Broadcaster Swearing Off Robot Cameras After a String of Tech Fails

The BBC has had enough of its current robot camera overlords. They might be responsible for hilarious and awkward viral videos, but the British broadcaster is planning to get all-new automated cameras to keep those to a minimum. It’s all part of the BBC’s plans to reboot its news channel in 2023.

Sources at the BBC told Deadline that the robotic cameras in Studio E, located in the BBC’s New Broadcasting House headquarters, were “showing their age.” Many of the cameras are almost a decade old and were introduced as a way to save money. The cameras could be pre-programmed so human camera operators did not have to be on hand.

While they usually worked as planned, BBC News viewers noticed every time they went rogue. Viral videos since 2013 have shown cameras cutting to empty chairs or roving around the studio while a presenter is trying to deliver the news. The BBC even embraced these glitches, famously posting a 2014 clip where viewers saw an empty chair at the start of a 9 p.m. broadcast. In March 2021, a camera swept past Victoria Fritz, who could only laugh as she tried to read serious economic news.

“They are driven by automation codes,” a source told Deadline. “If a human being fails to remove the wrong automation code or fails to insert the correct automation code in the running order then cameras will do the correct thing, which is actually the unintended thing.” Another source pointed out that the glitches are only a “tiny proportion” of air time on the 24-hour news channel.

The BBC did not say how much the new cameras will cost. Studio B recently received new cameras from the Norwegian company Electric Friends. However, even these have not been glitch-free. During a BBC News at Ten show last month, the camera suddenly began turning away from a meteorologist as she began a weather report!

One insider told Deadline the robot cameras are a “terrible waste of money,” but another said it will save money in the long term. Some speculate the new cameras could cost up to £10 million ($12 million). “The cameras are meant to recognize individual faces so that they can automatically set the shots on the lighting that each individual presenter needs. This is not working,” a source told Deadline. The BBC has not commented on the report.

The BBC announced plans to make changes to its news division over the summer. The broadcaster plans to merge its domestic and international news channels, which will lead to 70 jobs being cut in London. However, 20 jobs will be created in Washington, D.C., including 11 roles for journalists. The merged news channel will air around the world, with ad-free access in the U.K.