Hodgson: TV Will Drive Communications Change

Television will drive the change in communications brought about by new technologies, according to ITC chief executive Patricia Hodgson. Speaking at the annual lunch of ISBA yesterday, she said television, with its familiarity and ubiquitousness, would give most consumers their first taste of “broadband Britain.”

“We are seeing a correction from the first heady days of the information revolution and dot.com mania, but new products and services will change the way we listen and view – perhaps on longer time scales than many thought.” she said.

Hodgson pointed out that there was “nothing new” in the concept of viewers going behind programmes and adverts for more information, saying that around half of viewers use teletext services on most days for news, weather and travel.

The UK’s future success in maintaining its lead, she said, would depend on funding. At the moment, she pointed out, “We invest more per head in the sector than in any equivalent economy.”. This comes from a mixture of public and private investment including more than £5bn of commercial spend via advertising.

Stressing the need for competition in content, she said: “Without a commitment to competition, Britain’s communications lead will be squandered.”

“We need to think separately about content and infrastructure.” Hodgson went on, before saying that the scale of investment needed to create effective infrastructure could necessitate the intervention of media giants such as Vivendi and Bertelsmann. “Of course, big players are feared, first as not-invented-here and second as a threat to competition.” she said, “They needn’t be, if we get industry structures and regulation right.”

“Real competition in content depends on access for service providers. Pipes are neutral. Networks are just highways. What matters is what’s on them, and customer access to a real range of services.”

ITC: 020 7306 7743 www.itc.org.uk

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