CMS Committee Chair, , has welcomed the
introduction of the Media Bill after the Secretary of
State confirmed that the
Government has accepted the majority of recommendations made by
the Committee after its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill.
Commenting on today’s First Reading of the Bill in the House of
Commons, Dame Caroline said: “The Bill is vital to
ensuring Public Service Broadcasters maintain their prominence at
the heart of the UK’s media landscape and its introduction so
promptly after the King’s Speech is very welcome.
This legislation must be fit for both the current and future
media landscape, so I am pleased that the Government has listened
to the Committee and accepted the majority of the recommendations
we made after our pre-legislative scrutiny.
Stronger protections for the Listed Events regime are welcome.
Broadcasters and platforms alike will welcome the clarity on
brokering commercial agreements and dealing with legacy devices.
The Bill also effectively balances the ability to adapt to future
changes in TV and radio, with ensuring appropriate safeguards are
in place.
The new inclusion of reference to genres in the Bill’s changes to
the public service remit is a step in the right direction and we
will closely monitor the passage of the Bill to ensure this meets
the needs of viewers. The mitigations the Government has put in
place, should Channel 4 start producing its own content, also
merit particular scrutiny. Channel 4 plays a major role in the
success of the UK’s independent production sector and mitigations
to protect it are critical.
This is potentially a once in a generation chance to improve
media regulation, so we need to get this right. Audiences deserve
nothing less.”
Culture Secretary this week wrote to Dame
Caroline to outline the Government’s response to changes
to the legislation proposed by the Committee following scrutiny
of the Bill earlier this year. The Committee will consider and
publish the Government’s full response to its two reports at a
later date.
The Committee’s first report relating to
radio called for measures to address the risk to the industry of
larger platforms controlling access to stations and driving
listeners elsewhere. A further report on the wider provisions
in the Bill included the recommendation that
obligations on smart TVs, firesticks and set-top boxes to ensure
public service broadcasters are prominent on their platforms
should be strengthened.
