ITC Publishes 2001 Report And Accounts
The ITC has published its annual report and accounts for 2001. In it, the Commission looks at what it terms the “severe financial pressures on the commercial sector”, evaluates its public commitments to produce a rich genre mix of high quality programming and assesses the changes in public tastes.
Introducing the report, Sir Robin Biggam, ITC chairman, noted the progress made towards achieving the vision of “Digital Britain”. Chief executive Patricia Hodgson concurred: “Last year was a watershed for British broadcasting” she said, “It began with high expectations of new technologies and services on a global scale. It ended with a worldwide recession that hit both telecommunications and broadcasting hard. Two things became clear. The old world of restricted choice is dead. But good television, in the age of new media choices, was more central to success than many had expected.”
The problems encountered by NTL and ITV Digital were acknowledged, but the ITC feels that the sector has “considerable resilience” and that there is an increasing consumer appetite for new media.
In terms of programming, both Channel 4 and Channel 5 were praised for their achievements, especially in the face of financial pressures. Channel 4 was praised for delivering diversity and attracting younger and more affluent viewers which delivered the necessary advertising revenue, while Channel 5 was lauded for “raising its game” and holding onto audiences where others failed to. “ITV bore the brunt of financial and competitive stresses” notes Hodgson, “But showed in areas of traditional strength, and notably drama, that it could still offer unbeatable popular range and quality.”
The ITC has said it will publish findings in autumn from research currently underway into why there is growing public apathy towards news and current affairs. It has also expressed that it does not expect a lowering of quality as a result of the lower budget contract ITV signed with ITN last October.
The ITC reports that it received 4,650 complaints about programme content in 2001, up from 3,912 the year before. Of these, 1,228, relating to 40 programmes, were upheld. The most complained about programme, with 992 complaints, was Brass Eye. 7,554 complaints were received about advertising, down from the 2000 total of 7,632. In total 917 different adverts caused complaint. The ITC upheld complaints about 135 of these. The worst offenders were an ad for PC World, which attracted 143 complaints, and one for Hewlett Packard which got 93. Both were upheld.
Copies of the report are available from the ITC information office or can be downloaded from the website (see below).
ITC: 020 7306 7743 www.itc.org.uk
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