Media Bill
The purpose of the Bill is to:
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● Reform decades-old laws to boost our public service
broadcasters, which develop talent and skills, drive growth
in the creative industries across the UK and deliver
distinctive, diverse British content.
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● Enable a change of ownership of Channel 4 to give it
the tools it needs to succeed in the future as a public
service broadcaster while protecting its distinctiveness.
The main benefits of the Bill would be:
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● Delivering a new public service remit for TV while
making sure public service broadcasters continue to service
audiences across the UK with universally- available,
high-quality programming.
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● Making sure public service broadcast content is
always carried and easy to find for UK audiences on connected
devices and major online platforms, including on smart TVs,
set-top boxes and streaming sticks.
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● Enabling a change of ownership of Channel 4 so it can
continue to thrive and grow its impact for years to come as
part of the wider public service broadcasting system.
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● Protecting viewers using video-on-demand services
through a new Video-on- Demand Code, to be drafted and
enforced by Ofcom.
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● Removing a threat to the freedom and sustainability
of the press by repealing Section 40 of the Crime and Courts
Act 2013.
The main elements of the Bill are:
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● Ensuring that public service content is prominent,
available and easily accessible across a range of platforms.
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● Updating the public broadcasting framework to better
facilitate the delivery of public service broadcasting
through digital platforms and promoting the production and
distribution of distinctively British content.
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● Giving Ofcom new regulatory powers to draft and
enforce a Video-on-Demand Code to make sure services which
target and profit from UK audiences are subject to stricter
rules protecting UK audiences from harmful material.
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● Allowing for the conversion of Channel 4 from a
statutory corporation to a new corporate structure that could
be sold, and other changes concerning Channel 4’s obligations
and remit to ensure the sustainability of the broadcaster.
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● Updating the public service remit of S4C (Sianel
Pedwar Cymru), the Welsh language television service, to
include digital and online services. Removing the current
geographical broadcasting restrictions so that S4C can
broaden its reach and offer its content on a range of new
platforms in the UK and beyond.
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● Repealing Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013
which would (if commenced) force new publishers to pay the
costs of any court judgment if they were not a member of the
approved regulator, regardless of the outcome of the court
judgment.
Territorial extent and application
● The Bill will extend and apply across the UK.
Key facts
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● In 2019, the UK’s public service broadcasters were
able to spend just under £3.2 billion on the content they
showed. Whereas, Netflix alone spent an estimated $13.9
billion (£11.5 billion).
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● The share of total viewing for ‘linear’ TV channels
such as ITV and the BBC fell by more than ten per cent
between 2017 and 2020. The share for subscription
video-on-demand services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime
Video rose from six per cent to 19 per cent over the same
period.
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● The UK has a unique broadcasting ecology, worth about
£12 billion a year and responsible for 180,000 jobs across
the UK (including film).
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● Independent production in the UK is now booming -
revenues have grown from £500 million in 1995 to £3 billion
in 2020.
