January 16, 2017

The Government says that, whilst the UK is home to a thriving broadcasting industry, there has been a decline in provision of certain key public service genres, such as children’s TV, arts and religious programming. Beyond television, concerns have also been raised about the BBC’s dominance of certain radio genres, such as comedy, documentaries, drama and religious programmes.

In order to address this, the Government has committed to establishing a pilot for a new contestable fund. The fund, using competitive forces to ensure the highest quality and the best value for money, will help to stimulate the provision and plurality of public service content in targeted areas. Bids for the fund will be assessed against a strict value for money criteria.

The Government will be piloting a contestable scheme which will receive up to £60 million of funding over two to three years, after which the impact of the scheme will be assessed and a decision taken about whether to close, maintain or expand the scheme.

The consultation seeks views from broadcasters, producers, viewers and others on how the fund can be created and distributed to strengthen value for money provision of under-provided PSB content. This includes a call for evidence and views in four main areas:

• focus of the fund;
• distribution platforms;
• pilot administration; and
• eligibility criteria.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said: “The UK’s broadcasting system is an international success story and at the heart of our cultural life. The government is determined to make sure it continues to go from strength to strength. To do so, it must provide a broad range of high-quality content for all UK audiences which reflects the diversity of our nation. It must also provide opportunities for our world-renowned production sector, and to be able to adapt and thrive as technology and viewing habits change at an unprecedented pace.

“The government is open to the broadest range of ideas, views and evidence to inform the design of this pilot. We want to take this opportunity to consider fully how a fund should be targeted, how it should operate and be administered, with a view to delivering the best outcomes for viewers and the system as a whole”. The consultation closes at midday on 14 February 2017. To read the Government’s press release in full and for a link to the consultation, click here.