The U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom) plans a wide- ranging r...
The U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom) plans a wide- ranging review of public service TV broadcasting (PSB), it said Tuesday. Ofcom began its second PSB study early, in response to rapid changes in the broadcasting market and significant issues…
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affecting funding, news and children’s programs. Since the first review, 2003 to 2005, trends have emerged that affect PSBs, Ofcom said. Digital TV uptake has accelerated, with analog PSB channels continuing to decline in share and reach. Broadcasters increasingly deliver TV over a range of services and platforms. Growing penetration by digital terrestrial TV platforms has let PSBs build successful families of free-to-air channels, with high definition TV in nearly 450,000 homes. In addition, Ofcom said, TV advertising has fallen as a proportion of total advertising, and the ad-funded model for TV broadcasting is facing pressure amid growing interest in Internet ads and from multichannel TV subscription services. More forces are working against PSBs, Ofcom said. These include significant changes to children’s shows driven by the increasing range of media and a need for more programming reflecting national and regional identities. The first review argued that PSBs were entering a transition in which old funding mechanisms would have to yield to a new model, Ofcom said. The shift is characterized by changes in audience behavior and content markets, as well as in the regulatory environment, blurring distinctions between TV and non-TV services. The new review will focus on public service TV from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five and S4C, broadening to other audiovisual series up and running or in development plus electronic communications services, such as user-generated content and interactive services, that could also affect PSBs. The review will ask five key questions: (1) What impact regulatory intervention aims to achieve. (2) Whether the goals are being met. (3) The future, given an unchanged regulatory framework. (4) What PSBs need to deliver in the digital age. (5) How the government and Ofcom can best achieve public purposes in the digital age. The study will run from 2008 to 2016, with a statement on anticipated issues expected in early 2009. Comments on Ofcom’s proposals for the review are due Sept. 30 -- PSBReview@ofcom.org.uk.