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Select Committee · Culture, Media and Sport Committee

The future of public service broadcasting

Status: Closed Opened: 27 Mar 2020 Closed: 18 Jun 2021 22 recommendations 8 conclusions 2 reports

The inquiry will look at the future of public service broadcasting (PSB) within the wider media and digital ecology, including funding, content and regulation of PSBs and how this compares with alternative subscription, streaming services and Freeview services. In addition to the BBC, there are a number of other broadcasters across the UK with PSB … Show more

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Reports

2 reports
Title HC No. Published Items Response
The future of public service broadcasting: Ofcom Response t… — 3 Nov 2021 0 —
Sixth Report - The future of public service broadcasting HC 156 25 Mar 2021 30 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
2 Conclusion Sixth Report - The future of public ser… Acknowledged

Despite the long-term decline in viewing, we recognise that linear television remains crucial to certain...

Despite the long-term decline in viewing, we recognise that linear television remains crucial to certain audiences.

Government response AI summary
The government agrees that universality is a core tenet of public service broadcasting and commits to ensuring PSB content is delivered via commonly available, familiar technologies that offer a high-quality viewing experience.
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Department for Culture, Media and Sport
4 Conclusion Sixth Report - The future of public ser… Acknowledged

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the role that PSB content can play in bringing the...

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the role that PSB content can play in bringing the country together creating shared national experiences and providing access to topical, UK-specific information and entertainment.

Government response AI summary
The government wholeheartedly agrees with the committee's assessment on the vital role of public service broadcasting during the pandemic in uniting the country and providing trusted information.
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Department for Culture, Media and Sport
5 Conclusion Sixth Report - The future of public ser… Acknowledged

The pandemic has reinforced the critical importance of free and easy access to trusted news...

The pandemic has reinforced the critical importance of free and easy access to trusted news sources. At a time of crisis, audiences have shown that they value the PSBs. PSBs have played a role in tackling the spread of misinformation online, and broadcast news specials have played a crucial role … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the committee's observations regarding the critical importance of free and easy access to trusted news from PSBs, affirming that tackling disinformation remains a government priority.
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Department for Culture, Media and Sport
22 Recommendation Sixth Report - The future of public ser… Acknowledged

The findings of the Competition Commission in 2009 are now outdated, given the rate at...

The findings of the Competition Commission in 2009 are now outdated, given the rate at which the market has changed and the dominance of global streaming services, and PSBs should be allowed to collaborate so that they have a better chance of competing in the now crowded video on demand … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government agrees that 2009 Competition Commission findings are outdated and that public service broadcasters should be allowed to collaborate to better compete in the video on demand market, but the response is truncated without further specific commitments.
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Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Oral evidence sessions

6 sessions
Date Witnesses
15 Dec 2020 Dame Melanie Dawes · Ofcom, Kevin Bakhurst · Ofcom, Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport View ↗
17 Nov 2020 Dr Caitriona Noonan · Cardiff University, Jacqueline Baker · B Inclusive Task Force, John McVay OBE · Pact, Professor Jeanette Steemers · King’s College London, Professor Philip Schlesinger · Glasgow University View ↗
3 Nov 2020 Chris Bird · Amazon, Georgia Brown · Screen Sectors Skills Task Force, Iain Bundred · BBC, Richard Lewis · YouTube View ↗
15 Sep 2020 Ali Law · Sky, Anne Mensah · Netflix, Benjamin King · Netflix, Maria Kyriacou · ViacomCBS, Mitchell Simmons · ViacomCBS, Zai Bennett · Sky View ↗
14 Jul 2020 Dame Carolyn McCall · ITV, Magnus Brooke · ITV View ↗
16 Jun 2020 Alex Mahon · Channel 4, Clare Sumner CBE · BBC, James Purnell · BBC View ↗

Who gave evidence

23 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Alex Mahon · Chief Executive Channel 4 1
Ali Law · Director of Policy, UK and Ireland Sky 1
Anne Mensah · Vice President of Original Series Netflix 1
Benjamin King · Senior Director of Public Policy, UK and Ireland Netflix 1
Chris Bird · Director, Prime Video UK Amazon 1
Clare Sumner CBE · Director, Policy BBC 1
Dame Carolyn McCall · Chief Executive ITV 1
Dame Melanie Dawes · Chief Executive Ofcom 1
Dr Caitriona Noonan · Senior Lecturer, Media and Communication in the S… Cardiff University 1
Georgia Brown · Chair Screen Sectors Skills Task Force 1
Iain Bundred · Director of Policy and Public Affairs BBC 1
Jacqueline Baker · Co-founder B Inclusive Task Force 1
James Purnell · Director of Radio and Education BBC 1
John McVay OBE · Chief Executive Pact 1
Kevin Bakhurst · Executive Director of Broadcasting and Online Con… Ofcom 1
Magnus Brooke · Group Director of Strategy, Policy and Regulation ITV 1
Maria Kyriacou · President, Networks UK and Australia ViacomCBS 1
Mitchell Simmons · Vice President, Government Relations EMEA ViacomCBS 1
Professor Jeanette Steemers · Professor of Culture, Media & Creative Industries King’s College London 1
Professor Philip Schlesinger · Professor in Cultural Theory Glasgow University 1
Richard Lewis · Head of UK & Ireland Content Partnerships YouTube 1
Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP · Minister for Media and Data Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 1
Zai Bennett · Managing Director, Content Sky 1

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
25 Mar 2021 To cttee Letter from the Chair to Tim Davie, Director-General, BBC, re licence fee evasi…
17 Nov 2020 To cttee Letter from Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Secretary of State for DCMS, re BBC Li…
3 Sep 2020 To cttee Letter from Dame Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive, ITV, re oral evidence follow …