Sixth Report - The future of public service broadcasting
Select Committee
Culture, Media and Sport Committee
HC 156
25 March 2021
Government response
First Special Report - The future of public service broadcasting: Government Response to Committee’s Sixth Report of Session 2019–21 · published 17 Jun 2021
Recommendations & Conclusions
10 results
1
Conclusion
Deferred
For public service broadcasting to prosper in the future the Government will need to act—changes...
Conclusion
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the need for action to ensure sustainable public service broadcasting and is conducting its own review, along with Ofcom's, promising to bring findings together and set out its position and next steps later this year, including a commitment to legislating.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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6
Recommendation
Deferred
The pandemic has reinforced the importance of local and regional-specific news provision.
Recommendation
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- …
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Government Response Summary
The government's strategic review of public service broadcasting will examine the remits of PSBs and consider necessary changes, but it does not commit to the recommended Ofcom review into local and regional news provision.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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7
Recommendation
Deferred
Para 48
Reaching younger audiences now, and building relationships with them, is of the utmost importance if...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the challenge of retaining younger audiences and is considering, through a strategic review of public service broadcasting, whether legislative and regulatory changes are needed to help PSBs innovate and compete online.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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11
Recommendation
Deferred
Para 64
The continued rise in TV licence non-payment in the UK is a cause for concern,...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it is actively considering the decriminalisation of TV licence evasion as part of ongoing reforms and the broader licence fee settlement, but has not yet provided a definitive position.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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13
Recommendation
Deferred
Current requirements on PSBs have generated a thriving production economy that has attracted the attention...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that issues concerning the relationship between PSBs and SVoDs, including the Terms of Trade, are primarily matters for contractual negotiations, where PSBs determine the value. It will keep this under review.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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14
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 80
We are not persuaded by arguments that prominence can be left to the market simply...
Conclusion
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of discoverability for PSB content and commits to acting on Ofcom’s prominence recommendations through legislation when the timetable allows, with next steps expected later this year, as part of its strategic review.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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15
Recommendation
Deferred
Para 81
The Government has been too slow to act on Ofcom’s 2019 recommendations to update prominence...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of PSB prominence and commits to acting on Ofcom’s recommendations through legislation, but defers a specific timeline, stating it will do so 'as soon as the legislative timetable allows' and will set out next steps later this year.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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16
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 87
We acknowledge that some of the programmes have a small print acknowledgement of the original...
Conclusion
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that brand attribution and data sharing are matters for contractual negotiations between PSBs and streaming services, as PSBs are best placed to determine the value. It will keep the issue under review.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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21
Recommendation
Deferred
Para 100
That reluctance should not be allowed to relegate the UK PSBs to a less prominent...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government recognizes the importance of PSB content prominence and states this work is ongoing and part of its strategic review, committing to act on Ofcom’s prominence recommendations, including legislation, as soon as the timetable allows, with next steps expected later this year.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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30
Recommendation
Deferred
We welcome the recent promotion of S4C in Wales to channel 104 on Virgin Media...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the importance of minority language content and commits to taking forward Ofcom’s prominence proposals through legislation to ensure its discoverability, as soon as the legislative timetable allows.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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