Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch in London on January 27, BBC Worldwide CEO Tim Davie shared the latest progress on delivery of the company’s new strategy, announced in October 2013.

Davie announced that BBC Worldwide’s third new brand proposition is to be known as BBC Brit, which will offer premium factual entertainment programmes aimed at male viewers, airing best of British content from motoring, business, documentaries and adventure to food, music and sport. “There is a gap in the global market for a male-skewing fact-ent destination. BBC Brit will capture the maverick spirit of our premium factual entertainment programmes,” he said.

BBC Earth will have a section on both bbc.co.uk and bbc.com (the international version of bbc.co.uk), in addition to the launch of a BBC Earth-branded block on BBC America. This collaboration between the BBC Natural History Unit and BBC Worldwide would draw on world-famous BBC shows, with video content of the natural world at the heart of BBC Earth. Access would be on a commercial-free basis for UK users, and advertising funded outside the UK, where it would sit alongside existing bbc.com sections: Travel, Culture, Future, Capital and Autos.

The roll-out of the new brands will take place on a market-by-market basis, with all three – BBC Brit, BBC Earth and BBC First – expected to launch in the coming financial year. BBC First will lead the roll-out of the new brands portfolio, and plans are on track for its debut in Australia on the Foxtel platform in August.

Davie confirmed that BBC Worldwide is to be the commercial operator of BBC Store, on behalf of the BBC, if plans for its launch are approved, and that it is currently testing the consumer proposition. BBC Store would offer UK consumers the opportunity to buy, watch and keep content in a digital format. The new commercial service would make available a wider range of older content than ever before, alongside more recent programmes. For international audiences, Davie also said that the annual subscription offer for BBC Global iPlayer has now come to an end, signalling the start of plans to incorporate the BBC’s long-form video player into bbc.com over time. This may need approval from the Trust.

BBC Worldwide is also on track to meet its target of investing £200m in premium content, which includes commissioning its own channel-defining content across drama, premium factual and factual-entertainment. One such programme is Intruders, an upcoming BBC America original series produced by BBC Worldwide Productions, which will go into production in February.

Davie also unveiled a first-look deal with Lonesome Pine, a fledgling indie founded last year by Lesley Douglas, with award-winning scriptwriter Aschlin Ditta. The joint development partnership will see BBC Worldwide provide investment and global market support in return for exclusive distribution rights.

Speaking of the former Radio 2 Controller, Managing Director of Partnerships and Television at Universal Music Group and CEO of Lime Pictures, Davie said: “There are few people with such strong talent relationships who understand what makes great content better than Lesley, and the breadth of her experience spans a multitude of globally appealing genres. We’re excited to be collaborating with the high calibre of creative UK talent at Lonesome Pine and have high hopes for the coming output.”