The UK House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee has outlined key proposals ahead of the next BBC Charter review.
In a letter to the Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Committee called for a “bold, confident and unapologetic” approach to corporation’s future as the government prepares to publish its White Paper.
Outlining a series of proposals, the Committee said the review was not “routine” and the 2028 Charter should equip the BBC to manage changes in the distribution, discovery and consumption of public service media.
Acknowledging the corporation’s £6.7 billion contribution to the UK economy, the Committee stated there is “no obvious benefit” in government proposals to give the BBC a new public purpose to drive growth, adding the new Charter should retain the BBC’s fourth purpose—putting public value first—while more clearly articulating its contribution to developing the creative economy.
Given the market changes in media consumption, the new Charter should support both strong BBC-owned services and flexible third-party distribution, said the Committee, recognising an increasing need for the BBC to utilise third-party distribution platforms such as YouTube.
Highlighting the need for stronger safeguards on prominence, data access, platform accountability and fair value, the letter called for clear minimum expectations or agreements between public service media providers and video-sharing platforms, with legislation if voluntary agreements prove to be insufficient.
While welcoming collaboration such as discussions between the BBC and Channel 4 about an extended iPlayer, the Committee said any arrangements must be genuine and mutually beneficial, respecting the “different brands and funding models of participating organisations, while maintaining plurality and competition”. Additional duty for technology and R&D must be framed around the public interest and linked to the broadcaster’s mission and public purposes.
Commenting, Baroness Keeley, chair of the Communications and Digital Committee, said. “The upcoming BBC Charter Review is fundamental for the future of public service media in the UK. It comes as national public broadcasters face ever greater competition for viewers from streaming platforms and international technology giants, and so cannot be designed in isolation from the Government’s wider digital and media policy. The Government should use the BBC Charter Review White Paper to set out a coherent and ambitious strategy for public service media over the next decade. It must also be realistic about what can be asked of the BBC as it grapples with significant financial pressures.”
