Government Set To Approve ITV’s PSB Reduction

Culture secretary Tessa Jowell looks likely to approve Ofcom’s proposals to ease ITVs public service obligations in a move that will clear the way for the broadcaster to concentrate on more revenue-generating commercial programming.

The controversial decision has already been criticised by MPs, viewers and Unions. Ofcoms final proposal will come in late January and be ratified by the Government shortly afterwards. The media watchdog has proposed that the number of hours of regional, non-news programming that ITV is required to broadcast should be halved to 90-minutes, with the BBC taking responsibility for more regional output. Amongst the programmes likely to be affected by the change are The Week in London and Dales Diary in Yorkshire.

Ofcom also said that ITV should be allowed to move away from “hard quotas for specific genres” but concluded that the broadcasters must remain committed to national and regional news, current affairs programming and original UK production.

However, over 100 MPs have already signed a early day motion protesting about the cuts and Peter Hain, leader of the Commons, has branded the plan as “not acceptable”. Nevertheless Ofcom is committed to pursuing the idea and insists that with the switch to digital scheduled for 2012, commercial channels such as ITV will face increasing competition from digital stations which are unimpeded by PSB requirements.

ITV has long been arguing that its current PSB commitments would become increasingly unreasonable in the face of growing competition from multi-channel broadcasters. The network, which is no longer the cash cow its once was, currently spends around £475 million on analogue licence fees and public service programming.

There are already concerns being voiced by staff over a series of job cuts in ITV’s regional operations, as well as fears from broadcasting unions that ITV will need extra funding to deliver regional news in the future.

Ofcom’s plans will apply to ITV’s English licences, with guidelines for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland yet to be decided.

ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk

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