control of their own and having to look at providing a service for profit to sustain themselves - similar to a "government owned contractor"

Edited by Chris K
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Posted
  • Location: Runcorn, Cheshire
  • Weather Preferences: Snowy winters, hot, sunny springs and summers.
  • Location: Runcorn, Cheshire

Off topic, but Top Gear still exists? They had to get rid of Clarkson as much as I loved old Top Gear.

 

Anyway, I'm interested to see where they go next. ECMWF? MeteoGroup? MetDesk? :D Netweather? :D :D

Is does. But in my mind, it doesn't. Chris Evans, hahaha. GREAT replacement for Clarkson.

As for the BBC, do Net Weather have a shot?

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Posted
  • Location: Sheffield
  • Location: Sheffield

*Waits for the inevitable petition to turn up*  

 

 

 

I was wondering that maybe they'll get the option to move over to the new provider

 

Whoever does get the contract better had give the presenters that option, otherwise i sense a strike somewhere down the line.

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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

Do any of you guys know how much this contract is worth to the Met Office? Are we talking millions? Or tens of millions?

 

Easily into the millions I would have imagined.

Here's the current favs for the new contract

 

http://www.metraweather.com/

 

They're the NZ national provider, so certainly a possibility. Their UK office is based on the University of Reading campus.

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Do any of you guys know how much this contract is worth to the Met Office? Are we talking millions? Or tens of millions?

 

No exact figures but it is believed to make up a sizeable share of the £32.5 million a year the Met Office receives from commercial organisations

Edited by Summer Sun
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Posted
  • Location: Swindon
  • Location: Swindon

No exact figures but it is believed to make up a sizeable share of the £32.5 million a year the Met Office receives

I've just had a quick glance at the met's figures. Commercial revenue is around £200m or so - this is a massive hole in the balance sheet.

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Posted
  • Location: Sunderland
  • Weather Preferences: Hot Summer, Snowy winter and thunderstorms all year round!
  • Location: Sunderland

Do any of you guys know how much this contract is worth to the Met Office? Are we talking millions? Or tens of millions?

it'll be to the lowest bidder I'd wager......with that in mind, I might put in a cheeky £50 offer.....lol

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