A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD

CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD
or production companies to subsidise their
content production. The funding could,
however, be used to work with partners
of any kind, and these might include
broadcasters or producers.
In awarding grants, the fund would be mindful
of the kind of programming that is not
appearing on established channels or is under
threat. It could fund local and investigative
journalism, for instance, or education, science,
history and other specialist factual content.
It should look to innovation in form and
content, to adopt a phrase from the original
remit of Channel 4. In fact, we believe that
this intervention could provide something
of the energising quality that Channel 4’s
launch gave the broadcasting world more
than 30 years ago. This would be a Channel
4 moment geared to digital convergence and
the networked world of today.
It is crucial that all of the content created
with DIG funding is made widely available
and easily discoverable on all interfaces. Any
organisation applying to the DIG would need
to provide a distribution and access plan as
part of its application for funding, and this
would be treated with as much importance
as the content of the proposal. We do not
believe that DIG content should be tied
to a particular platform, while developing
a standalone app and brand implies a big
overhead in technology and marketing.
Applicants for funding may already have their
own channels (and brands) with significant
audience reach and traction, so DIG funding
should not preclude them from strengthening
their own public service objectives.
We propose, therefore, that the DIG
would create partnerships and framework
agreements with the public service
broadcasters and other platform owners
to promote and distribute DIG-funded
content with appropriate branding and
acknowledgement. At the heart of this
arrangement would be distribution
agreements with the BBC and Channel 4
for access to and promotion on the BBC
iPlayer and All4 platforms, which would
detail the appropriate editorial presentation
and curation of DIG-funded content. The
DIG would be expected to make other
agreements with other partners that would
maximise the prominence, findability and
reach of the content it funded.
DIG funding would not be limited solely to
linear video content and would include other
digital content, applications and mobile and
online experiences that met its objectives.
Applicants would be expected to use their
own digital channels and those of partners
to maximise prominence and access to this
content.
Qualifying applicants for DIG funding would
retain all the intellectual property of their
output and retain editorial and contextual
control of the content once funded.
Applicants would be expected to hold
discussions with distribution and funding
partners prior to making their application
to create both a funding proposal and a
distribution and access plan. The DIG would
not necessarily be the sole funder, nor would
distribution partners be limited to those with
which the DIG has a framework agreement.
We believe that the work of such a fund
would help to transform and revitalize the
relevance of public service content for UK
audiences.
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