The future of public service broadcasting

Culture, Media and Sport Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 27 Mar 2020 Closed: 18 Jun 2021 Parliament page
The inquiry will look at the future of public service broadcasting (PSB) within the wider media and digital ecology, including funding, content and regulation of PSBs and how this compares with alternative subscription, streaming services and Freeview services. In addition to the BBC, there are a number of other broadcasters … Read more
16 Recommendations
14 Conclusions
2 Reports
6 Oral sessions
3 Letters
6 Events
Activity timeline 18 events
3 Nov
2021
Report published
17 Jun
2021
Report published
25 Mar
2021
Report published
25 Mar
2021
Correspondence
15 Dec
2020
Oral evidence
15 Dec
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
17 Nov
2020
Oral evidence
17 Nov
2020
Correspondence
17 Nov
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
3 Nov
2020
Oral evidence
3 Nov
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
15 Sep
2020
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 6 sessions
15 Dec 2020
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Dame Melanie Dawes · Ofcom Kevin Bakhurst · Ofcom Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
17 Nov 2020
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Dr Caitriona Noonan · Cardiff University Jacqueline Baker · B Inclusive Task Force John McVay OBE · Pact Professor Jeanette Steemers · King’s College London Professor Philip Schlesinger · Glasgow University
3 Nov 2020
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Chris Bird · Amazon Georgia Brown · Screen Sectors Skills Task Force Iain Bundred · BBC Richard Lewis · YouTube
15 Sep 2020
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Ali Law · Sky Anne Mensah · Netflix Benjamin King · Netflix Maria Kyriacou · ViacomCBS Mitchell Simmons · ViacomCBS Zai Bennett · Sky
14 Jul 2020
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Dame Carolyn McCall · ITV Magnus Brooke · ITV
16 Jun 2020
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Alex Mahon · Channel 4 Clare Sumner CBE · BBC James Purnell · BBC
Recommendations & Conclusions
30 results
1 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
For public service broadcasting to prosper in the future the Government will need to act—changes...
For public service broadcasting to prosper in the future the Government will need to act—changes that require ministerial authority are needed in order to ensure that the public service broadcasting system remains sustainable in the context of today’s greatly expanded … Read more
Government Response
The Government welcomes the publication of the Committee’s report and is grateful for the Committee’s comprehensive inquiry into ‘The Future of Public Service Broadcasting’. The Government wholeheartedly agrees with the … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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2 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
Despite the long-term decline in viewing, we recognise that linear television remains crucial to certain...
Despite the long-term decline in viewing, we recognise that linear television remains crucial to certain audiences.
Government Response
The Government agrees that universality is a core tenet of public service broadcasting and is committed to ensuring this remains the case. This means that PSB content should be delivered … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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3 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
Universality is at the heart of public service broadcasting and should remain so.
Universality is at the heart of public service broadcasting and should remain so. Linear broadcast television by PSBs remains important and with delays to full fibre broadband rollout, a wholly online public service broadcasting system allowing for universal access is … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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4 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the role that PSB content can play in bringing the...
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the role that PSB content can play in bringing the country together creating shared national experiences and providing access to topical, UK-specific information and entertainment.
Government Response
The Government welcomes the publication of the Committee’s report and is grateful for the Committee’s comprehensive inquiry into ‘The Future of Public Service Broadcasting’. The Government wholeheartedly agrees with the … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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5 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
The pandemic has reinforced the critical importance of free and easy access to trusted news...
The pandemic has reinforced the critical importance of free and easy access to trusted news sources. At a time of crisis, audiences have shown that they value the PSBs. PSBs have played a role in tackling the spread of misinformation … Read more
Government Response
The Government welcomes the publication of the Committee’s report and is grateful for the Committee’s comprehensive inquiry into ‘The Future of Public Service Broadcasting’. The Government wholeheartedly agrees with the … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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6 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
The pandemic has reinforced the importance of local and regional-specific news provision.
The pandemic has reinforced the importance of local and regional-specific news provision. The provision of news to Nations and Regions should not suffer further as a result of budgetary restraints. We perceive a real risk to the provision of regional- … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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7 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
Reaching younger audiences now, and building relationships with them, is of the utmost importance if...
Reaching younger audiences now, and building relationships with them, is of the utmost importance if PSBs are going to remain popular and sustainable in the long- term. They way in which people access content, particularly those under the age of … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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8 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We are pleased that Ofcom highlighted the deficits in children’s programming across the PSB portfolios...
We are pleased that Ofcom highlighted the deficits in children’s programming across the PSB portfolios in 2018 and consider it vitally important that it continues to keep PSB performance in this area under regular review. We recommend that the Government … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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9 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We recognise that the BBC has provided a record amount of educational resources during the...
We recognise that the BBC has provided a record amount of educational resources during the Covid-19 pandemic, and particularly during the periods that schools across the country have been closed. Whilst this is a key example of the value the … Read more
Government Response
We recognise that the BBC has provided a record amount of educational resources during the Covid-19 pandemic, and particularly during the periods that schools across the country have been closed. … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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10 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
It took the Government almost 10 months to respond to the consultation on decriminalisation of...
It took the Government almost 10 months to respond to the consultation on decriminalisation of TV licence fee evasion. Delays of this nature by DCMS in reforming other areas of broadcasting, such as prominence, would be of significant concern. Of … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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11 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
The continued rise in TV licence non-payment in the UK is a cause for concern,...
The continued rise in TV licence non-payment in the UK is a cause for concern, as is the fact that the BBC’s target of a 5.9% evasion rate by March 2021 will be missed by a significant margin. We are … Read more
Government Response
The Government is considering decriminalisation of TV licence evasion and other possible reforms to the licence fee system to increase fairness and proportionality within the broader context of the ongoing … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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12 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We recognise the problems associated with the licence fee and, in the annex to this...
We recognise the problems associated with the licence fee and, in the annex to this Report, explore the existing alternatives. None of these are sufficiently attractive to justify recommending, for the next Charter period, that they replace the current 52 … Read more
Government Response
The Government notes the Committee’s view of the issues surrounding the current licence fee model and its assessment of alternative models. However, we do not agree with the Committee’s assessment … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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13 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
Current requirements on PSBs have generated a thriving production economy that has attracted the attention...
Current requirements on PSBs have generated a thriving production economy that has attracted the attention of streaming services, but the rise of video on demand is putting pressure on the Terms of Trade. Subscription video on demand services should invest … Read more
Government Response
As the Committee’s report demonstrates, the relationship between PSBs and subscription video on demand services (SVoDs) is not straightforward, particularly where PSB content is hosted on streaming services. It is … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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14 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We are not persuaded by arguments that prominence can be left to the market simply...
We are not persuaded by arguments that prominence can be left to the market simply because PSB content is popular and if an organisation such as Freeview, which represents the interests of over 70 TV channels, finds it difficult to … Read more
Government Response
As set out previously in our written submission to the Committee, the Government recognises the importance of high-quality PSB content being discoverable and widely accessible to UK audiences as far … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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15 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
The Government has been too slow to act on Ofcom’s 2019 recommendations to update prominence...
The Government has been too slow to act on Ofcom’s 2019 recommendations to update prominence legislation. We are frustrated that the Government expects the process to take a further two years; new primary legislation is urgently needed and the media … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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16 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We acknowledge that some of the programmes have a small print acknowledgement of the original...
We acknowledge that some of the programmes have a small print acknowledgement of the original producers, but question whether this is quite within the spirit of accrediting everyone involved with the right branding. We believe that it is important that … Read more
Government Response
As the Committee’s report demonstrates, the relationship between PSBs and subscription video on demand services (SVoDs) is not straightforward, particularly where PSB content is hosted on streaming services. It is … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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17 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We do not believe that sharing top line viewer data about PSB-originated content with Ofcom...
We do not believe that sharing top line viewer data about PSB-originated content with Ofcom and the relevant the PSB would be commercially sensitive. Streaming services are an important ‘second window’ for PSB content but without viewer data, it is … Read more
Government Response
Ofcom’s PSB review and the Government’s strategic review of public service broadcasting are considering a range of issues including the relationship between PSBs and platform providers and how the public … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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18 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We recommend the Government impose two specific requirements in relation to PSB content hosted on...
We recommend the Government impose two specific requirements in relation to PSB content hosted on other streaming services in new media legislation. First, PSB content The future of public service broadcasting 53 should be clearly labelled as such and branded … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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19 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We are concerned that the full potential of the Digital Markets Unit is not being...
We are concerned that the full potential of the Digital Markets Unit is not being realised under its current proposed remit. We recommend that the Government should broaden the Digital Markets Unit’s remit to consider whether the dominance of online … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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20 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
Where an established media brand is providing programming, it is not right to make the...
Where an established media brand is providing programming, it is not right to make the default assumption that YouTube’s contribution to the viewer deciding to watch that programme, and therefore its share of the value chain, is the same as … Read more
Government Response
The Government announced the introduction of a new pro-competition regime for digital markets in November 2020. In April this year a new regulator, the Digital Markets Unit (DMU), was launched … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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21 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
That reluctance should not be allowed to relegate the UK PSBs to a less prominent...
That reluctance should not be allowed to relegate the UK PSBs to a less prominent position on hardware than non-PSB commercial content providers who purchase prominence. There is little point in requiring a PSB regime if it can be hidden … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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22 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
The findings of the Competition Commission in 2009 are now outdated, given the rate at...
The findings of the Competition Commission in 2009 are now outdated, given the rate at which the market has changed and the dominance of global streaming services, and PSBs should be allowed to collaborate so that they have a better … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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23 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
The lack of workforce data collected and shared by streaming services in the UK is...
The lack of workforce data collected and shared by streaming services in the UK is of great concern. The Government must ensure that regulators have access to top line data, in line with that provided by traditional broadcasters, to enable … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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24 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
PSBs should be leading by example.
PSBs should be leading by example. The current gaps in employment data supplied to Ofcom are of significant concern. We recommend that Ofcom place minimum requirement obligations on PSBs, in terms of the employment data they provide, in order to … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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25 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We are concerned that, without monitoring, there is no way to tell whether transgender people...
We are concerned that, without monitoring, there is no way to tell whether transgender people are being fairly represented in the workplace. Whilst there should be no requirement for someone to declare to their employer that they are transgender, we … Read more
Government Response
The media plays a vital role in UK society and therefore has an important responsibility to reflect 21st Century Britain. The Government is committed to supporting the sector to ensure … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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26 Conclusion
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We find it hard to accept the excuse that diversity of production crew is out...
We find it hard to accept the excuse that diversity of production crew is out of the control of commissioners and broadcasters. We are pleased to hear that domestic broadcasters prioritise diversity within production and we do not believe that … Read more
Government Response
The media plays a vital role in UK society and therefore has an important responsibility to reflect 21st Century Britain. The Government is committed to supporting the sector to ensure … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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27 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
Diversity within the industry has improved in recent years—for example, there is a better gender...
Diversity within the industry has improved in recent years—for example, there is a better gender balance—but progress continues to be too slow. It is taking too long to address inequality within the industry and much more needs to be done … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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28 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We recognise the importance of regional diversity in commissioning roles and we welcome Ofcom’s previous...
We recognise the importance of regional diversity in commissioning roles and we welcome Ofcom’s previous decision to strengthen the criteria for regional and national production. We recommend that Ofcom’s guidelines for regional and national production should be reviewed on an … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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29 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
Increasing diversity in commissioning and production roles is crucial for improving on-screen diversity.
Increasing diversity in commissioning and production roles is crucial for improving on-screen diversity. We recommend that Ofcom introduce requirements for the number of BAME, LGBTQ+ and disabled people in commissioning and senior production roles to improve authentic on-screen representation of … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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30 Recommendation
Sixth Report - The future of publi…
We welcome the recent promotion of S4C in Wales to channel 104 on Virgin Media...
We welcome the recent promotion of S4C in Wales to channel 104 on Virgin Media but we are concerned about the lack of discoverability for minority language content in this increasingly digital market. The role that minority language broadcasters play … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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Correspondence 3 letters
25 Mar 2021 To committee Letter from the Chair to Tim Davie, Director-General, BBC, re licence fee evasion, 25 March 2021
Parliament page
17 Nov 2020 To committee Letter from Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Secretary of State for DCMS, re BBC Licence Fee settlement, 10 November 2020
Parliament page
3 Sep 2020 To committee Letter from Dame Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive, ITV, re oral evidence follow up, 23 July 2020
Parliament page