The Commercial Broadcasters Association (COBA) has told the government it needs to commit to seeking an ambitious deal on broadcasting before companies are forced to activate contingency plans.
COBA’s executive director Adam Minns told the Committee for Exiting the EU that “no deal” would put the broadcasting sector’s continued growth at risk by forcing broadcasters to restructure their European operations in order to continue broadcasting to EU countries.
“The Government has told us what is off the table, but it has not set out the type of arrangements that it wants to secure,” said Minns. “We know the Government cannot promise a deal, but it can promise to fight for arrangements on broadcasting that are ambitious, and it can give industry confidence by explaining what that would look like.”
He added: “Companies cannot wait until March 2019 to make these decisions – without more clarity, they will have to activate contingency plans within months or even weeks. It is crucial that the Government gives the industry confidence that it will fight for broadcasting.”
