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to tell the Royal
Television Society Cambridge Conference that Freeview
watchers will not be ‘left behind’ by the continued rise of
streaming services
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New project studying future TV trends to be unveiled under
plans to protect those who rely on traditional ways of
watching TV
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Keynote speech to take place from 16.50 today
Viewers of free-to-air terrestrial TV should not be ‘left behind’
amid shifting viewing habits towards streaming services, the
Culture Secretary will say in a major speech on the future of TV
this afternoon.
will deliver a keynote speech
at the Royal Television Society Cambridge Conference this
afternoon, where she will outline her plan to maximise the
potential of the TV industry to capitalise on the endless choice
new technology now offers to audiences.
Addressing this year’s conference theme of Too Much To Watch, the
minister is expected to say that the huge variety of online
platforms have supercharged creativity across the UK and global
TV industry, but leaps forward in technology should not
negatively impact on people who rely on traditional ways of
watching TV.
In her speech, Culture Secretary will say:
“As we focus on the future, our attention must also be on making
sure people are not left behind. Because new ways of consuming TV
should not come at the expense of those who still enjoy
terrestrial television.
“This government wants to encourage the sector to keep embracing
innovation and technological development. But we’re not going to
pull the rug from under the devoted audiences of Freeview
channels. We want terrestrial television to remain accessible for
the foreseeable future.”
To support this commitment, the Culture Secretary will announce a
new research and engagement programme looking at the future of TV
in the UK. The work will help inform long-term policy decisions
on whether to extend the current commitment to keep Freeview on
air until at least 2034.
The project will help ensure audiences of the future continue to
have access to world-class TV - regardless of how technology
changes in the decades to come - and support the industry to
navigate and seize the opportunities ahead.
Further announcements related to the future of TV are also
expected in the speech, which will take place at King’s College
Cambridge in front of an audience of media industry leaders.
Other speakers include Piers Morgan, Tim Davie, Claire Enders and
executives from Warner Bros. Discovery, Snap and Netflix.
Channel 4’s Alex Mahon will chair the event, as well as leading a
Q&A session with the minister following her speech.
Today's plans build on the Culture Secretary’s ambitions to grow
the creative industries by £50 billion and create one million
additional jobs in the sector by 2030 - a key plank of the
government's priority to grow the economy, backed up by the
Creative Industries Sector Vision. The wider film and TV sector
contributed £18.2 billion GVA in 2020 and is responsible for
280,000 jobs across the UK.
***ENDS***
Notes to editors
The full speech will be published on gov.uk. A press release
containing full details of the announcements will also be issued
following the speech.
