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

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A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION It is worth considering some of the key relationships within the television ecology and how people and ideas flow within it. Between broadcasters The UK’s leading broadcasters are all acutely aware of each other and sensitive to each other’s role in the ecology. Senior executives meet at conferences and seminars, staff at rival companies frequently interact, collaborating or socialising. They commission programmes to compete with each other and often to differentiate themselves from each other. They get inspiration from each other; they copy each other, and they learn from each other’s mistakes. Many staff move from one company to another. Broadcasters set standards for each other too. Commercial broadcasters such as ITV and Sky have to pit their arts and drama output against the publicly funded BBC. The BBC’s sports coverage has to compete with the benchmarks, including the levels of spending, set by Sky. Between broadcasters and producers Producers, whether in-house or independent, provide the output that makes broadcasting happen. Without channels or distribution networks there would be nowhere for producers to take their products. Channel 4 relies virtually entirely on independent production; indeed, its launch in 1982 gave birth to a whole industry. The production sector has expanded vastly since then thanks to quotas imposed on broadcasters and the rapid growth in channels, and now encompasses giants such as Endemol/Shine and Fremantle as well as boutique companies. Talent flows between the broadcasting and production sectors. Between broadcasters and the cultural world The BBC in particular has strong links to the cultural sector. Its support for classical music involves not just Radio 3 but funding orchestras and showing the Proms concerts. Both the BBC and Channel 4 play a very important role in film production. All broadcasters screen films, expanding the market for cinematic releases. Drama can feed off source material and then stimulate further interest in and sales for that material – Wolf Hall, for example, has been a huge success story as a novel, on the stage, and on TV. Documentaries and news items are often timed and themed to coincide with exhibitions at major museums and galleries. Between television companies and the wider creative industries The makers of television – whether broadcasters or producers – rely on the skills of so many people outside the industry. Costume designers, make-up artists and special effects experts all play a crucial part in making drama possible, for example. Musicians benefit from the exposure that TV can bring and from royalties on the use of copyright material. Between broadcasters and the public There is straightforward link between broadcasters and viewers, and in the BBC’s case a direct ownership link owing to the mechanism of the licence fee. But TV also nurtures other relationships with the public: for instance, talent shows from X Factor to The Great British Bake Off or The Choir. These shows in their very different ways not only allow the public to participate directly in television but stimulate interest in crafts and skills. 26
CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD Thinking about these relationships and the nature of the television industry as a highly developed and sophisticated ecology – as well as part of a larger creative ecology – allows us to view the challenge of maintaining public service television holistically. Necessarily, this report will examine the specific issues facing different broadcasters and analyse various programme genres and technological possibilities in turn. But improving and reforming public service television is not a matter of choosing from a menu. There is no point trying to change just one element and hoping that everything else will be fine. It is crucial that we examine today’s various challenges alongside each other and come up with solutions that value co-ordination and interaction. “THIS REPORT WILL SEEK TO DISCUSS, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT, HOW BEST TO SECURE THESE “DESIRABLE SOCIAL OUTCOMES” – OF DEMOCRATIC EXCHANGE, DIVERSE REPRESENTATION AND MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE” In conclusion, we agree with Professor Robert Picard’s assessment that “there is nothing sacrosanct about public service television. It is merely a tool for achieving desirable social outcomes given the economic characteristics of broadcasting.” 51 This report will seek to discuss, and make recommendations about, how best to secure these “desirable social outcomes” – of democratic exchange, diverse representation and meaningful dialogue – in conditions of considerable technological, political and cultural volatility. The challenges that lie ahead are significant but there are also, in our view, some important opportunities. As Robin Foster from Ofcom’s Content Board put it in his submission: “The next ten years will likely see a further major shift in digital media markets…With a new approach, PST should still be in a position to achieve the enduring public service aims identified by this Inquiry and, in some cases, to do more effectively than in the past.” 52 51 Robert Picard, submission to the Inquiry. 52 Robin Foster, submission to the Inquiry. 27
Page 1 and 2: A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVIS
Page 3 and 4: Contents Foreword by David Puttnam
Page 5 and 6: To instruct democracy, if possible
Page 7 and 8: Welcome Television is leading a cha
Page 9 and 10: CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL
Page 11 and 12: PSB channels 71.9% All other channe
Page 15 and 16: Why television matters Television i
Page 19 and 20: 1982 1990s 2012 The BBC-ITV duopoly
Page 23 and 24: Time for action Today’s policymak
Page 25: CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL
Page 29 and 30: Basic principles At the core of pre
Page 39 and 40: The multichannel revolution Perhaps
Page 51 and 52: The BBC For most people, the BBC is
Page 67 and 68: Channel 4 If the BBC is the most im
Page 71 and 72: Only 8% of Channel 4’s total spen
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CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL
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ITV and Channel 5 The focus of atte
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The changing face of ITV 1993-2002
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New sources of public service conte
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Television and diversity We have ea
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THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE TELEVISED If t
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Nations and Regions Public service
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Content diversity One of the key wa
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Sports content now accounts for som
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Talent development and training In
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Conclusion Television is changing.
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Recommendations General The UK’s
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Appointing the BBC board Sir David
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APPLICATION OF THE NOLAN PRINCIPLES
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BAFTA members’ survey delivered i
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Public service broadcasting, public
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Inquiry events Do we still need pub
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Acknowledgements Inquiry Report Con
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A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD

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