The BBC is banking on global sales of David Attenborough’s new series, a spin-off and an “AI dating” show to plug a collapse in licence fee income.

With more than 500,000 people cancelling the £180 a-year charge last year, BBC bosses have been told to increase the corporation’s commercial revenues to help fill a £500m funding “black hole”.

International sales of hit shows like helped BBC Studios, the broadcaster’s commercial wing, generate £2.1bn in revenues last year.

The licence fee raised £3.8bn – but if that figure falls, income from Studios will become even more important in making up the shortfall needed to fund the BBC’s TV and radio channels.

Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, and other leaders are this week heading to Cannes to sell the corporation’s latest shows and formats at Mipcom, a marketplace for international television, attended by 3,300 buyers from 110 countries.

Attenborough top of BBC sales list

Top of the BBC’s sales pitch is The Blue Planet III, the new six-part series in which Sir David Attenborough promises to “venture even further” underwater to uncover life species that are “more precious than we ever realised”.

The BBC’s Natural History Unit is a reliable money-spinner for Studios, which cut a pre-Mipcom deal with Sweden’s SVT broadcaster to sell a package of Blue Planet III, Green Planet II and .

Scandinavian viewers are big consumers of BBC dramas – Norway’s TV2 has concluded a deal for a forthcoming third series of adultery drama  and a Call the Midwife prequel called . The “cosy crime” genre is a popular seller with and snapped up by Polish TV.

Creating hit formats which can be remade around the world is vital for the BBC’s financial future. 

has been licensed to 60 countries under the name s and a new spin-off, , which puts hopefuls through a grueling competition to win a place as a professional dancer on the main show, is being marketed at Mipcom.

The BBC gets no financial benefit from the success of . Originally aired in the Netherlands, the rights are owned by production giant All3Media which has licensed the format to 40 countries.

BBC Studios hopes a new reality format it does own, , might emulate .

Set on a luxury vessel, 12 people take part in challenges to avoid elimination and win a cash prize, unaware that they are being secretly watched and “another story is unfolding around them”.

BBC betting on dating formats

Bosses believe there is more life in dating formats, with two shows viewers have yet to see on UK screens up for sale. 

takes 100 singles and uses a “cutting-edge AI system” to find their “perfect match”.  

Through a series of “romantic dates, uncomfortable questions and sensual tension”, the programmes asks “will the singles choose to follow their hearts or AI to find real love?”

is a dating experiment where “conservative men and progressive women meet in a world where conversation is forbidden and chemistry takes over”.

Top Gear return to boost BBC coffers

A reboot of , tipped to be presented by Jimmy Carr and due to film next year, will boost Studios’ revenues since the show, on hiatus for four years after Andrew Flintoff’s crash, has been one of the BBC’s biggest exports.

Ministers want the BBC to boost commercial revenues to reduce the burden of funding the BBC on viewers, who are increasingly opting out of paying for a TV licence.

A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “The BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair to all those that are paying it. Through the Charter Review, we are looking at a range of options, including how the BBC can operate more efficiently, generate more commercial revenue and how the licence fee could be reformed.” 

Zai Bennett, BBC Studios global content CEO, said: “As we head to Mipcom, we’re bringing a fresh line-up of titles that combine exceptional craft, cutting-edge technology and a rich mix of new stories from acclaimed creative talent. We deliver the quality, breadth and originality that buyers need to engage audiences around the world.”

Buzz around new game formats

The BBC and commercial rivals will also be looking out for new formats to acquire for UK viewers at Mipcom. 

There is a buzz around large-scale shows based on children’s games. 

The team behind Amazon Prime’s are making , a Japanese format which makes comedians circle a set of chairs and fight for a seat by telling the best gags when the music stops.

In , a Finnish show based on another children’s favourite, a celebrity host tries to track down famous faces who conceal themselves across amusement parks and other real-world locations.

Both shows are being marketed by Banijay Entertainment, the production giant which houses Studio Lambert, which makes for the BBC. 

Studio Lambert is making a super-sized, live-action Monopoly challenge for Netflix, which will have a $2m cash prize. Netflix also has ambitions to turn Simon Says into a game show next year.