BBC Charter Review Will Focus On Digital Television
The Government has announced that the impending analogue switch off and the subsequent move towards digital television will form a central part of the wide-ranging review of the BBC’s ten year charter.
Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, said the public debate on the future of the BBC would examine the “vital” role played by the Corporation in promoting plans to switch off the analogue television signal by the end of the decade.
The BBC increased spending on digital services by almost £100 million last year and the latest figures show that more than half of the population now receives multi-channel television either through Sky Digital, cable or the recently launched Freeview digital terrestrial service (see Digital TV Now In More Than Half Of UK Households).
Speaking at yesterday’s Oxford Media Convention, Jowell said: “We have now reached the point where those without digital are a minority. The continuing success of digital television confirms that switching over is the right decision for the country.”
However, she admitted it would be difficult to persuade all viewers to abandon their analogue televisions after a recent Government survey revealed that one in ten UK householders will not voluntarily switch to multi-channel (see Government Faces Backlash Against Analogue Switch-Off).
She said: “The Government has always made clear that, in planning switchover, the interests of consumers must be looked after. That means that digital must be accessible and affordable to the vast majority.”
The Culture Secretary revealed that independent reviews of the BBC’s new digital television and radio services, as well as its online operations, would form part of a consultation document on the future role of the BBC to be published later this year (see Jowell Claims Public Will Shape Future Of BBC).
She also acknowledged the importance of emerging technologies and their impact on media consumption, saying: “Within the next charter period the future will be just as much about broadband, the internet, text and instant messaging as about conventional television and radio.”
Every aspect of the BBC’s operations will come under review as part of the charter renewal process, which the Government insists will be “open, fair and transparent”. However, it also emphasises that the Corporation’s independence will be preserved (see Government Details Root And Branch Review Of BBC).
DCMS: 020 7211 6200 www.dcms.gov.uk
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