BBC's e-learning strategy threatens small businesses

Granada Learning has warned that small businesses face going under if the BBC assumes a dominant position in the online learning market.

A report issued over the weekend from consulting company SRU estimated that the BBC's dominance of the market could starve media businesses, such as Granada, Pearson and Reed Elsevier, of £400m.

But Nigel Ward, MD of Granada Learning, has warned that small educational providers could be the biggest losers.

He told silicon.com: "We're not talking slight profit-loss here - companies will go out of business. Small businesses will go but larger companies will also be made very vulnerable."

The BBC plans to offer mainstream educational material for half of the key subjects including English and maths. Ward points out that this policy could lead to the neglect of minority subjects.

In the next few days the Digital Learning Alliance, along with the Publishers' Association and the British Educational Suppliers Association, will be submitting the report from SRU and other material to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in a bid to stop the BBC moving onto their patch.

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