The UK media industry does not want a commercial BBC and wants the Corporation to remain publicly funded, research from Starcom MediaVest Group has found.
Of the 150 senior level executives from the commercial departments of UK media owners surveyed, 85% said they felt the BBC should remain as it is, with 75% saying they would feel more confident about their business if it was.
Moreover, 82% felt that if the BBC became privately funded it would place a “significant threat” on the media sector with national TV (89%) most at risk, followed by radio (61%), local TV (51%) and online news sites (49%).
According to those surveyed, social media and out-of-home activity would be least affected.
When asked, if they were given the option, how they would fund the BBC, one respondent said it should be “publicly funded but streamlined with a supplementary commercial arm”.
Similarly, another thought that “whilst the BBC should remain publicly funded they should also sell partnerships,” while another one believed it should continue as it is now with increased options for the BBC to licence content internationally as an additional revenue stream.
However, the strong legacy of the BBC does seem to be under threat with the study revealing that a quarter of media owners surveyed believe that the public lacks trust in the broadcaster.
In addition, only 38% believe that the BBC can regain the trust of the public, and when asked whether they trusted the BBC as a media professional, over a third (38%) disagreed.
Ahead of the EU referendum, the annual survey also found that 90% of respondents believe the public will vote for the UK to remain in the EU, while 83% think that leaving the EU will have a negative impact on the economy and 80% concluding that it would mean less of a role for UK operations as part of international/global media businesses.
“The results are incredibly thought-provoking and perhaps quite surprising to some,” said Steve Parker, co-CEO of SMG.
“What’s particularly interesting is that whilst it has been reported that many see the BBC license fee as out-dated, our survey revealed that most actually want the fee to remain as it is.
“Ultimately, the results suggest that for our industry to continue to flourish we need to remain in the EU and the BBC needs to stay publicly funded. These are key issues not only for our industry but the country as whole and in the coming weeks and months ahead the debates will surely intensify.”
