Select committee: Communications and Digital Committee
Recommendation 29
1st Report - Public service broadcasting: as vital as ever
Published 5 Nov 2019
Paragraph 238
Communications and Digital Committee Public service broadcasting in the age of video on demand inquiry All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The right to be displayed prominently is a key privilege of public service broadcasters. The current regime is centred on linear TV, which will increasingly devalue over time. We believe that it is more important that PSBs are easy to find in a fragmented media environment, not less. We welcome and endorse Ofcom’s recommendation that the prominence regime be updated for the digital age to reflect new ways of accessing content. The Government should introduce legislation to implement a new prominence framework in line with Ofcom’s recommendations. The regime should be based on principles so that it can adapt as technology changes.
From: Communications and Digital Committee, 1st Report - Public service broadcasting: as vital as ever, paragraph 238, 5 November 2019
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 18 February 2020.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government shares the Committee's view on the importance of public service broadcasting, while saying that broadcasters will need to adapt and that legislation and regulation will need to evolve.
- On the listed events regime, the Government "does not plan to review the list", saying it "strikes an appropriate balance". It has announced the Paralympic Games will be added to group A and will set out next steps on women's equivalents "in due course".
- On BBC funding, it "has no plans to introduce a Licence Fee Commission" and considers it "appropriate to determine the level of the licence fee in discussions with the BBC".
- On prominence, the Government "has committed to act on Ofcom's prominence recommendations and is exploring the potential for legislation", and will set out next steps "in due course".
- On a levy on video on-demand subscriptions, the Government agrees one "is not appropriate at this time" and has no plans to introduce one, but "will keep the situation under review".