December 2020
Starting from:
£99 + VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference will consider the future for UK public service broadcasting - looking at Ofcom’s PSB review, market dynamics, and priorities for policy and regulation.
The discussion is bringing stakeholders together with key policy officials who are due to attend from DCMS; Ofcom; the Cabinet Office; DIT and HMRC.
The agenda:
- Policy priorities for addressing the key challenges facing public service broadcasting
- Latest thinking on defining public service broadcasting, its place in the wider media market, and its contribution to people’s lives and a society changed by the pandemic
- The long-term outlook for the media sector, and assessing what support might be required in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Attracting and retaining young and diverse audiences offered ever-widening choices - innovation, discoverability, and ensuring continued relevance
The context at a glance:
- Negotiations on the future cost of the TV licence kick off - and the appointment of the Public Service Broadcasting Advisory Panel to advise government on the role, focus and governance of PSB
- The future of public service broadcasting - Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee inquiry into the future of public service broadcasting including funding, content and regulation and how this compares with streaming and subscription services
- Ofcom’s Plan of Work 2020/21 - updated with a further consultation on the PSB review along with its annual report on the BBC in Q3 2020/21
- Small Screen: Big Debate - a five-year review of Public Service Broadcasting - Ofcom’s assessment of PSB aimed at stimulating thinking on how to carry forward the benefits of PSB into the future
- It’s time to ask big questions about the future of the BBC - the Culture Secretary writing for the Daily Telegraph, outlining issues for the BBC in a changing media market including value for money, impartiality and public trust, and how the BBC represents the nation
- Review of competition rules in the EPG Code - Ofcom’s current consultation following Recommendations to Government for a new framework to keep PSB TV prominent in an online world
- Channel 4 Corporation’s performance in delivering its media content duties - with Ofcom findings on quality and innovation, and scan of future risks as both audience habits and the market change
- The BBC:
- Tim Davie's introductory speech as BBC Director-General - outlining his priorities including commitment to impartiality, a focus on unique high-impact content, extracting more value online and building commercial income
- further developments such as changes to free licenses for over-75s, the DCMS Consultation on decriminalising TV licence evasion, and the BBC News sets out update on modernisation plans announcements
- the Broadcasting, Film and Production working group - set up as part of the Cultural Renewal Taskforce to help develop guidelines as media businesses reopen following the pandemic
- Lockdown leads to surge in TV screen time and streaming - Ofcom finding that people in the UK spend 40% of their day watching TV and online video services during lockdown
- Diversity:
- PSB initiatives such as Channel 4’s BAME-led Indie Accelerator programme, and the BBC’s Creative Diversity Commitment
- Broadcasters must look beyond London and reach the whole UK - Ofcom call on broadcasters to increase diversity after their Annual Report on the BBC finds people from outside of London feeling underrepresented on screen
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders. Places have been reserved by parliamentary pass-holders from the APPG for Children's Media and the Arts; the House of Commons Library; and the House of Lords, and officials from DCMS; Ofcom; the Cabinet Office; the Department of International Trade; HMRC and the Welsh Government.
Overall, we expect speakers and attendees to be a senior and informed group including Members of both Houses of Parliament, senior government and regulatory officials involved in this area of policy, as well as from media businesses, their suppliers and their advisors, the technology and telecoms industries, representatives from the public service broadcasters, UK commercial broadcasters, international media companies, OTT content services and digital streaming services, independent production companies, the content supply chain including studios and post-production companies, television and online advertising companies and their suppliers, media lawyers, consultants and analysts, organisations and individuals representing the views of consumers and citizens, regulators, academics, together with reporters from the national and specialist media.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
