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Category Archives: Public Service Broadcasting
The Broadcast Indie Survey 2023
The Broadcast Indie Survey 2023 is out [£] and I’ve given it a quick scan. Here are the highlights: Fragile confidence I you had to sum up the industry’s future outlook based on Broadcast Magazine’s 2023 Indie Survey in one … Continue reading
UK independent productions, the inflation punch-in-the-mouth, and the very European remedies.
The boxer, Mike Tyson, was once asked about his plan for a fight and he answered; “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Economists have a variation on that line: “Everyone has a plan until inflation … Continue reading
Posted in EU & Brexit, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Low budget features, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, Skills & capacity, SVoD, Tax incentives, UK studios
Tagged AVMS, Investment Quotas, Quotas, tax, Tax incentives
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EU Media Freedom Act – just published
My thanks to Carole Tongue for sending this to me. The EU’s ‘Media Freedom Act’ has been published and the text will be voted on by the European Commission on 13 September before being submitted to the Parliament and the … Continue reading
Broadcasting White Paper published
The DCMS has published its Broadcasting White Paper promising “a new golden age of programming” with changes to regulations on SVoDs, sports rights, and the privatisation of Channel 4. One change is that C4 will be able to start producing … Continue reading
BBC as an antidote to social media competitors
A good post from Diana Coyle on the need for “a publicly-funded, public purpose and independent competitor of scale” in online markets such as social media.” “…foreign observers find it impossible to understand why UK governments are so keen to … Continue reading
Posted in BBC, Film & TV industry policy, Public Service Broadcasting
Tagged Diana Coyle, Social media
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Production growing in the nations and regions
Back in September, I posted here about The Pact Census (as carried out by Oliver and Ohlbaum). I’ve been meaning to pull out something about the impact on regional production from that for a while. So here goes. Pact chose … Continue reading
BBC funding statment from the VLV
The Voice of the Listener and Viewer has published the following Briefing note and press release in response to yesterday’s BBC funding settlement.The briefing includes the claim that, on current projections, the BBC will be in deficit by between approximately … Continue reading
Lord Bragg: The BBC is an institution that is being damaged for political purposes
I can’t find it on the Radio Times website, but the Times is quoting Melvyn Bragg’s article there, saying… “…as the BBC entered its centenary year, it found itself “sniped at, disparaged and blamed for every current malaise from culture … Continue reading
BFI Screen Business report details the scale of the UK production boom
Anyone who has any doubts about the size and scale of the UK production boom can have a look at the latest BFI Screen Business report (if the annual Pact Census most recently published in September wasn’t convincing enough!). The … Continue reading
Posted in BBC, Economics, Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Skills & capacity, SVoD, Tax incentives, UK studios
Tagged BFI, BFI Screen Business Report, Pact Census, UK Studio Watch
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A distinctly British focus for TV programmes
David Tennant has been questioning some of the arguments around demands for ‘distinctly British programmes (or ‘lovely jubbly telly‘ as John Whittingdale didn’t say recently). “Is there some inherent criticism within this plea for more Britishness?” he said in the … Continue reading
Public Service Broadcasting – contestable funds under threat?
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
Yet another big streamer eyes European markets
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
French cultural policy
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
More on UK/US unscripted production partnerships
Futher to the recent post about Netflix partnerships with UK PSBs, NBC Universal has also done an unscripted formats deal with the BBC.
Free database of legal developments in the Europen audiovisual sector
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
Costs of streaming services relative to the TV licence fee
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
Posted in BBC, Public Service Broadcasting, Regulation
Tagged BBC. BBC licence review, Tim Davie
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The Cultural Diversity arguments against Channel Four privatisation
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
French windows (excuse the pun)
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
BBC Chair warns against further cuts
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
talkTV signs Piers Morgan in a new twist to the news impartiality story
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
BBC Three relaunch as a full TV channel provisionally approved by Ofcom – EPG consultation to follow
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:
“Ten Culture Secretaries in ten years. We need a grown-up dialogue with government” – Davie
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
Posted in BBC, Film & TV industry policy, Politics, Public Service Broadcasting
Tagged Nadine Dorries, Oliver Dowden, Tim Davie
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The Lovely Jubbly Telly Rule – and will Channel Four privatisation go ahead?
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
Ampere Analysis – strong case against privatisation of Channel Four
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
Channel Four privatisation: Advertisers voice concerns about damaged competitiveness
… 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
Is UK audiovisual content about to hit a perfect storm?
I’d suggest that there is an emerging picture of where UK production is likely to head in the next few years, and it’s one that should worry us – particularly from the point of view of cultural diversity (which is … Continue reading
Posted in BBC, EU & Brexit, Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, Skills & capacity, SVoD, Tax incentives, UK studios
Tagged Audiovisual Media Services, Disney, Investment Quotas, Media Ownership, Media sector consolidation, Netflix, Quotas, SVOD, UK Studio Watch
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How AVMS applies in every EU country
The Audio Visual Media Services (AVMS) Directive, like all EU Directives, is translated into national legislation and regulation by the member states concerned. The European Audiovisual Observatory tracks all of this on this table here. (H/T Carole Tongue for the … Continue reading
Cultural Diversity is not just about limiting discrimination – it’s an economic and industrial factor
It’s worth bookmarking Unesco’s Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions here. This is an important global statement on the need for cultural expressions to be produced, distributed, and owned ‘locally’ (in the Nations and … Continue reading
Posted in BBC, Disability equality, Diversity of representation, Economics, Equality, EU & Brexit, Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Gender equality, Gender representation, High End TV data, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Race equality, Regulation, SVoD, Tax incentives, UK studios, Wealth inequality
Tagged Audiovisual Media Services, BBC, Channel 4, Channel 4 privatisation, Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, Investment Quotas, Quotas, Unesco
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Study on financial investment obligations placed on VOD providers in Europe.
This, from Dr Marlen Komorowski of Cardiff University for the The Media & Society Programme of SMIT. It looks at the way VOD providers are subject to various financial investment obligations (one of the key forms of regulation and incentive … Continue reading
Channel Four privatisation – picking though the arguments
Yesterday’s FT [£] had a useful reminder of the objections to Channel Four privatisation, or more accurately, a critique of the reasons for privatising the channel. The sale has a number of objectives: Making the broadcaster more sustainable. John Whittingdale … Continue reading
Ofcom shenanigans – update
The film and TV industries, it’s probably true to say that it’s more important to beat regulators than it is to beat competitors. If a regulator has a particular set of prejudices, it can be very bad for the industry … Continue reading
Posted in BBC, Film & TV industry policy, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation
Tagged Cultural diversity, Ofcom, Paul Dacre
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Theatre Tax Relief paid out £74 million to 3,660 productions last year
According to The Stage [£]… “This represents a £3 million increase on the figure paid out in 2019/20, which was £71 million, and comes amid calls for the tax credit to be increased to help the sector recover after the … Continue reading
Posted in Animation & VFX, Culture policy, EU & Brexit, Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, Skills & capacity, SVoD, Tax, Tax incentives, Theatre and Live Events data
Tagged Creative Industries Tax Relief
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Edinburgh TV Festival debates C4 sell-off
Broadcast has a report here [£]. In a statement that my be dismissed as hyperbole, John Thoday of Avalon says C4 privatisation will “kill the indie sector” and calls for the government to give C4 in it’s current form a … Continue reading
Government deliberately delaying decisions about appointments to Channel 4’s board
According to the Times, @StewartPurvis, who stepped down as board member of Channel 4 says the Govt is deliberately delaying decisions about appointments to Channel 4’s board because it wants to install people sympathetic to privatisation pic.twitter.com/GbkVMLClEc — Joe Public … Continue reading
Channel 4 and mutual ownership – Labour proposal
There have been quite a few posts on here already about C4 privatisation. This is an interesting twist, from The Co-operative Party (sister-party to the UK Labour Party) – proposing that control of Channel 4 could (via Broadcast [£]) be … Continue reading