Source · Select Committees · Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Rejected
Establish enhanced long-term partnership between S4C and BBC Cymru Wales with independence safeguards
Recommendation
We welcome the investments that the Government is making in digital provision for S4C, but the scale of investment needed to ensure the sustainability of Welsh language broadcasting in the long-term is daunting. We are concerned that the wider revolution in broadcasting will leave S4C exposed. It is also clear that S4C has a strong relationship with BBC Cymru Wales, and these links have been further enhanced by S4C’s reliance on licence fee funding and on BBC iPlayer as the foremost platform for digital content. To ensure the continuing strength of Welsh language broadcasting we recommend an enhanced long-term partnership between S4C and BBC Cymru Wales. This should include safeguards for the branding, editorial and commercial independence of S4C. This partnership should work towards a long-term framework agreement that supports S4C, providing it with the investment to produce digital content to compete with streaming services. The partnership should be overseen by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. (Paragraph 56) Broadcasting live sports in Wales
Government Response Summary
The government rejects overseeing an enhanced long-term partnership between S4C and BBC Cymru Wales, stating it is a matter for the independent organisations. However, it agrees the partnership should be maintained and is legislating through the Media Bill to provide a more flexible framework for their relationship.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The BBC and S4C are independent of Government, and as such partnerships between both organisations are a matter for them. It would not be appropriate for the Government to oversee individual partnerships. However, the Government agrees that the BBC and S4C should maintain a partnership that is suited to the evolving broadcasting landscape and the changing way in which people access content. The Government therefore welcomes that, as part of its Across the UK strategy, the BBC has committed to modernising its long-standing partnership with S4C to reflect the digital landscape better and support the distribution of S4C services across multiple platforms. Through the Media Bill, the Government is also legislating to support S4C and the BBC to move away from the current, somewhat rigid, framework requiring the BBC to provide S4C with 10 hours of television programming per week. The new, modernised arrangements will allow the BBC and S4C to agree that the BBC can provide fewer than 10 hours of television content and make alternative contribution arrangements to S4C if it is mutually and commercially beneficial for both parties. This will ensure S4C can continue to best serve Welsh speaking audiences. It is for the BBC and S4C to decide what this new partnership arrangement should look like. However, if no agreement is reached, the current requirement of 10 hours will continue.