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Commercial Broadcasters Association warns of Brexit cliff edge

Says UK’s international broadcasting sector will have no choice but to implement contingency plans in order to be able to still comply with EU law post Brexit

The Commercial Broadcasters Association has warned MPs to avoid a Brexit cliff edge as Parliament debates Theresa May’s deal.

The organisation said in the weeks prior to the UK hitting a cliff edge, the UK’s £1 billion international broadcasting sector will have “no choice” but to implement contingency plans in order to be able to still comply with EU law post Brexit. 

It warns that hundreds of UK-based channels that are received in EU countries will be forced to find alternative arrangements, including securing broadcast licences from regulators in the remaining EU Member States before the end of March, so that they will have legally valid EU broadcast licences once the UK is no longer part of the single market.

Adam Minns, COBA’s executive director, said: “International broadcasters have faced huge uncertainty ever since the Referendum in 2016. The UK is Europe’s leading international broadcasting hub for good reason, and no broadcaster wants to restructure their operations. Some broadcasters have been forced to do so already, but many have waited until now before taking this immensely complex and difficult decision. 

“The costs and uncertainty of a hurried relocation will be felt by businesses, their employees and the supply chain. COBA urges MPs to consider the importance of avoiding a cliff edge, whatever ultimate scenario they favour.”