Source · Select Committees · Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Paragraph: 51
Require Government to assure licence fee review safeguards Welsh-language broadcasting provision
Recommendation
It is vital that Welsh language provision continues to grow amid the changing media landscape, and is a visible part of the television system in the UK. While we welcome the current funding settlement in place for S4C, it is vital that the channel has greater certainty over its long-term funding. We note that the Government has announced a review of the licence fee model. This will have implications for the delivery of Welsh language broadcasting by the BBC, and future funding of S4C. In its response to this Report, the Government must give assurances that the review includes a reference to safeguarding Welsh-language broadcasting.
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, assuring that the review of the licence fee funding model will consider funding arrangements for Welsh language broadcasting and fully account for the government's commitment to its success.
Paragraph Reference:
51
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government is committed to the licence fee for the rest of the current Charter. However, we are seeing a rapidly changing media landscape with more ways for audiences to watch content than ever, and traditional broadcast channels declining. The number of licence fee payers is declining, with an increasingly competitive media landscape. We want to ensure that the BBC and S4C are fit for the present and whatever the future holds. The Government is therefore launching a review of the licence fee funding model, to ensure it is fair to licence fee payers, sustainable for the long term, and supports the BBC and S4C’s vital roles in growing our thriving creative industries. The review will also consider the funding arrangements of Welsh and other Minority Language Broadcasting provided by the BBC. The Government has made clear it supports Welsh language broadcasting and wants to see it succeed long into the future. The review, which is being led by DCMS, will fully take this into account.