Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Paragraph: 81
The Government has been too slow to act on Ofcom’s 2019 recommendations to update prominence...
Recommendation
The Government has been too slow to act on Ofcom’s 2019 recommendations to update prominence legislation. We are frustrated that the Government expects the process to take a further two years; new primary legislation is urgently needed and the media ecology advances far too quickly for the Government to delay any further. We recommend that the Government prioritise new primary legislation to update the Communications Act 2003 and grant PSBs prominence which extends beyond the Electronic Programme Guide. The Government should seek to publish the Bill in draft in the upcoming parliamentary session, ahead of finding time to introduce and enact this legislation before the end of 2022. To ensure that prominence can be extended to online viewing platforms, such as smart TVs, we also recommend that PSB video on demand players be covered by their public service broadcasting remits.
Paragraph Reference:
81
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
As set out previously in our written submission to the Committee, the Government recognises the importance of high-quality PSB content being discoverable and widely accessible to UK audiences as far as possible. That is why the Government required Ofcom to undertake a review of this area through the Digital Economy Act 2017. Ofcom published its Prominence review in July 2019 and since then the Government and Ofcom have worked closely together and engaged with industry including with the international manufacturers of connected TVs to understand the impact of Ofcom’s proposals. It is important to ensure that prominence, and the balance of benefits and obligations, support a sustainable future for public service broadcasting. This work is ongoing and is also being considered as part of the Government’s strategic review of PSB. The Government has committed to acting on Ofcom’s prominence recommendations including through legislation and will do so as soon as the legislative timetable allows. We expect to set out next steps later this year.