Government Finally Gives BBC3 The Go Ahead
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell today announced her decision to approve BBC3 with a series of stringent conditions.
Announcing the decision after a series of delays and disagreements (see
The stringent guidelines come after Greg Dyke’s BBC has been criticised for concentrating too much on ratings and not enough on developing innovative and educational programming.
The guidelines for the channel also address the issue of competition and independent programme making. The DCMS has specified that 25% of the service’s output must be commissioned from the independent sector. This could cause controversy as it is well below expectations (see BBC3 Could Cost Commercial Broadcasters £25m).
The Government has also stipulated that 90% of output must be allocated to programmes made in the European Union for first showing in the UK, a possible nod to concerns over the increasing volume of US imports on UK terrestrial television.
The Government has also addressed concerns over what has been labelled the “digital drift”, whereby the BBC uses its digital channels as a “dumping ground” for public service orientated broadcasting, at the expense of its terrestrial channels. Jowell has stipulated the high quality of programmes on BBC3 must not be at the expense of programmes for the same audience on BBC1 and BBC2.
The service will be reviewed after two years to attempt to ensure that the BBC is meeting the conditions set out in granting approval. The review will include an independent assessment, which will look at the impact of BBC3 on the broadcasting market, and a public consultation. Its conclusions will contribute to the wider charter review process.
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk
Recent Television Stories from NewsLine MTV Gets A Boost From Jackass Sponsorship Deal Channel 4 Launches Campaign To Promote New Arts Show Lambrini Makes A Date With ITV
Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left