Camelot and BBC Continue Longstanding Partnership with Contract Extension
Camelot and the BBC have today announced a three-year extension to their current contract covering the carrying of National Lottery draw results on the BBC. Under the new three-year deal, coverage of the results will be available across a range of digital and on-demand platforms via BBC iPlayer and online, while retaining an important BBC One presence on draw nights.
The extended contract, which starts in January 2017, marks a recognition of changing trends where people are increasingly using technology to access content across multiple devices and platforms at home, at work and on the move – for instance more than 70% of National Lottery players now check their numbers online, while BBC iPlayer delivers well in excess of 200 million viewing requests for TV programmes every month¹. The National Lottery results service is building on these trends, while still maintaining a National Lottery results service for BBC One viewers.
From 7 January 2017, the Saturday draws will be available to view on iPlayer and voiced draw result captions will be available on BBC One on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in a regular slot after the news. The BBC will continue to provide National Lottery draw results on Red Button and Red Button+ services.
Now in their thirteenth year, The National Lottery Awards, will continue to be broadcast on BBC One. The ‘National Lottery Stars Awards’ recognise recipients of National Lottery Good Causes funding for the positive impact they have had on individuals and communities the length and breadth of the UK.
In-keeping with players’ ever-increasing use of the Internet to check results – especially via the National Lottery website, www.bbc.co.uk/lottery and on social media channels – all draws throughout the week will be available to watch on national-lottery.co.uk and The National Lottery’s YouTube channel, with further announcements to come in due course about additional online services being added. Results are also available at all 46,000+ National Lottery retailers nationwide.
Tim Copper, Camelot’s Digital Director, said: “We’re delighted to have signed this contract extension, maintaining the strong relationship that has flourished between The National Lottery and the BBC since The National Lottery’s launch 22 years ago.
“As consumer habits show an unrelenting shift towards digital platforms, we’re embracing these changes in players’ results-checking habits – providing content that they can access at all times, across multiple different touch-points. But it’s also great that we can continue to provide a service to those loyal BBC One viewers who want their lottery results available at a regular time as they enjoy their favourite BBC shows. This new deal will allow us to do both.”
Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content says: “This new deal reaffirms the BBC's commitment to The National Lottery and our ongoing relationship with Camelot. We both recognise the need to provide audiences with more ways to access the draw results across a range of platforms that reflect changing behaviour. While importantly retaining a home on BBC One and continuing our support for the tremendous work they do through the Annual Awards show.”
Camelot will continue to use its state-of-the-art facility at Pinewood Studios to host the live draw shows, which will be produced by Camelot’s in-house Broadcast & Production team and specialist live streaming company, 3X Screen Media, which currently produces the online draws for The National Lottery’s website and YouTube channel.
¹ BBC iPlayer has delivered well over 200 million viewing requests monthly since January 2015: BBC iPlayer, Monthly Performance Pack, April, May & June 2016
For further information, please contact:
Camelot Press Office – 020 7632 5711
Notes to Editors:
- Camelot UK Lotteries Limited is the licensed operator of The National Lottery® and is committed to raising money for National Lottery Good Causes designated by Parliament. Camelot is not responsible for distributing or awarding these funds.
- Each week, Camelot generates over £30 million for National Lottery-funded projects – in total, over £36 billion has now been raised and more than 500,000 individual grants have been made across the UK, the biggest programme of civic and social regeneration since the 19th Century.
- The National Lottery has so far awarded over £61 billion in prizes and created more than 4,400 millionaires or multi-millionaires since its launch in 1994.
- Leading the field of digital lottery innovation and e-commerce, Camelot operates Europe’s largest online lottery in terms of sales. With over eight million registered players, national-lottery.co.uk is also one of the top 10 e-commerce sites in the UK.
- For further information on Camelot, The National Lottery and its games, please visit: www.camelotgroup.co.uk and www.national-lottery.co.uk
- Players of all National Lottery games must be aged 16 or over.
