Met Office loses BBC weather forecasting contract


The Met Office has lost its BBC weather forecasting contract, it has confirmed.
The UK's weather service has provided the data used for BBC forecasts since the corporation's first radio weather bulletin on 14 November 1922.
The BBC said it was legally required to secure the best value for money for licence fee payers and would tender the contract to outside competition.
The Met Office said it was disappointed by the decision. A replacement is expected to take over next year.
'Disappointing news'

Steve Noyes, Met Office 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."
The Met Office also provides many of the presenters who read the weather on the BBC and said it would be supporting them to "ensure clarity on their future".
A BBC spokesman said: "Our viewers get the highest standard of weather service and that won't change.
"We are legally required to go through an open tender process and take forward the strongest bids to make sure we secure both the best possible service and value for money for the licence fee payer."
The spokesman said the Met Office's severe weather warnings would still be used by the BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34031785

Met Office in the news – BBC weather contract

23 08 2015 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.”
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/

Hah!