Commercial Broadcasters Unite To Halt BBC3

Commercial TV broadcasters are meeting with Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell today in a last ditch attempt to prevent BBC3, the digital channel aimed at 16-34 year olds, from getting Government approval.

Senior executives from ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and BSkyB are expected to argue that BBC3 is unnecessary in a market already well served by commercial TV. Channel 4 is thought to be particularly concerned that the new £90 million youth channel will erode the audience for its own digital entertainment channel, E4.

A spokesman for Channel 4 said: “The Government has received 12 submissions all in opposition to BBC3. As far as Channel 4 is concerned we feel that the BBC is spending far too much money on a channel that provides nothing new.”

The first proposal for BBC3 was rejected last September on the grounds that its was “not truly distinctive in an already crowded market” (see Government Says No To BBC3). However, the BBC submitted a reworked proposal, including a fifteen-minute news bulletin at peak time and the promise of more current affairs programmes.

The coalition of commercial broadcasters remains opposed to the proposal, which it believes is still 85% devoted to entertainment and is expected to request that, at the very least, some of BBC3’s budget be given to BBC4, a channel specialising in culture and the arts.

Channel 5 has already made its opposition to BBC3 clear (see Channel 5 Opposes Plans For New BBC3) and earlier in the month ISBA said that the channel was “fundamentally against the interests of UK viewers” (see ISBA Moves To Block BBC3).

DCMS: 020 7211 6272 www.culture.gov.uk

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