Dyke Praises Jowell For Diligence Over BBC 3 Decision
The BBC has today welcomed the decision by the Government to approve its new digital channel BBC3 and has admitted that Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell was right to delay the launch.
BBC director general, Greg Dyke, admitted: “BBC3 is central in our drive to connect with young audiences. This has been a tough decision for the Secretary of State and, looking back, I think she was right to push us to define the channel more clearly.”
The new channel is due to be launched in the new year and will be headed up by Jana Bennett, who was appointed director of television during the approval process, she commented: “BBC3 should bring the very best public service values to a younger generation and offer something very different from other digital channels. Current affairs, education, culture, science, business, finance and ethics are an important part of the programme mix for BBC3, as well as the key components of drama and entertainment.”
The Government’s approval will come as a relief to the BBC after a drawn out period of re-negotiation and uncertainty. Jowell stunned BBC executives last September when she dismissed the original plans for the youth channel for being too frivolous, claiming that it was “not truly distinctive in an already crowded market”(see Government Says No To BBC3)
The BBC’s proposals also faced sharp criticism from the commercial sector, which claimed it could lose up to £25m a year in revenue if BBC3 goes ahead (see BBC3 Could Cost Commercial Broadcasters £25m). With senior executives from ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and BSkyB teaming up to argue that BBC3 is unnecessary in a market already well served by commercial TV.
It is likely the approval will be met with dismay in some sectors of the industry, with only 25% of the service output earmarked for the independent sector. However, Bennett views the new channel as a positive move for the entire television sector, commenting: “Approval is good news for both viewers and the TV production industry as a whole, as the programming will largely be original productions from talented BBC and independent producers across the UK.
The news will also boost the Government’s plan to switch off the analogue TV signal by 2010, as BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, previously warned that the Culture Secretary’s decision to delay the launch of BBC3 could thwart plans for the digital switchover (see Davies Hits Back At BBC3 Delay).
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