Budget Template: BBC Television
A free UK television budget template in the broadcaster cost-code layout, from 100 Development to 690 Contingency, with delivery requirements, completion guarantor and finance lines built in. Use it for BBC commissions and other UK drama and factual work.
What's in this BBC budget template
The template uses the numbered cost codes UK broadcasters and independent producers work in, and opens in Saturation as a live budget with 535 line items. Saturation is not affiliated with the BBC.
Codes | What they cover |
|---|---|
100 to 210 | Development (recce, budgeting and scheduling), story and script, producers, directors, principal and other named cast, stand-ins and stunts, crowd, casting, advisors, copyright |
220 to 460 | Production management, ADs and continuity, camera, lighting and sound crews and equipment, art department, construction, special effects, costume and make-up, foreign unit, OB and video, film stages, studio crewing and rentals, location facilities |
470 to 480 | Travel and transport, hotel and living |
490 to 560 | Stock and processing, picture and sound edit facilities, opticals and video effects, graphics, music, delivery requirements |
600 to 690 | Publicity, office, miscellaneous, insurance, finance and legal, income and sale of assets, overhead, completion guarantor, contingency |
Account 560 Delivery Requirements already separates broadcaster TX deliverables from worldwide deliverables and includes access materials, trailers and promos and an archive copy, so delivery is costed from the first draft rather than discovered in post.
UK tax credit: the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit
High-end TV is eligible for the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) at 34%; children's TV and animation at 39%. To qualify as high-end TV, average core expenditure must be at least £1 million per hour of slot length and the slot must be longer than 20 minutes. The credit is calculated on the lower of 80% of total core expenditure or actual UK core expenditure. See our United Kingdom incentive guide.
Who uses a UK broadcaster budget
If you are making UK television for the BBC, Channel 4 or a streamer, start here. For Channel 4 commissions use the UK Channel 4 template; for a US network series, CBS Television or TV Series.
Cost reports without the spreadsheet chase
Keep the approved budget as the estimate, post actuals as invoices are paid, and every line shows its variance. Share the budget with your executive producer in Saturation, or, on a paid plan, export to Excel (XLSX), CSV or PDF. Full cost reports with EFC tracking are on Saturation's Pro plan and above.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the BBC's official budget template?
No. Saturation is not affiliated with the BBC. This template follows the numbered cost-code layout common in UK television budgets. If your commissioner supplies its own budget format, use that for submission and use Saturation to build and track the numbers.
What tax credit applies to UK high-end TV?
The Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, at 34% for high-end TV and 39% for children's TV and animation. High-end TV needs average core spend of at least £1 million per hour of slot length and a slot longer than 20 minutes.
Why is there a completion guarantor line?
Account 680 holds the completion bond fee for productions whose financiers require one. Leave it at zero if yours does not.
Can I use this template for factual and documentary series?
Yes. Zero out the drama-specific accounts such as construction and crowd, or start from the Unscripted template for formats and factual entertainment.
Open this template in Saturation
Every template lands in a live budget: auto-fill the line items, set your phases and rate packs, and let fringes and reports follow the numbers.
Budget Engine 2.0
Your budget, your cost report and every export run on one engine.
Auto-fill
Rates fill in as you type, from the source you turned on.
PhasesRebuilt
Every column knows its type.
Reports
Drag blocks onto the page and split a row in two.
Rate packs
Verified union rates, versioned.
Fringes and markupsRebuilt
Stack them, cap them, and see the split on every line.
