UK Considers New law to meet TV revolution
NEW LAW TO MEET TV REVOLUTION
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Ben Fenton]
A series of reviews and inquiries into the future of digital television and broadcasting over the Internet will lead to a new communications act before Britain ditches its analog signal in 2012. James Purnell, the culture secretary, told the Royal Television Society in Cambridge on Thursday night that difficult questions had to be asked about public service broadcasting, regulation and the fast-changing broadcast market. It is understood the government has decided the only way of ensuring it can adapt to the rapidly changing environment in which people consume programmes on the Internet, digital television and other unforeseen sources is by new legislation. The 2003 Communications Act had been expected to last for at least a decade.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/97a797ca-6250-11dc-bdf6-0000779fd2ac.html
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PUBLIC SERVICE THE KEY TO GOOD MEDIA
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Ben Fenton]
New media outlets are not an alternative to traditional television companies fulfilling their public service responsibilities, the new Culture Secretary said last night, warning that without public intervention, the advance of technology could lead to the dilution of public service broadcasting. "A vicious circle could emerge in which the wealthy pay to watch on demand, via technology which is not affordable to the rest," James Purnell said in his first major speech to the industry since being appointed by Gordon Brown. "Advertising revenues could gravitate to this more affluent market, leaving a significant part of the population not only without access to these new types of content, but also finding the traditional broadcast channels dwindling," Mr Purnell told the Royal Television Society. Public service broadcasting rules oblige commercial broadcasters such as ITV and Channel 4 to deliver certain types or quantities of programmes such as news or children's programming. Some broadcasters have argued that they can fulfill this remit in other ways.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3d8a7c98-625b-11dc-bdf6-0000779fd2ac.html
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