Category Archives: Film & TV industry policy

Piracy of films is still a thing

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Paul Evans

The commonplace (one I’m occasionally guilty of repeating) that online piracy of movies is almost a non-issue now thanks to the emergence of competitively-priced streaming platforms is wrong, it seems. The Global Innovation Policy Center is claiming that worldwide online piracy … Continue reading →

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UK radio to get ‘discoverability’ boost on smart speakers

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Paul Evans

Regulators have a number of tools at their fingertips. They can offer tax breaks linked to cultural tests. They can tell TV channels that a percentage of their content should be made within a particular jurisdiction. They can oblige distribution … Continue reading →

Posted in BBC, Quotas, Radio, Regulation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Public Service Broadcasting – contestable funds under threat?

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Paul Evans

The dust has long settled on the Public Service Broadcasting Contestable Funds Consultation [pdf] from 2016 (the outgoing culture team were fairly keen on them but Nadine Dorries may not be), and the Times [£] has a worrying set of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Public Service Broadcasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

Netflix global strategy on films

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

More fuel to the debate about how the SVoD boom will affect the cultural diversity of film and TV, and on that whole ‘cinema to sofa’ question will play out. Here, their international film Boss David Kosse talks about how … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture policy, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, SVoD | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

UK commissioned productions losing crew talent to streamers

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

We’ve been saying it will happen for a while, but the wider world is beginning to notice. This, from the FT[£]; “Seetha Kumar, chief executive of ScreenSkills, said the “pinch points” were particularly acute in mid-tier roles — for which … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, EU & Brexit, Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, Regulation, Skills & capacity | Tagged | Leave a comment

Yet another big streamer eyes European markets

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Paul Evans

This time, it’s Paramount +. “In the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA), for example, Paramount Plus will launch on Sky platforms. Craig explained that according to the deal, Paramount Plus and Comcast/ViacomCBS streaming co-venture SkyShowtime will be … Continue reading →

Posted in EU & Brexit, Film & TV industry policy, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, SVoD | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

BBC Studios Appoints Tom Fussell as CEO

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Paul Evans

As reported in Variety. “Fussell will oversee BBC Studio’s “ambitious” plans for global expansion, its focus on employee engagement and wellbeing as well as diversity, inclusion and sustainability.”

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French cultural policy

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Paul Evans

France has always had an interesting, and different approach to cultural policy to the UK’s equivalent. In thinking about this last night, I remembered this 2013 document [pdf] from the Coalition Francaise and I thought I’d bookmark it here. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Copyright & Intellectual Property, Culture policy, Diversity of representation, Film & TV industry policy, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, Tax incentives | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Shift-working and disrupted patterns of rest – a research round-up

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Paul Evans

Thanks to Siobhan Wray, an Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour at Lincoln University for a useful roundup of research resources on this, including…. A systematic review of shift work and nurses’ health: This – ‘Working Time Society consensus statements: Evidence-based … Continue reading →

Posted in Film & TV industry policy, Long hours, Mental Health, Safe working practices, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged | Leave a comment

IATSE go back into talks with AMPTP following overwhelming strike mandate

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Paul Evans

Following the overwhelming support given to a strike ballot, and a slew of pressure from Californian and New York politicos, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) are now headed back into talks with The Alliance of Motion Picture … Continue reading →

Posted in Film & TV industry policy, Health & Safety, Long hours, Mental Health, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

DCMS parliamentary committee (effectively) opposes Paul Dacre appointment at Ofcom

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Paul Evans

It seems that Julian Knight MP, the (Conservative) chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee wrote to Oliver Dowden (subsequently reshuffled) effectively opposing the appointment of Paul Dacre as chair of Ofcom. “…the industry standard for rerunning a … Continue reading →

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IATSE votes overwhelmingly to mandate coast-to-coast strike action

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Paul Evans

BREAKING: IATSE Members in TV and Film Production Voted to Authorize the first nationwide industry strike in our 128-year history. 98.68% voted yes, and voter turnout among eligible members was nearly 90% #IASolidarity #IATSEVoted pic.twitter.com/F4wx8cPubi — IATSE // #VoteYES (@IATSE) … Continue reading →

Posted in Film & TV industry policy, Trades Unions | Tagged | 1 Comment

More on UK/US unscripted production partnerships

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Paul Evans

Futher to the recent post about Netflix partnerships with UK PSBs, NBC Universal has also done an unscripted formats deal with the BBC.

Posted in Factual & Entertainment sector data, Film & TV industry data, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, Skills & capacity | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

France places new obligations on video-on-demand providers

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Paul Evans

From the European Audiovisual Observatory: “In future, VOD services must devote at least 20% of the turnover they generate in France to the funding of European or French cinematographic and audiovisual production. The proportion is increased to 25% for services … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture policy, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, Quotas, Regulation, SVoD, Tax incentives | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Free database of legal developments in the Europen audiovisual sector

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Paul Evans

This one is probably only useful to massive geeks (hi!) but I’m telling you about it anyway just in case you find it useful. The European Audiovisual Observatory maintains a database of legal developments in all key areas, all key … Continue reading →

Posted in Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, SVoD, Tax incentives | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Costs of streaming services relative to the TV licence fee

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Paul Evans

Tim Davie has been talking to the DCMS select committee yesterday about the licence fee. Some highlights: “Netflix, Spotify, Apple – price rises of 20-30% this year, we have gone up 1% this year.” There’s a useful summary of SVoD … Continue reading →

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Unscripted TV production has too few customers

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Paul Evans

Another very good article from the consistently smart Sarah O’Connor in the FT[£]. There’s little more to add than that Bectu members can substitute ‘broadcast commissioners’ for ‘supermarkets’ and a lot of this will ring true for them. It’s the … Continue reading →

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IATSE seek authorisation from members for strike action

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Paul Evans

IATSE to Hold a Strike Authorization Vote Amid Stalled Contract Talks https://t.co/qrimN7HtEa — The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 21, 2021 IATSE is seeking authorisation to take an industrywide strike against film and TV production for the first time in the … Continue reading →

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The Cultural Diversity arguments against Channel Four privatisation

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Paul Evans

The UK Coalition for Cultural Diversity (UKCCD) have published their submission to the consultation on Channel Four privatisation here [pdf]. It makes a key point that should concern Bectu members who are concerned about the quality of the content that … Continue reading →

Posted in Film & TV industry policy, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, SVoD, UK studios | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Netflix cleans up at the Emmy Awards

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Paul Evans

From Variety: “For the first time ever, Netflix won more Emmys than any other platform. It did so while more than doubling the Emmy haul of its nearest competition, which was HBO/HBO Max with 19 total wins.” Full story here. … Continue reading →

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TV with an American accent?

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Paul Evans

A strong piece in the FT[£] here from John Gapper, outlining how strong SVoD investment in locally-set programmes may be a mirage – an attempt to build the subscriber base that can subsequently be fed content that is less rooted … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture policy, Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Quotas, Regulation, SVoD | Tagged , | Leave a comment

French windows (excuse the pun)

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Paul Evans

There are a few posts up here about how content regulation drives investment into film and TV, how the AVMS Directive is translated into national legislation and regulations, and on the general armoury that national governments have to shape the … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, SVoD, Tax incentives | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The latest Bond: A big couple of weeks for cinema

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Paul Evans

All eyes that are interested in the whole cinema-to-sofa thing will be watching the box-office performance of the latest Bond installment, No Time to Die, and Sony’s latest comic-book adaptation Venom over the next few weeks. This is not just … Continue reading →

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UK studio expansions – latest: Netflix announces plans for Longcross

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Paul Evans

Another sign of the UK production sector heating up rapidly, Netflix (already projected to spend more than $1bn on across 60 UK productions in 2021 alone) is adding to its UK production capacity with a partnership with Aviva Investors expanding … Continue reading →

Posted in Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Skills & capacity, SVoD, UK studios | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

BBC Chair warns against further cuts

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

From the FT [£], BBC Chair Richard Sharp warned that the licence fee must keep pace with inflation, pointing out that management (currently working towards savings of almost £1bn by next March had gone as far as they could: ““The … Continue reading →

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talkTV signs Piers Morgan in a new twist to the news impartiality story

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

Following Andrew Neil’s departure from GB News, the old line about how… The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese … may be relevant again. Rupert Murdoch’s News UK group (headed up by Rebekah Brooks) … Continue reading →

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BBC Three relaunch as a full TV channel provisionally approved by Ofcom – EPG consultation to follow

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

Big news for us today. pic.twitter.com/eQ1xfgkP1T — BBC Three (@bbcthree) September 16, 2021 The channel has had a good run recently with Fleabag and Normal People and in noting Ofcom’s provision approval, the regulator said:

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£1.2m annual Netflix training ‘war chest’ and other scripted TV training developments

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

As referenced in the Guardian article a few days ago, here’s more detail on this Netflix training budget, from Broadcast [£]. Quoting ex-Production Guild chief Alison Small (now working directly for ‘Grow Creative UK’ / Netflix) on training: “If we … Continue reading →

Posted in Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, Management, Skills & capacity, SVoD, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

“Ten Culture Secretaries in ten years. We need a grown-up dialogue with government” – Davie

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

From Tim Davie’s speech at day two of the Royal Television Society convention in Cambridge: “We’re on 10 culture secretaries in last 10 years… the key thing I found is we need a really serious, grown-up dialogue with government to … Continue reading →

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The Lovely Jubbly Telly Rule – and will Channel Four privatisation go ahead?

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

In an interesting twist to the cultural diversity on the screen debate, as UK-commissioned productions sector face a perfect storm that could threaten the UK’s long-established ability to produce TV content, written by UK writers, featuring UK actors and locations, … Continue reading →

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Ampere Analysis – strong case against privatisation of Channel Four

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Paul Evans

A strong thread here from Ampere Analysis, and a detailed report of their findings is here in The Guardian. Ampere has assessed a range of potential options surrounding the privatisation of @Channel4. Here is what we found: — Ampere Analysis … Continue reading →

Posted in Factual & Entertainment sector data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, Skills & capacity, Sports rights and broadcasting, SVoD | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Nadine Dorries appointed Culture Secretary

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Paul Evans

I try to avoid contentious or partisan comments on this site, so the only thing I can say is that Nadine Dorries has been appointed as Culture Secretary. This Nadine Dorries… Left wing snowflakes are killing comedy, tearing down historic … Continue reading →

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Channel Four privatisation: Advertisers voice concerns about damaged competitiveness

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Paul Evans

… particularly if sold to ITV or Sky. The FT [£] reports… “Isba [Incorporated Society of British Advertisers] also said there was a “substantial risk” that Channel 4 programming appealing to a young and diverse audience would be “diluted and … Continue reading →

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“Streaming demand for UK shows will create 30,000 film and TV jobs”

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Paul Evans

This, from today’s Guardian. But, as Head of Bectu, Phillipa Childs, says on Twitter.… “with a shortage of crew it’s important that the industry invests in training, development, safeguarding and well-being to attract diverse talent and bring the best of … Continue reading →

Posted in Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, Skills & capacity, Tax incentives, UK studios | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Useful material when thinking and campaigning about creative sector issues

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Paul Evans

I’ve posted a few links in recent days to the Nesta Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, but the whole site and org are worth keeping an eye on if you’re interested in that kind of thing. It’s very high-quality … Continue reading →

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