BBC MEDIA ACTION

Active
Company number 03521587Private company limited by guaranteeIncorporated 1998

Key figures

£1,431,000-7.7%
Net assets 2024/25
-7.7%
Average annual change 2023/24–2024/25
0500 k1 m1.5 m2 m2023/242024/25

† BBC MEDIA ACTION filed these accounts on paper, so Companies House publishes them only as a scanned image. The figures for the years marked † were read automatically from the scan and kept only where the statements add up (for example net assets equal total equity), but a reading error is still possible — check the original accounts at Companies House.

Ratios

2024/25

Sector comparison

SIC 85590

Where the company stands among the 38,102 active companies whose first SIC code is 85590 (Other education n.e.c.).

Turnover£27,578,000
Higher than 96% · median £41,600 among 1,515 that publish turnover
Net assets£1,431,000
Higher than 96% · median £3,554
Total assets£11,629,000
Higher than 98% · median £17,282
Cash£5,692,000
Higher than 99% · median £12,548
Employees469
Higher than 99% · median 1
Company age28.7 years
Older than 97% · median 4.1 years
Largest in this sector by net assets
  1. THE OLD VIC THEATRE TRUST 2000£37bn
  2. GAH HOLDCO LTD£345.5m
  3. THE ERNEST COOK TRUST£316.7m
  4. THE DEAN TRUST£218.5m
  5. ASTREA ACADEMY TRUST£162.2m
  6. KISIMUL SCHOOL HOLDINGS LIMITED£156.4m
  7. THE BRIDGE MAT LTD£140.4m
  8. THE EDWARD JAMES FOUNDATION LIMITED£140.3m
  9. BROAD HORIZONS EDUCATION TRUST£127.6m
  10. NEXUS MULTI ACADEMY TRUST£113.7m

Positions are approximate. Figures come from each company's latest accounts; money and employee figures are compared only with companies that filed accounts in pounds for a period ending in the last two and a half years and are not dormant, so those groups are smaller than 38,102. The line on each bar marks the median.

Summary: BBC MEDIA ACTION

What kind of company is it?

BBC MEDIA ACTION is a private company limited by guarantee registered with Companies House under company number 03521587. It was incorporated on 26 Feb 1998. Its status is active. The registered office is in London (W1A). Its nature of business (SIC 2007) is other education n.e.c. (85590).

How is the company doing financially?

The latest accounts in the database are for 2024/25 (period ending 31 Mar 2025); the company files group accounts. Turnover was £27,578,000. Net assets were £1,431,000, down 7.7% on the previous year. Cash at bank and in hand was £5,692,000. Total assets were £11,629,000 and total liabilities £9,680,000. The company had an average of 469 employees. Figures are available for 2 financial years (2023/24–2024/25).

How does it compare with similar companies?

Compared with 38,102 active companies whose first SIC code is 85590: By turnover it ranks higher than 96% of the 1,515 that publish turnover (median £41,600). By net assets it ranks higher than 96% of them (median £3,554). By total assets it ranks higher than 98% of them (median £17,282). By cash it ranks higher than 99% of them (median £12,548). By number of employees it ranks higher than 99% of them (median 1). It is older than 97% of them (median age 4.1 years).

Does it supply the public sector?

The company is named as a supplier in 4 public contract award notices from 3 public sector buyers since 2020. Contracts awarded to it alone have a combined published value of £360k. Its most frequent buyer is Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (2 contracts). 2 of the awards are shared with other suppliers, typically framework agreements. It is recorded as the recipient of 4 central government grants worth £4.6m, from Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

What do public registers and reports show?

It is a registered charity (number 1076235) with a latest reported income of £30.3m. HMRC lists it as an importer of goods, mainly electrical equipment.

Who runs and controls the company?

One person with significant control is registered.

When are its next filings due?

The next accounts are due by 31 Dec 2026. The next confirmation statement is due by 12 Mar 2027.

Filed accounts2023/24–2024/25
2023/24 †2024/25 †
Turnover32,025,00027,578,000
Cash at bank and in hand2,323,0005,692,000
Total assets7,859,00011,629,000
Total liabilities6,009,0009,680,000
Net assets / total equity1,550,0001,431,000
Average number of employees506469

A dash (—) means no accounts were filed for that year or the item is not in the accounts; 0 is a zero stated in the accounts. Small companies usually file only a balance sheet, so the profit and loss account is often missing.

Public contracts

4 contracts

BBC MEDIA ACTION is named as a supplier in 4 public contract award notices from 3 public sector buyers since 2020. The 2 contracts awarded to it alone with a published value add up to £360k. 2 awards are shared with other suppliers and not counted in that total.

Contracts per year
Main buyers3
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office
2 contracts · £315k
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
1 contract · £45k
THE WESTMINSTER FOUNDATION FOR DEMOCRACY LIMITED
1 contract
Contracts
  1. Expert Partner Panel Procurement 2026THE WESTMINSTER FOUNDATION FOR DEMOCRACY LIMITED · shared by 2 suppliers
  2. Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Framework Agreement (2023-2027)‡Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office · shared by 100 suppliers, up to £1,650,000,000 in total
  3. CSSF Algeria - Covid-19 Response Media SupportForeign Commonwealth and Development Office · £315,044
  4. CSSF: Investigative journalism Scoping in CaribbeanForeign & Commonwealth Office · £45,000

From contract award notices on Contracts Finder (since 2016) and Find a Tender (since 2021), published by the Cabinet Office under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Values are as published by the buyer and usually cover the whole contract term; the total leaves out awards shared between several suppliers, where the published figure is a ceiling for all of them, placeholder values and single figures of £1 billion or more. Notices marked ‡ do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name. Contracts below the publication thresholds and those of devolved buyers that publish elsewhere are not included.

Government grants

4 grants

BBC MEDIA ACTION is recorded as the recipient of 4 central government grants since 2019, together worth £4.6m.

Grants
  1. 300550-101 Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development (PRIMED)Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · £1,587,327 · Protecting Media Freedom
  2. COP26 Glasgow - Building a Climate Resilient Future EventForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office · £8,212 · Delivering ambition of the United Nations Secretary General?s Climate Summit 2019 to build resilience to climate change
  3. BBC Media Action in support for Covid -19 response in SomaliaForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office · £223,817 · Somalia Forward, Stable Settlements & Fair Power
  4. Independent media development - PRIMED consortiumForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office · £2,812,215 · Protecting Media Freedom

From the Government Grants Register published by the Cabinet Office (financial years 2016/17 onwards, Open Government Licence v3.0). It covers grants from central government departments and their agencies where the register states the recipient's company number and the recipient name matches this company; grants from local authorities, lottery distributors and devolved governments are not included.

Registers and licences

Registered charityNo. 1076235
Registered with the Charity Commission
23 Jun 1999
Income, year to 31 Mar 2026
£30.3m
Spending
£30.3m

BBC Media Action uses media and communication to reduce poverty and promote human rights, thereby enabling people to build better lives. We work in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Central Asia. We have three main thematic areas: health, governance and humanitarian, a…

View on the register of charities

International trade‡

Listed by HMRC as an importer of goods in 1 of the last 12 months on record, most recently October 2025. Main goods: electrical equipment.

From HMRC's monthly lists of importers and exporters. Traders can ask to be left off the lists, so absence does not mean a company does not trade.

Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Care Quality Commission, Home Office and HM Revenue & Customs, under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Entries marked ‡ come from lists that do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name.

History

5 events
  1. Financial year 2024/25 endedAccounts: turnover £27.6m, net assets £1.4m, 469 employees
  2. Financial year 2023/24 endedAccounts: turnover £32m, net assets £1.6m, 506 employees
  3. Bbc registered as a person with significant control
  4. Name changed to BBC MEDIA ACTIONPreviously THE BBC WORLD SERVICE TRUST
  5. Company incorporatedPrivate company limited by guarantee

Dates as recorded at Companies House: incorporation, name changes, officer appointments and resignations, current persons with significant control, and the end of each financial year with figures in the database. Former persons with significant control are not listed.