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Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

The future of public service broadcasting: Ofcom Response to Committee’s Sixth Report of Session 2019–21

Published 3 November 2021

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee The future of public service broadcasting Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to Sixth Report - The future of public service broadcasting.

This is the government's response, published 3 November 2021.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

Ofcom responds to the Committee's recommendations by pointing to its existing and planned work, agreeing on the importance of diversity in senior roles but stating it does not have legal powers to set diversity targets.

  • On local and regional news, Ofcom has commissioned further analysis of network news coverage across the UK, which it hopes to publish "at the beginning of next year".
  • On a single video platform, Ofcom found "some support" for one and is "encouraging PSBs to pursue opportunities to collaborate", noting collaboration "doesn't have to be exclusively amongst PSBs".
  • On employment data and monitoring forms, Ofcom says it lacks legal powers to require some information from non-BBC PSBs, and will launch a call for inputs, "expected in Spring 2022", and "intend to review" its monitoring forms.
  • On annual review of regional production guidelines, Ofcom says frequent changes make assessment "more difficult" and points to spot checks, an enhanced complaints process and annual PSB reporting to monitor the regime.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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