The biggest shake-up in British TV history was announced this month. The sale of ITV and ITV2 to Sky, which is owned by American media giant Comcast. Whilst this has to be ratified by the regulators, it is expected to be approved. The sale does not include ITV Studios who will continue to produce content for ITV and other channels. Channel 5 is owned by American company Paramount Skydance which is about to takeover Warner Brothers Discovery. This leaves just the BBC and Channel 4 as native terrestrial broadcasters, whilst ITV and Channel 5 are owned by two giant American media Corporations.
What does this mean for UK media and viewers? For its employees it will certainly mean job cuts as Sky has already stated that it is looking for £200 million pound savings over three years. The aim is to create a national streaming champion that can compete with the likes of Netflix, which some believe is the beginning of the Americanisation of UK media. However, under its public service broadcasting licences, ITV is required by law to provide a free-to-air service until at least 2034.
There is also talk of a merger or collaboration between the BBC and Channel 4. A new DG at the BBC and negotiations about the process of funding it means that the broadcasting landscape in this country is changing fast. How much we pay and how we receive television programmes in the future are all topics for negotiation and debate. It feels like revolution is in the air!
After just six weeks as Director General of the BBC, Matt Brittin found himself in front of the Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee. Amongst other things he spoke about the licence fee and had this to say
“We can and should be doing as much as possible on [enforcing] licence fee collection under the current model, but it’s yesterday’s model, it’s a busted flush, it’s no longer fit for purpose, and that’s why we need to make the case for the BBC and a shift of the licence fee model.”
Although a compulsory household levy had been previously ruled out, Brittin suggested it should be reconsidered. He thinks that it could be collected through utility bills. MP’s were told that if 100% of homes paid through such a scheme, the fee could be reduced from its current level, he said. It was also announced that the BBC’s global audience reaches over half a billion people every week.
You can watch Matt Brittin and Samir Shah’s appearance before the Select Committee @ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002zjbw
